The Newberg Graphic
| Fan favorite wins again | ||||
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| St. Paul Rodeo -- Molalla’s Ross Coleman wins second straight PBR event Tuesday night | ||||
ST. PAUL - For Ross Coleman, being a part of the PBR event at the St. Paul Rodeo every year is like competing in his own backyard and thousands of fans pack the stands to watch the local hero perform. On Tuesday night, the Molalla native delivered exactly what the audience wanted, winning the event for the second consecutive year with a 91-point ride in the finals. "Usually it's kind of the hardest place to perform well - in front of friends and family," he said. "But for some reason it's been clicking well the last couple years." Coleman was the clear-cut favorite at the event and said it was important to be able to put on a crowd-pleasing show. "That's what it's all about," he said. "Obviously you have friends and family watching you on TV, but it's really fun when you can do it in person ... It's always way cooler-looking in person." Coleman entered the finals in a four-way tie for second-place, riding Hell Sakes in the long round for 89 points. He was one of just two riders to complete his ride in the finals; Cord McCoy, from Tupelo, Okla., rode Big Shot for 91 points and a combined total of 173. After seven straight riders failed to complete their rides in the short round, Coleman scored 91 points riding North Star to put him in first-place with 180 points. "I've been on (North Star) three or four times in big PBR events and won a lot of money on him and when I knew I had him drawn I was pretty confident," Coleman said. After Coleman's ride in the finals, there was just one rider left with a chance to knock off the defending champ: Michael Manes from Bigelow, Ark., who had scored a 93-point ride in the preliminary round. However, Manes was bucked off in the finals by Northern Chill, which gave Coleman his second consecutive win at St. Paul's PBR event. Although the competition-level at St. Paul isn't as high as those in the Built Ford Tough Series, Coleman said the hometown atmosphere makes it a special place to compete. "This is one of the best places in the world to ride right here," he said. "Great atmosphere for an arena, the big oak trees, old wooden stands; it's kind of got that old-time rodeo feel to it." He said he hopes maybe some day, St. Paul will play host to a Built Ford Tough Series event. "Maybe we'll do that next year," he said. One contestant who did not make it to Tuesday's finals was St. Paul's own Dustin Smith. In the long round of the event, Smith held on to a bull named Oh My God for 7.5 seconds before being bucked off - missing out on the short round by a half-second. Last year, Smith - the great-grandson of one of the original founders of the rodeo - qualified for the finals with an 88-point ride and eventually placed fifth in the event. | ||||
