On the Road Again: Hollenbeck has big senior-circuit payday

By Jim Thompson, Special to the Journal | Tuesday, October 10, 2006

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This just in - actually in mid-September - Glen Hollenbeck of Clearfield won the United States calf roping finals in the "old guy" division in the roping in Stephenville, Texas.

He returned to South Dakota with nearly $12,000 in prize money, plus a real nice two-horse slant trailer. Nice job, Glen.

I had my wisdom teeth out in Rapid City just after my birthday in September. What a gift! I should have had that done long before my 59th birthday. And I'm mighty glad I'm not announcing a rodeos any time soon. Wow, that hurts!

Got a note from Wayne Herman after a recent column. He was wondering about Brian Fulton's condition. And to let me know that the ag business in northeastern South Dakota is keeping him busy.

How are contestants doing it these days with increased fuel prices? And clowns and announcers, contractors with those trucks, and all the rest involved? Have you noticed rodeo committees adding more to the purse to help cover that? Of course, there are added costs to the committees, as well. Interesting times we're living in. I hope you're all planning to vote in November.

From Juni Fisher, a great singer from Tennessee whom we had on stage in Spearfish at our Heritage of the American West Show on two occasions, writes from Oregon:

Hi Jim,

Had the great pleasure of attending the Pendleton Roundup in Pendleton, Ore., a couple of weeks ago, and performing there in Pendleton at the world reknowned Hamley's Saddlery, now restored to it's old glory and more.

Since you are a rodeo aficionado, thought you would enjoy this story.

Folk Legend Ian Tyson and I had back to back shows at Hamley's, and the stage was decorated with a couple of Hamley's saddles which are now in full production again, and beautiful as ever.

Well, when Ian found out that they had the famous Jerry Ambler Hamley's bronc saddle right there at the shop, he requested it on stage and did a wonderful song about it, telling the story of Jerry Ambler winning on that saddle, then meeting his death in a car accident. The saddle was stolen from the wreckage, and ended up in a pawn shop where another bronc rider discovered it and went on to win three world championships in it.

Ramblin' Jack Elliot was in the audience, and when he went on stage to sing a song during Ian's show, he stopped first to tip his hat to the saddle. It was a touching moment.

And it gets better. Ramblin' Jack was pretty well tanked by the intermission, so he toddles back up to the stage and climbs on the saddle, jams his boots into the stirrups and has his picture taken in over the shoulder spurring position.

Might not be as good a story as the tip of the hat, but after he tipped his hat he told of watching Jerry Ambler at Madison Square Garden, and dreaming of being a bronc rider. Now, that is worth telling.

Hope you are well, and look forward to seeing you by next summer if not sooner!

Juni Fisher

The summer tour is over, and now the Finale of Finales for the PRCA is coming up in a month and then the NFR. Gosh, the season went by quickly.

And the finale for the Senior Steer Ropers will be held in Amarillo, Texas on Oct. 13-14.

Congratulations to Tanna Negaard Zabel of Pierre. The Buffalo native was inducted into the Northern State University Alumni Hall of Fame in Aberdeen. Besides all of her other college sports accomplishments,

Tanna also qualified for the National High School Finals three times and was the South Dakota all-around her senior year. She works in the governor's office in Pierre. The ceremonies took place Sept. 29 as part of the homecoming activities for Northern State.

See y'all down the rodeo road somewhere!

Jim Thompson, a veteran rodeo announcer, can be heard on the daily network radio talk show "Live with Jim Thompson" across North and South Dakota each weekday at 1 p.m. Locally he can be heard on KBHB 810 AM.