The Ute Mountain junior high and high school rodeo team completed its fall season.
Under the direction of co-sponsors Karen Maxwell, Destri Lockhart and Lana Finley, the Ute Mtn. team competed in seven fall rodeos. Competition was at Cortez, Craig and Hotchkiss. The rodeo in Gunnison was cancelled.
Team members for the 2012-2013 school year in junior high are Bailee Karo, Ty Mattausch and Cassie Finley. High school kids are Jake Cruzan, Emma Reim, Wylie Kirks, Tanner Lockhart, Cayce Lockhart, Wyatt Yates, Zane Yates, Britanny Featherman, Whitney Finley, Wyatt Mattausch, Dax Koskie, Cade Van Soelen, Riley Van Soelen, Cammie Maxwell, Brianna Maxwell, Keenan Elliott, Trevor Holladay and Jessica Winbourn.
In the Jr. high division at Cortez, Cassie Finley placed fourth and seventh in barrel racing and fifth and 15th in pole bending. Karo placed 15th and 10th in barrel racing and ninth and 13th in pole bending.
At Craig, Finley placed 10th and 15th in barrel racing; fifth and seventh in girls goat tying and fifth and 15th in pole bending.
At the Hotchkiss rodeo, Finley placed 10th and 12th in barrel racing, third and sixth in goat tying and had two 10th-place wins in pole bending. Karo did not compete at Craig or Hotchkiss.
In the high school division at Cortez, Reim placed 12th, eighth and 28th in barrel racing. In girls cutting, Reim took second, second and fourth. In Pole Bending, she scored fourth, 16th and 17th. Cruzan garnered three first-place wins in boys cutting. Whitney Finley placed sixth and third in girls breakaway roping. Winbourn placed 28th, 25th and 28th in barrel racing. Cayce Lockhart placed 10th, 10th and 11th in barrel racing. Koskie picked up a first-place finish in bareback riding. The team of Cade and Riley Van Soelen placed sixth in dally team roping. Tanner Lockhart picked up a second-place win in saddle bronc.
At Craig, Reim placed 23rd in barrel racing, and 11th and 10th in pole bending. Cayce Lockhart placed 20th and 19th in barrel racing. Koskie picked up a second-place win in bareback riding. Tanner Lockhart placed first in the saddle broncs. In dally team roping, the team of Cruzan and Taten Koenig placed first, Cade and Riley Van Soelen placed fourth, and Wyatt Yates and Zane Yates placed sixth.
At Hotchkiss, Featherman placed seventh and 25th in barrel racing, and 14th in pole bending. Kirks pulled in two second-place wins in bull riding. Cayce Lockhart placed 10th and 29th in barrel racing. Winbourn placed 26th in barrel racing. Whitney Finley placed 13th in breakaway roping. In dally team roping, Cruzan and Koenig picked up two third-place wins. The team of Cade and Riley Van Soelen placed fifth and fourth.
Team members compete against other Jr. high and high school competitors from throughout the state of Colorado. Points are given for first- through-10th-place.
The rodeo competition will resume with the spring season in March in Cortez at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.