By Christopher Halsey

Herald Sports Editor

HERMISTON World champion all-around champion Joe Beaver may have claimed the 2001 Farm-City Pro all-around title, but Brad Goodrich and Maurine Crossley made sure some of the $150,000 purse for the 14 annual event stayed in the Hermiston area.

Goodrich, of Stanfield, won the calf roping title last week with a total time on two runs of 18.2 seconds and pocketed nearly $4,000 in the process.

Hermistons Crossley posted an 18.48 second run Saturday night to top the barrel racing title for $3,400.

Beaver was able to score a 8.5 second run in the first round of calf roping and a 5.5 time in the second round of team roping, which allowed he and partner Tom Bourne to tie for the round win. With the $2,800 he won combined in the rodeo he earned his second all-around saddle, hand crafted by Hermistons Rich Boyer and presented by RoeMarks.

He was very willing to share why the worlds best come to compete in the Hermiston rodeo.

The calves are good this year, you cant ask for better calves than that.

Beaver still is battling injuries and has not cracked the top 20 in the calf roping world standings, but said that a good couple of weeks now may convince him to pursue his 17th National Finals Rodeo qualification by ending the season in the top 15.

Im really kinda on the comeback right now, Beaver said. If I dont have two good weeks, Im going home.

He praised the Farm-City committee, thanking them for accomodating him and other timed-event contestants who entered other rodeos such as Lawton, Okla. and Colorado Springs, by delaying the slack performance Tuesday to allow for travel to Hermiston.

If they wouldnt have helped us out her tonight, it would have cost me $500 to turn-out (fail to make a run in the round).

He added, We need more rodeos to act like this one, and for this to not be a TV (broadcast) rodeo is a shame in itself. They give a rodeo like Lawton, Okla. TV rights this week and theyll got back to being a sorry rodeo next year and Hermistons still going to be good.

Television rights bring money and with that money comes a larger purse. Hermiston has long been known as a big paying rodeo, adding $10,000 per event to contestants entry fees to make up a large purse, but with only one-go round in rough stock events, its more difficult to make it worthwhile for a contestant to skip a rodeo in another location, if big money is also available there.

If the contestants had anything to do with it, rodeos like Hermiston would be the top TV rodeos. Wed take the top 50 guys (in the calf roping and other event standings) and wed come and stay a week at one rodeo like this. But we just cant get it that way yet. Thanks to Hermiston and rodeos like this, thats where were headed.

The Farm-City was a big rodeo for Beau Hill, who rode world champion bull Border Patrol to an arena record tying 92 point score and a first place check for over $5,000. Cleve Schmidt had a 82 point ride aboard Montego Bay Wednesday night for the bareback title and a $5,000 payday.

Billy Etbauer won his third Farm-City saddle bronc title Friday with a 82 point score on Toddy Mountain. Michael Reger was the steer wrestling champion with a total of 9.3 seconds on two head for a $1,700 payoff. Ron Phelan and Ryan Powell totaled 12.6 seconds on two team roping runs to win the championship.

For Goodrichs efforts, his total season money winnings are ninth in the national all-around standings and seventh in calf roping.

Joe Ketter, a former Blue Mountain Community College cowboy moved into the 12th spot in the national saddle bronc standings with a third place 80 point ride in Hermiston. Scott Drennen was second in the event in Hermiston and now stands in 15th place in the world standings.

Rod Hay won second place in Hermiston with an 80 point score and moved to fourth in the world saddle bronc standings after also cashing in at Colorado Springs and Lawton. Rachel Spraul stands seventh in the world with a second place 17.50 run in Hermiston. Placing second in the team roping event at the Farm-City, Mike Fuller and Matt Funk posted a total time of 13.4.

It was one of the best rodeos weve ever had, founding board member Cyd Bothum said.

Jon Gill, who also serves on the volunteer board that organizes the rodeo, said, Overall, I think everything went great.

For some of the worlds top rodeo talent, the 14th edition of the Farm-City was very successful as it continued to strive to be a national leading rodeo.

(For complete final results, see the Aug. 14 edition of The Hermiston Herald)