Pro rodeo: SandHills Notebook

>> Strong bareback field: How good is the bareback riding competition tonight at the 75th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo?

To get any better, you are going to have to buy a ticket to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December — and these five cowboys likely will be making a return trip.

Bobby Mote, the 2007 world champion, leads the quartet of riders who battled each other through 10 rounds in Las Vegas. former Odessa College standout Ryan Gray of Cheney, Wash.; Steven Dent of Mullen, Neb.; Jason Havens of Prineville, Ore.; and Chris Harris of Itasca will join the two-time champion.

Mike Outhier of Utopia also is scheduled to compete. Outheir is the 2007 winner of the Linderman Award, which is given to a cowboy who earns at least $1,000 in three events, including a rough stock (bareback, saddleback or bull riding) event or timed event (team roping, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping).

Outhier also won the award in 2004.

>> Paying with pain: Andy Burelle is one of the bull fighters competing in the Daisy Protection Bull Fighting Tour, and he got a little too close to The WiddowMaker on Friday night.

Jumping in with partner Dusty Tuckness after Josh Johnson was unceremoniously deposited in the dirt, Burelle was caught and launched into the air, completing a full flip before crashing to the ground, where he was stepped on.

Burelle staggered to his feet, but he could only go a few feet before falling to his knees surrounded by the Justin Sports Medicine trainers and the rest of the bull fighters. Burelle walked out of the arena, with assistance, and was evaluated by the medical staff before returning to the arena as the bull riding concluded.

>> Not safe anywhere: When a person volunteers to work the gate that lets the stock out of the arena, there always is an element of danger.

During the saddle bronc competition Friday, the exit gate worker was in his usual spot as Nick Laduke, aboard Many Colors, bounded around the dirt.

Many Colors, after Laduke dismounted, decided that he didn’t want to be on stage anymore and hit the gate so hard that the top rail bent, sending the worker flying into the fence and then to the ground.

The Justin Sports Medicine trainers quickly were on the scene to check on the worker, who got to his feet, a bit unsteadily, a few moments later and was taken out of the arena for further observation.

>> About time: After the first six pairs in the team roping had either missed the head loop or were penalized for an illegal catch, Matt Funk of Hermiston, Ore., and Bucky Campbell of Benton City showed how the event is supposed to run.

With Funk throwing the head loop just one jump out of the box and then turning the steer, Campbell cleaned up the hind legs in 5.3 seconds, good enough to take the lead in the second go-round. The 5.3-second mark is the quickest run this year.

>> Money ride: Wes Stevenson of Kaufman travels the rodeo circuit with three-time world champion Will Lowe, of Canyon, and Royce Ford, of Briggsdale, Colo.

On Friday, Stevenson was the best of the three cowboys.

Stevenson, the first one out of the chutes, hung on to Dakota Babe for eight seconds and an 85-point score to move into a three-way time for second with Jess Davis and Zach Hill.