FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 VARIETY & SURPRISES DOMINATED
Chevy Trucks/ M.L. Leddy's East/West Shoot-out.
        

 What a night for the cutters who came from California to Florida, from Minnesota to Texas to compete in the Leddys/NCHA Eastern-Western Shootout!.  Each was a national champ (or next in line) from the Chevy Trucks Eastern and Western National Championships held earlier this year - veteran trainers, seasoned non pros, new amateurs and talented youths - vying for the title of National Champion in their respective divisions, as well as the right to take home a Leddy’s saddle and a check for $700.00.

The  Leddys/NCHA Eastern-Western Shootout, the final leg of the Chevy Trucks Eastern and Western National Championships took place Friday, July 14 during the NCHA Summer Spectacular in a unique forum.  The contestants competed in two bunches, determined by a drawn working order of the 11 NCHA approved classes. Of those 11 classes, 5 classes worked in the first bunch of cattle while the remaining 6 classes work in a 2^nd bunch. Following the class draw, a draw was made between the two competitors of each class for their working order.

Variety was the spice of life in these finals.  The senior youth class proved to be toughest class of all, a past nonprofessional futurity champion stallion carried two riders to championships and a trainer, who was 3^rd in line in his divisions rather than the champion, won two national titles. The cattle, testy and strong, won out in 5 of the 22 runs, giving those competitors scores of 199 or lower; several horses   changed owners since their earlier championship, and the luck of the draw helped determine some champions since low scores by their opponent meant they merely needed to play it safe. Was it better to draw 1^st or 2^nd?   The jury is still out on that one since 5 of the champions drew first and 6 of them drew 2^nd.

 3,000 novice

Trainer Wayne Czisny of Burleson- kicked off The Leddys/NCHA Eastern-Western Shootout representing the $3,000 novice Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western Nationals, although Czisny placed 3^rd in that competition. Les Timmons riding Badger Traildust won the class at the Ogden show and Scott Martin showing Solowla won reserve champion, but neither rider was able to attend the shootout. Czisny was next in line, and it was a good place to be.

Showing Dash of Cat owned by Eddie Godfrey of Arlington, Texas, Czisny neatly cut 3 cows, held them in the center of the pen in a head-to-head combat. His score of 222 started the evening off with a bang.

Tom Williford, then showed Colonel Flip Dox owned by Mark and Marilyn Mullins of Cadwell,Georgia.  Representing the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Division, Colonel Flip Dox scored 213.5.  Colonel Flip Dox was previously owned by Kelly Stanford, of Victoria, Texas and shown by Corky Sokol at the Eastern National.  The gelding had also won the Tomato Classic 5 & 6 year old championship. 

$50,000 Amateur        

Kelly Pittman of Ashley, Ohio riding Rebas Little Lena and representing the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championships, took home the $50,000 Amateur National honor.  Kelly drew first in the competition and drove half-dozen cattle from the herd to select a treacherous black baldy for her first cut.  More than once the heifer tried without success to roll up under Rebas Little Lena, but Pittman and her horse refused to budge. Kelly then cut 2 more black cows, not as treacherous and received a score of 216.

Gods Little Acre ridden by Tiffany Sternfels of Plattenville, Louisiana, and owned by Leo Sternfels started off with a solid run, but her 2^nd cow slipped past Gods Little Acre, taking her chance for the championship with it.

Non-Professional

Peponitas Acre, owned and shown by Lee Garner competed from the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championship.  Lee, a past NCHA non professional world champion won the 1996 NCHA Non Professional Futurity riding the stallion and presently, the pair sit 12^th in the NCHA open Top Ten.

 The stallion demonstrated his cutting expertise from the beginning of his run when the first cow steadily pushed against him in an attempt to return to the herd, but to no avail. His second cow tried him as well, but it was pressure from the 3^rd red cow, flying from one side of the pen, making Peponita Acre get tough in return, that capped Garner’s score of 220 for a hard run.

 Jimmy Kemp, Jr., representing the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championship, had already competed on As Smart As Einstein owned by his wife, Terrye Kemp. The 8-year-old gelding won the non-pro reserve title in Ogden behind Heidi Hadlock riding Dandyolena.  Hadlock, however, was unable to attend the Shootout.

Kemp’s first cut allowed the gelding to work him in the middle of the arena for a few moves, but then dove toward the fence only to return to the middle and attempt another dive toward the herd.  As Smart As Einstein, however, held the Charolais making his rider smile.  Kemp cut two more cows and earned a score of 217.

Junior youth

Both of the junior youth riders changed mounts when they came to cowtown to compete for the National title. Andrew Hestad, from Jackson, Georgia, rode Aprils March to win the Eastern junior youth division, but competed in Fort Worth riding Hava Another Playboy. The 14-year-old student cut a black baldy to start a nice run, followed by a solid black that carried him back and forth across the arena before finally skirting its way back into the herd. The pair scored 199.

Amanda Archuleta, the 13-year-old daughter of Joe and Ann Archuleta from Fort Lupton, Colorado, only needed to survive the cutting to win the competition. The petite youth rode Honky Tonk Hickory to win the Western youth championship, but showed Mr Holey Chic Olena at the M. L. Leddy/NCHA Shootout.  While her first cow, a black baldy started her work on a solid note; it was her 2^nd cow, a Charolais that Amanda held for 22 seconds that tested Honky Tonk Hickory’s ability.  The buzzer sounded just before Amanda cut her 3^rd cow, but her performance earned her a score of 213.

$10,000 novice/non pro

Freckles Aboy ridden by Eddie Stewart of Andrews, Texas, was the last competitor in the first set of cattle, but it was a good draw to win his division.  Stewart first selected a red baldy that had returning to the herd on her mind, but Freckles Aboy held her, even when she made a run at the gelding from the judges’ stand. The second cow, a solid black gave Eddie a solid performance. He cut his 3^rd cow with only 6 seconds left and earned the winning score of 213.

RBS Twister and Troylyn Ball of Houston represented the Eastern division. RBS Twister earned the right to come to Fort Worth with Wade Rust showing the gelding, but Rust then sold him to Ball. Since the qualification to compete in this class is based on the horse, Ball, who had shown less than a dozen times, received the opportunity to show.  With such limited showing, she did quite well in the competition, but lost her first cow when it took her to the wall. Ball and RBS Twister scored 196

$20,000 non pro

The first class to compete in the 2^nd bunch, the $20,000 non pro class, pitted Debbie Stroh of Berthoud, Colorado, the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Champion against Waylon Overstreet of Kenansville, Florida, the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Champion

Overstreet, working 2^nd and riding Cranky Kid rather than Bouncer Solano on whom he won the right to come to Fort Worth, had a hard run. The pair cut 3 cows that severely tested Cranky Kid and the judges rewarded the horse’s ability to hold the cattle with a score of 219

Stroh and A Little After Nine drew first, in both the 2^nd bunch of cattle and the $20,000 non-pro competition. Stroh cut her mare two cows and the 8-year-old mare executed a clean, correct run earning her a score of 215.

Senior Youth

When Mandy Williams and Nikki Sokol came to town, the teen-age girls came to win, making the senior youth class the highest scoring class of the M. L. Leddy/NCHA Shootout. Williams, from the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Finals drew first. Rather than show Docs Smokin Bandit whom she won her division championship on, Mandy, the daughter of Steve and Shelly Williams, climbed aboard Peponita Acre. Like his previous run in the non-professional division, hard and fast, Peponita Acre took Mandy to the championship with a score of 224. 

Nikki Sokol of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, drew 2^nd, but Mandy’s high marking score of the evening didn’t’ intimidate her.  The 17-year-old daughter of cutting horse trainer Ted Sokol and his wife, Kathy, who was reserve champion at the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championship showed her mom’s 17 year-old gelding, Lucky Bottom Roy.  Nikki, too, had a tough run on 3 Charolais, and scored 221.

OPEN

It was Wayne Czisny’s night. Neither the Western Champion, Dandyolena owned by Heidi Hadlock and ridden by Lawson Hadlock, nor the open reserve champion, PF Son ofa War Leo, owned by Bill Marcy and shown by Jack Hitchings were able to come to Fort Worth, Czisny once again was in the right place to win a championship. This one, though, came a little slower, however.

Cizney, who showed Oaks Belle Star owned by Randal and-Pamela Olson of Illinois, worked his first cow only a few seconds before returning to the herd to cut a Charolais which he held for 25 seconds. After working a 3^rd Charolais, Czisny received a score of 211, but a later review overturned the score to 217, thus giving him the open championship.

Keith Barnett, also of Brenham, showed a Lotta Merada owned by Anthony Caporina of Washington, Texas. Barnett started his run with a black cow that stayed in the middle of the arena, allowing the trainer to show his horse. He then re-entered the herd, pushing the entire group of cattle out in front of him to select his 2^nd cow, which also stayed in the middle of the arena.  With 17 seconds left, Barnett showed courage by chipping a Charolais from the herd, to end his run, marking a 216.

$10,000 Amateur

Competed from the Western National finals, Karen Brody from Bell Canyon, California, aboard Charming Que knew she needed only a safe run to win her division. Brody, drew 2^nd and her competitor, Pam May and Shorty Lena Leo had lost a cow and scored 189.

Karen and Charming Que started their run in a comfortable fashion with a black cow that lazily stayed in the middle of the arena. With 1:31 seconds left, she returned to the herd, rode to the back fence to complete her deep cut, and singled out another black cow. This one, however, exhibited some testy moves but nothing Charming Que couldn’t handle.  Brody cut her 3^rd cow with 6 seconds left on the clock and earned the score of 210, enough to win the cutting.

2000 limit rider

Like Brody, Malinda Moore knew she only had to survive to win her class since Tim Snyder from Princeton, Minnesota, riding Missed Reward had lost a cow and scored 198. Moore represented the Eastern division and showed Fancy Little Peppy. She rode deep into the herd for her first cow, selecting a Charolais in a clean cut. She then held the cow until 1:41 seconds remained on the clock.

Her 2^nd cut, also clean, took her from fence to fence. When she could finally quit that cow, she returned to the herd with only 14 seconds left, separating her last cow just as the buzzer sounded. Gilbert scored 204 to win the class.

10,000 novice

Widow Freckles is use to work-offs since she competed in a work-off against two other horses to win the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Finals.  Owned by Dr. Robert and Debbie Middleton of Summit, Mississippi and shown by Robert Rust of New Ulm, Texas, the 6-year-old stallion, which was also champion of the Southern Futurity 5 & 6 year old division, as well as a finalist in several other aged events, proved he could win on the weekend level or in the aged event world.

With trainer Robert Rust at the helm, Widow Freckles worked first.  Rust worked the first cow extensively quitting with 1:14 seconds on the clock.  He then brought 1/3 of the herd to the front and selected a Charolais, again making a good clean second cut. This Charolais allowed Widow Freckles to show a brilliant working style until the end of the buzzer, marking a 221.

Arizona cutter Drew Dunham represented the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championships and showed Tari Pines For You, a 6-year-old stallion owned by Robert C. Norris of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The pair scored 216.

Besides their title, the champions took home an M. L. Leddy’s saddle and a check for $700.00 while the reserve champions won Top Hand Tack Stirrups and a check for $400.00

For more information on the NCHA and The M.L. Leddys/NCHA Eastern-Western Shootout, call (817) 244-6188 or visit the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com.

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