Rig flips en route to Fort Collins

The CSC Rodeo Team’s weekend started out rough, said Coach Dustin Luper, when a trailer hauling four horses flipped on its side after hitting a patch of black ice on the way to the CSU rodeo in Fort Collins, Colo.

The horse of Karalyn Bridgeman, senior of Biscarth, Manitoba, had to be put down, but this was the only casualty in the accident.

The pickup belonging to Casey Albright, freshman of Dubois, Wyo., stayed upright while the trailer flipped.

“The kids were also frustrated about being in the slack Friday [as opposed to performances],” Luper said, “But they pulled together and came out of it.”

The men’s team landed fourth out of 13 teams after Jeddidiah Wilson, junior of Sugar City, Colo., Whitten Hoover, sophomore of Ainsworth, and Ty Werdel, sophomore of Chadron, all placed in the bareback bronc event for the second week in a row.

The men placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively with Wilson and Hoover receiving scores of 142 and Werdel a score of 130.

Wilson beat Hoover out of third place because of a higher score in the short go.

Wilson placed 71 points  in the short go over Hoover’s 66.

Hoover placed higher than Wilson in the long round, however. Hoover scored 76 points, whereas Wilson placed 71.

As a freshman, Hoover made it to College National Rodeo Finals in Casper, Wyo., last spring after making it to every short go in last spring’s rodeo.

“Spring seems to be the time of year for me. It’s going good[sic],” Hoover said.

“I’ve just been drawing good [broncs] and Coach has been really helping out a lot with work-outs, when I go to them,” he said.

Kelsey Scott, sophomore of Douglas, Wyo., was the only cowgirl to place at CSU’s rodeo, placing the women’s team sixth out of 12.

Scott placed fourth in breakaway roping.

The next rodeo is scheduled for April 16 – 18 at Casper College in Wyoming. This is the championship of college rodeo.

Hoover is looking forward to a week off.

“I’m going to relax this weekend,” Hoover said.