By Abby Barnes
for Ullman-Peterson Events
RENO, NEV. (June 24, 2021) – The ladies came to rope Thursday morning at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center for the Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl Team Roping! With many returning veterans and a few new faces to the lineup, the air was filled with anticipation to kick-off the day with the team roping.
Jenna Johnson of Warm Springs, Oregon, had made the journey down with Serena Dahozy from Parshall, North Dakota, to enter the C1H All-Girl Team Roping. In a time crunch, the girls drove straight to Reno, “We didn’t get a chance to go to my house to get my horses. So I came here and had to borrow a shirt, a hat, a horse, boots, the whole works!” Fortunately, Johnson had previous experience with the horse she was riding and knew it was a dependable ride.
Usually a breakaway roper and not much of a header, Johnson entered one time in the C1H Team Roping with Dahozy and as luck would have it drew (then) two-time Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl Champion Heeler Whitney DeSalvo. “It takes the pressure off roping with someone like Whitney or Serena” says Johnson, “I know I can just go in and do my job and they’ll do theirs”. She also credits Dahozy, whom she calls family, for supporting her.
Meanwhile DeSalvo was entered up with none other than Lari Dee Guy and Hope Thompson whom she finished third in the average with for $3,750 a piece. Also returning with DeSalvo was her infamous stick Becky. “We had a full trailer coming down. I hauled Lari Dee, Hope, and Annette’s (Stahl) horses out here and then two of the three boys I brought out here had horses so I brought Becky for me and Blaine to ride. It’s hard to go to Reno without Becky.”
DeSalvo has been totin’ Blaine and Cooper around while doing some amateur rodeo on the side. Cooper was unable to make the trip to Reno since he was competing at the National Junior High Rodeo Finals this week in Des Moines, Iowa while Blaine joined us for the Hooey JR BFI #10.5 which took place on Saturday, June 19th.
The $17,000 payout for the C1H All-Girl Team Roping was the biggest win-to-date for Johnson and she already had plans to put the money to use. During the COVID-19 pandemic Johnson was laid off and spent her time studying to get her pilot’s license. With her practical coming up, she plans to use the money for school and has aspirations to become a commercial pilot. She’ll be leaving Reno and heading home to stick her nose in the books.
DeSalvo will be traveling back home as well to a very excited mom, Debra DeSalvo. “She answered the phone squealing. She didn’t say hello or anything, just lots of squeals. She’s working right now driving on her route so she said she pulled over on the side of the road and was just sitting on the side of the road watching. I couldn’t do it without her. She’s excited like it’s the first time I’ve ever won, every time.”
Being no stranger to the award stage, not only has DeSalvo won this roping three times but has placed in the average multiple times in the same year. One of her most memorable wins was from the 2020 when the BFI had to move to Guthrie after the cancellation of Reno Rodeo. DeSalvo won 1st place with Hope Thompson, 2nd place with Lari Dee Guy, and 3rd place with Audrey Hart. Shortly after she was raised to a #8 heeler, the highest numbered female in the sport of team roping.
When asked about whether she prefers Guthrie or Reno, DeSalvo replied, “It just feels like the normal BFI here. Guthrie is great I love the roping at Guthrie. You can’t beat the Reno feel, you’re not going to get that in OK. They both have pros and cons but you don’t make trips like this as often throughout the year as you do for the BFI.”
Average Results
1. Jenna Johnson and Whitney DeSalvo, 34.97 on 4, $17,000; 2. Kenna Francis and Lorraine Moreno, 36.15, $11,000; 3. Hope Thompson and Whitney DeSalvo, 37.24, $7,500; 4. Emily Gately and Kelsie Chace, 37.33, $6,500; 5. Kelsey Barry and Serena Dahozy, 38.68, $3,000; 6. Kylie McLean and Kim Grubbs, 38.75, $2,000; 7. Sadie Noblitt and Lorraine Moreno, 42.41, $1,500.
Incentive Average
1. Rylee George and Alison Grantham, 26.31 on 3, $5,000; 2. Kelsey Barry and Serena Dahozy, 27.72, $3,000; 3. McKenzie Gunter and Megan E Gunter, 31.35, $1,500; Kelsey Barry and Rylie Smith, 37.77, $1,000.
Fast Time Round 1: 1. Lari Dee Guy and Whitney DeSalvo, 6.58, $1,000; 2. Kylie McLean and Kim Grubbs, 7.03, $750; 3. Pam Wilken and Tammy White, 7.45, $500.
Fast Time Round 2: 1. Beverly Robbins and Jessy Remsburg, 6.27, $1,000; 2. Rylee George and Rylie Smith, 6.35, $750; 3. Rylee George and Tammy White, 6.80, $500.
Fast Time Round Short Go: 1. Bailey Kretschmer and Kim Grubbs, 6.87, $1,000. •
Shepherd & Johnson Get Lucky In #9.5 Over 40
Corky Ullman (center) presents a check to Randal Shepherd and Lance Johnson for winning the Wrangler Reno Championship #9.5 Over 40 presented by Yeti. – Andersen C Bar C Photo
By Abby Barnes
for Ullman-Peterson Events
RENO, NEV. (June 23, 2021) – Sometimes it comes down to getting lucky finding the right partner and it was no exception for Randal Shepherd of Sanger, Calif., and Lance Johnson of Fallon, Nev., when it came to their first-time partnership for the Wrangler Reno Championship #9.5 Over 40 presented by Yeti.
Shepherd, a retired business partner from a produce wholesale distribution company, is an avid roper at the World Series of Team Roping Qualifiers produced in California by California Shootouts. When asked if Shepherd had competed in the BFI Week ropings previously he shared that he had entered the Perry DiLoreto one year, made the short round as the high team back but unfortunately had a stroke of bad luck and missed the last steer for $100,000… you can’t win them all! He planned on maxing out his entries in the #9.5 Over 40 but had to make new arrangements and luckily ended up entering on-site with Johnson.
The Nevada native Johnson spends the majority of his time “playing in the dirt” running his construction company. While he opted out of the warm up roping in Fallon, he spends as much time as he can roping. Johnson and Shepherd knew each other through a mutual friend but had never roped together before today.
“I just thank God that he (Shepherd) drug them through my loop,” laughed Johnson about their performance today. Shepherd was mounted on his big pretty 18 year-old bay horse for the day that he will also be riding in the #8.5 Over 50 roping to follow. Meanwhile Johnson was mounted on his 9-year black gelding that he’s owned for the past 1 ½ years.
The new partners came into the short round as the second high call team with plenty of cushion which they needed with Johnson roping a leg on the final steer. Their fans in the crowd let out cheers as everyone at the Reno Sparks Livestock Event Center watched the high back team miss for the $24,000 payday and secure Shepherd and Johnson’s win.
Along with the $12,000 a man payout, Shepherd and Johnson walked off with an impressive plethora of prizes from Gist Silversmiths, Resistol, Best Ever Pads, Cactus Saddlery, and Yeti. Both Shepherd and Johnson said they have never won such an extensive lineup of prizes before and were very thankful to all of the sponsors.
Average Results: 1. Randal Shepherd and Lance Johnson, 50.04 on 4, $24,000; 2. Chad Merchant and John Copeland, 63.12 on 4, $15,000; 3. Jamie Anthony and Mark Smith, 66.82 on 4, $12,000; 4. Clint Bruised Head and Biff Talbott, 25.60 on 3, $9,000; 5. Brad McGilchrist and Robert Perez, 35.43 on 3, $7,000; 6. Jerry Stutts and Jess Mann, 37.70 on 3, $5,500; 7. Anthony Borgatello II and Kim Grubbs, 39.03 on 3, $5,000.
Fast Time Round 1: Clint Bruised Head and Biff Talbott, 7.55, $4,000; 2. Justin Franks and Jerry Stutts, 8.06, $2,000.
Fast Time Round 2: 1. Ted Hagler and Kim Grubbs, 7.71, $4,000; 2. Anthony Borgatello II and Kim Grubbs, 8.06, $2,000.
Fast Time Round Short Go: 1. Chad Merchant and John Copeland, 10.49, $3,000.