Action rough, exciting on first night of Days of '47 Rodeo

WEST VALLEY CITY — Not many sporting events these days begin with a prayer.

But considering the danger in this sport, it's probably a good thing they did Monday night.

Many refer to rodeo competition as the first extreme sport, but others see it as an important part of not just Utah history but of Western heritage.

The Days of '47 Rodeo celebrates the pioneering spirit demonstrating all the skills the first ranchers and cowboys needed to survive in the wild west.

Monday night at the Maverik Center only saw one injury when Chance Smart of Philadelphia, Miss., was thrown from his bull and got his hand tangled in his gear and was stomped on. After several minutes he got up and walked off under his own power but the extent of his injuries were not known.

Nine of the 15 bull riders didn't make the required 8 seconds to post a score.

Kache Mooseman, from Price, only made it about half the time necessary to receive a score. But at 19 years old, he has seen far worse than bull riding in his young life. At 14, years old he was in a car accident that kept him in a coma for two months. Doctors said he would probably never be able to participate in rodeo again. But three months out of the hospital he was riding saddle broncs before he decided to switch to the more dangerous bull riding.

Cody Rostockyj, from Hillsboro, Texas, scored 84 along with Garrett Vig of Newton, S.D. Dalton Voltaw of Liberty, Texas, posted 83.

Although it was the first night of the rodeo, cumulative scores at the end of the week will determine the overall champion.

A few Utah competitors were scattered in each event mixing with veteran cowboys from across the country, including some of world-class caliber.

Two Utah women stood out in the barrel racing competition. Sierre Dawn Thomas, of Roy, placed first with a 13.92 time. Cedar Fort's Lekelsi Dansi placed fourth at 14.39.

The team roping event had a distinct Utah flavor with six teams entered in the competition.

The Utah tandem of Steve Young of Goshen and R.D. Abplanalp of Plain City jumped out of the starting gate with a bang hanging a score of 6.1 seconds. The next team was Jada Anderson from Roosevelt and Dusty Morse from Randolph who eclipsed the first team by 0.1 second posting a 6.0.