CASPER, Wyo. - As far as Black Hills State's Charlie Schmidt is concerned, the results of last year's saddle bronc competition at the College National Finals Rodeo aren't worth remembering.

But the experience of being there is something Schmidt has hung on to for the past year. And he figures that paid off in a pretty big way Sunday in the opening of this year's "Broncs, Bulls and Breakaway" go-round at the Casper Events Center.

"Having been here once, I really have an idea of what it was going to be like," Schmidt said. "I was still nervous, but I felt like I was more prepared. I knew just how aggressive I needed to be."

What a difference that year made for Schmidt. A year ago, he was bucked off on his opening ride. On Sunday, on board Triple V Rodeo's Get R Done, Schmidt delivered a sizzling 78-point ride to finish second. Montana Western senior James Irish set the pace with 81 points.

"The ride felt all right," said Schmidt, the Great Plains Region runner-up in the event. "The horse bucked good, and I was able to pretty much take advantage of it. It would have helped to win the round, but it's a good start and I'll take it."

No other area cowboy finished in the top 12. National American University's Tyler Manke sat 18th after a 67.5-point ride on Triple V's Knothead. NAU teammate Chase Kukucha is 21st with a 64 on Harry Vold's Fantasy Girl. Manke also was one of 16 bull riders to cover, and he sat 15th after scoring 61 points on Triple V's Rumors.

Manke had a tough turnaround in Sunday's second performance. He finished his bull ride, waited two events and then climbed on board his bronc. But, he said, he was glad he could cover both rides.

"I didn't draw the best, but the key here is to make the best of what you have," Manke said. "There's a lot of rodeo left, and there's a lot of good stock here. That's the fun part of this. You don't know what you're going to get."

Two NAU cowboys competed in the bareback riding. EJ Karp turned in a 65-point ride on Mosbrucker Rodeo's What's A Crackin - a score good for 25th on opening day. Weston Garrett had no score on Burns Rodeo's Dirty Devil because he double grabbed the rigging.

NAU's Dallas Cunningham had no score on Harry Vold's Office Snax in the bull riding.

Sharing CNFR experience means everything for Isabel sisters

By Jim Conckaert, Special to the Journal

CASPER, Wyo. - No matter how the breakaway roping turns out this week at the College National Finals Rodeo, South Dakota State senior Jacque Murray can't think of a better way to end her collegiate career.

That's because she's sharing the experience with her sister, SDSU freshman Jordan.

"It means a lot to be here with her," Jacque Murray said. "She's my baby sister. It's really cool to be here with her."

The Murray sisters, who are from Isabel, and senior teammate Jolene Nordick are the three Great Plains Region representatives, and each made their first runs Sunday during the opening "Broncs, Bulls and Breakaway" segment at the Casper Event Center.

Nordick, competing in her first CNFR, set the pace with a 3.2-second run that tied her for 11th. Jacque Murray finished in 4.0 seconds, good for a tie for 20th. Jordan Murray failed to catch her calf on two loops.

Not surprisingly, the Murray sisters have been each other's biggest fans, as well as constant sources of encouragement when things didn't go well. On Sunday, it was the older sister's turn to do some consoling.

"I keep telling her, the first time is a learning experience," Jacque Murray said. "There's a lot of rodeo left, and she's got a great career ahead of her."

Jacque Murray's career is almost over, and she's trying to make the most of it. She'd love to better her fifth-place CNFR finish in 2006. While her opening time was almost two seconds off the winning pace set by Lacey England of the College of Southern Idaho, she recognized that it was important to stop the clock.

"It's always good to get the first one caught," she said. "Like I said, there's a lot rodeo left. The important thing is to keep getting times."

Nordick is here for the first time in her SDSU career, and she battled a bad case of nerves all Sunday morning. She said she kept trying to convince herself that the CNFR is just another rodeo, but she admitted she had an easy time buying that notion once her first run was over.

"I was trying to go in with that attitude, but it was hard," said Nordick, who competed in the first group. "I was even more nervous, because so many girls were breaking the barrier. I had to make sure my calf started good."

And when it did, she made certain that she nailed it.

"My goal this week is to really score sharp," she said. "You get that first good run, it builds your confidence for the week. I know I have to catch every time. To get to Saturday night, you need three clean runs."

As far as getting to that final round, Jordan Murray's no score puts her in a difficult hole, but she tried to be philosophical about it.

"As much as anything, I'm here to get experience," she said. "The only thing to do now is go for it."

It helps, she said, that she can cheer for her sister.

"She's always the first one to give me a pep talk, because we're always trying to pick each other up. I've got three more cracks at this. This is her last shot at it. I want her to do the best she can for her last year."