This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Baylor Roche made sure his family's visit to Vivint Smart Home Arena was a happy one.
Roche, who is from Tremonton, won the steer wrestling on Wednesday night during the second round of qualifying at the Days of '47 Rodeo.
Roche's time of 4.95 seconds was not fast enough for him to reach Elite Rodeo Athletes championship round on Saturday night. But it was good enough for him to pocket a first-place prize of $3,523.
"I missed the barrier a little bit," Roche said. "… But the steer took off and was pretty good on the ground. It worked out."
The Days of '47 paycheck won't help Roche qualify for his second consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. ERA money does not count in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association official world standings.
Still, Roche's winning effort continued what has been a successful season. He has also won at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Jubilee Days in Laramie, Wyo., and the Meridan (Idaho) Lions Rodeo.
The victory also happened in front of his wife, baby daughter, mother, father and sister. In addition, one of the 11 steer wrestlers Roche defeated was his brother, Baxtor.
"It's great," Baylor Roche said. "Close to home. Got my family here. And it's always good when you can get the little brother to come along with you."
Reminded that he finished ahead of Baxtor, Roche laughed and said, "He beats me plenty, so I owed him one."
Last December, Roche reached the National Finals for the first time.
At the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, he won the 10th round and placed in three others. He earned $76,423 at the NFR and ended up finishing ninth in the world.
"It was great," Roche said. "It's a fast start — a lot like the building here. And the atmosphere — going up against the top 15 in the world — it's just a great time."
A month after the National Finals, Roche jump-started the new season by winning the average at the $433,000 National Western. He posted a time of 4.3 seconds in the finals and earned a total of $10,168.
The performance added to Roche's confidence level, which has been a key to his season.
"Yeah, for sure," he said. "It was the first rodeo of the year. I went from the Finals to Denver and hit it off pretty good there. It sure doesn't hurt to pad your pockets for the rest of the winter."
Roche's goal for the rest of the summer is clear: another trip to the National Finals.
"Just keep working at it - getting good starts and making good runs — and hope it works in out," he said.
Twitter: @sluhm Wednesday's results
Bareback
1. Tanner Aus (Granite Falls, Minn.), 85 points, $3,403; 2. Blake Smith (Zap. N.D.), 81.5, $2,552; 3. Hunter Carter (Huntsville, Tex.), 75, $1,701; 4. Troy Vaira (Culbertson, Mont.), 71, $850.
Steer Wrestling
1. Baylor Roche (Tremonton), 4.95 seconds, $3,523; 2. Cole Edge (Durant, Okla.), 5.86, $2,642; 3. B.J. Taruscio (Walla Walla, Wash.), 8.35, $1,761; 4. Cole Fulton (Miller, S.D.), 9.33, $880.
Team roping
1. Ty Blasingame (Sugar City, Colo.) and Shad Chadwick (Cave Creek, Ariz.), 3.6 seconds, $3,523; 2. Colby Lovell (Madisonville, Tex.), 3.91, $2,642; 3. Tee Luttrell (Woodlawn, Tex.) and Clay Sieber (Woodlawn, Tex.), 9.37, $1,761; 4. Tyler Waters (Stephenville, Tex.) and Chase Tryan (Helena, Mont.), 9.69, $880.
Saddle bronc
1. Justin Caylor (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), 81.5 points, $3,163; 2. Joey Sonnier (New Iberia, La.), 76.5, $2,372; 3. Tate Thybo (Belle Fourche, S.D.), 60, $1,581; 4. Ryan Montroy (Pagosa Springs, Colo.), 59.5, $790.
Tie-down roping
1. Ace Sloan (Cuero, Tex.), 7.78 seconds, $3,403; 2. Timber Moore (Aubrey, Tex.), 8.13, $2,522; 3. Caddo Lewallen (Morrison, Okla.), 8.79, $1,701; 4. Colby Lovell (Madisonville, Tex.), 8.86, $850.
Barrel racing
1. (Tie) Jennifer Kalafatic (Caldwell, Idaho) and Wendy Suhn (Hermosa, S.D.), 13.41 seconds, $3,082 each; 3. Katie Garthwaite (Condon, Ore.), 13.52, $1,761; 4. Tammy Fischer (Ledbetter, Tex.), $880.
Bull riding
1. Tyler Bingham (Honeyville), 82 points, $3,523. No other qualified rides.