Sharon Bros. Battle it Out in CNFR Saddle Bronc Standings

CASPER -- Big brother has the upper hand -- for now.

Waitley Sharon sat atop the leaderboard in the saddle bronc riding Thursday night at the College National Finals Rodeo after an impressive 84.5-point ride. The Tarleton State cowboy also finished third in the second and first go-round.

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UW freshman Traven Sharon rode "Red Man" to an 82-point finish inside the Ford Wyoming Center, landing in second place.

The friendly, yet fierce, sibling rivalry now comes down to a final showdown Saturday in Casper.

“Oh, yeah, we liked to have fun and get after it but, in the end, we’re always rooting for each other,” said Traven Sharon, an Ordway, Colo., product who is competing in his first CNFR. “We always want to win but, if we don’t, we want the other one to win.”

Traven gave his older brother, two years his senior, a fist bump after his ride, and then Waitley helped his younger brother strap onto his horse in the bucking chute for his own 8-second dance just minutes later. Waitley later gave Traven his own fist bump after the Cowboys’ successful ride.

Traven is a four-time Colorado state wrestling champion and also is a member of the Wyoming wrestling team. There are five Sharon brothers, ages 11 to 21.

Traven says that their dad, Trent, always told the Sharon boys growing up that “wherever we go, we’re capable of winning.”

He adds that his competitive streak will drive him going into the championship round.

“It’s hard to be excited when you’re not in the driver’s seat but, shoot, there are a lot of guys who would be pretty happy to have the CNFR that I’ve had,” Traven says. “I’ll take my blessings and keep capitalizing on all my opportunities.”

Both brothers will be in Saturday’s championship round -- with Waitley sitting atop the leader board with 249 points and Traven close by in fourth at 235.25 with one night of competition left.

“Traven had a great ride tonight; he did a really good job setting his ride up,” UW Coach Seth Glause says. “He got a great spur out and got ahead of his horse. It was tough that he missed his calf earlier that took him out of contention in the all-around.”

Five other UW rodeo team members laid it all on the line during Thursday’s third round with hopes of qualifying for the championship finals or winning the round to help their teammates in the points standings.

Earlier in the evening, Traven Sharon had a chance to reach the tie-down roping short go after roping two calves, but his third run turned into a no-go when his rope missed its mark. He had 28 seconds on two head entering the final run.

Josie Mousel, who leads the nation in the all-around and also in goat tying, needed a perfect run in breakaway roping to sneak into the championship round, which would have made her a two-event threat in the finals. The Colman, S.D., junior managed a 2.4-second run, but she needed to win the third go for a chance to advance.

She did split a three-way tie for first in the second round to score team points but was hurt by a no-time in the opener earlier in the week. Her 5.3-second run on two put her in a good position, but the first round dropped her out of the top 12 average.

UW will send three team members into Saturday’s championship round. Joining Mousel and Sharon will be Colton Farrow in bareback riding. The Greybull graduate student is sitting second in the average with 238.5 points going into the end of round three Friday.

“Colton rode great in the third go round,” Glause says. “He set himself up to be in a great position to compete for a national title on Saturday.”

Teammate Makenzi Scott, from Rock Springs, is sitting on the edge of being among the top 12 barrel racing qualifiers after she posted a 14.17-second run. Scott is 11th in the average and has to wait and see one more night to know if her three runs, totaling 42.52 seconds, are good enough to bring her back Saturday.

“Makenzi had a nice run, and we are very proud of all of her accomplishments over the last four years. It’s just a wait to see if she makes it to the short go,” Glause says.

A pair of UW team ropers came away empty in their final CNFR appearances this week. Treg Thorstensen, of Lantry, S.D., and Rio Nutter, from Rapid City, S.D., did not record a time in three rounds; nor did Kash Reynolds, of Rozet, and partner Tyon Arneson, from Sheridan College.

Bulldogger Thayne Kimbrough, from Ohiowa, Neb., had a tough final run when he had a 20.4 after taking a 10-second penalty for breaking the barrier.

Five UW team members will compete in Friday night’s performance that closes the third round.

“We look forward to watching all the Cowboys and Cowgirls compete Friday,” Glause says. “We will see where everything shakes out and make adjustments for the students who make the short go.”

* A UW/ Milton Ontiveroz press release contributed to this article

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