BIG SPRING, Texas – Lindsey Baker first started competing inside the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl as a college student at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.

Now living in Alpine, Texas, she’s returned for the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo.

“I’ve always wanted to do good in the Rodeo Bowl, so this is exciting for me,” said Baker, who stopped the clock in 2.2 seconds during Friday’s second performance to take the breakaway roping lead with one night remaining in this year’s festival. “I didn’t really have a game plan because (the calves) are walking fresh. I just go with my gut whenever we rode in the box.”

“Walking fresh” refers to cattle that have never been run through a rodeo arena’s chute system. The calves in Big Spring came right out of a pasture, so this was their first experience at a rodeo. Like humans, animals tend to have tendencies – whether they’re calves, steers or bucking horses – once they get an understanding of the game. New to the sport, these calves have yet to develop a pattern.

That offers a new challenge for the contestants. The 10 ladies in Friday’s field had a little bit of assistance in the form of Lari Dee Guy, a nine-time WPRA world champion who has been widely recognized as one of the pioneers of breakaway roping’s resurgence in recent years.

“Lari Dee was down there helping all the girls out, and I got a good idea of how I wanted to do it since I was the last one out,” Baker said. “Everything just worked out. Lari Dee really helped me out, and I had a good calf for that run.”

It all must come together for any cowboy or cowgirl. Breakaway roping is the fastest event in rodeo, because the ladies must rope the calves around the neck first, then the clock stops when their rope breaks away from the string-tied knot on the saddle horn. The action electrified Friday night.

“With walking-fresh calves, it’s all muscle memory,” Baker said. “If the shot’s there, you have to take it, because you don’t know if that calf’s going to just take off and get around you or if he’s going to stop and pull up because he feels that something is coming behind him.

“It’s all reaction, and it’s fine, because you’ve just got to go with what feels right.”

Rodeo isn’t her sole focus, though. She and her husband operate a ranch about 200 miles southwest of Big Spring, and they have other business ventures that need their attention. Rodeo is more of a hobby, but she’d love to have success and see what happens. Of course, she something special in G, a 21-year-old sorrel gelding that guided her to the top spot.

“I call him G, because it’s actually short for Goober, but I’ve never called him Goober because I didn’t think he was a goober,” she said. “He’s been everywhere, all over the country. He is, by far, one of the strongest horses I’ve ever rode. When you need a horse to really get after one, I know I can rely on him.

“I would love to make the (Texas) Circuit Finals. I didn’t have that on my list of goals for this year, but if things work out and God has a plan for you, you’ve just got to go with it.”

Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo
June 19-21
Bareback riding: 1. Brayze Schill, 81 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Colorado Bay; 2. Zach Hibler, 80; 3. Owen Brouilette, 75; 4. Monty Ray Fontenot, 69; 5. Rhett Hadley Kelley, 66; 5. Payton Blackmon, 65.

Steer wrestling: 1. Bray Armes, 4.0 seconds; 2. Cimarron Thompson, 4.1; 3. Cody Harmon, 4.9; 4. Ty Cochrane, 5.1; 5. Boyd Sawyer, 5.3; 6. Casey Collins, 6.1.

Tie-down roping: 1. Lane Webb, 10.0 seconds; 2. Travis Staley, 10.2; 3. (tie) Word Hudson and Ace Reese, 10.4; 5. Jett Barrett, 12.1; 6. Cody Little, 12.4; 7. Cory Rowland, 13.5; 8. Dean Holyan, 15.5.

Breakaway roping: 1. Lindsay Baker, 2.2 seconds; 2. Kimberly Luco, 2.3; 3. Tibba Smith, 2.4; 4. (tie) Lari Dee Guy and Makayla Boisjoli, 2.5; 6. Caitlin Blackwell, 2.7; 7. Kayelen Helton, 2.8; 8. Sequin Brewer, 2.9; 9. (tie) Jayme Marcrum and Keyleigh Tatum, 3.1; 11. Emma Waldrop, 3.3; 12. Lauren Hopkins, 3.5.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Sterling Crawley, 85.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Apache Junction; 2. Chase Brooks, 85; 3. Jacobs Crawley, 80; 4. Cooper Thatcher, 79; 5. Brody Cress, 78; 6. Cooper Lane, 78; 7. Wyatt LaVergne, 76; 8. Heston Harrison, 75.

Team roping: 1. Roan Oldfield/Pace Blanchard, 4.4 seconds; 2. McCray Profili/McCoy Profili, 5.1; 3. Kyler Beshirs/Wyatt Mask, 5.5; 4. Lane Webb/Jake South, 6.5; 5. Payden Emmett/Jorge Pina Lopez, 9.4; 6. Jeff Kanady/Caden Beatty, 10.9; 7. Cody Little/Tom Epperson, 11.7; 8. Jim Breck Bean/Jasper Klein, 12.0.

Barrel racing: 1. Shayna Wimberly, 15.68 seconds; 2. Cheyenne Wimberley, 15.73; 3. Jimmie Smith, 15.89; 4. (tie) Debbie Bloxom and Corley Cox, 15.94; 6. Stacey Grimes, 15.98; 7. Liz Herrin, 16,00; 8. Morgan Addison, 16.02; 9. (tie) Bristan McCarley and Alex Lang, 16.06; 11. Jordan Kirkes, 16.08; 12. Jo Fisher, 16.11. 

Bull riding: No qualified rides.