ProRodeo Sports News - November 16, 2018

Gilbert departed town after earning $8,564. “My first-round steer got one down, and the second round I had a really good steer,” he said. “The third round, that steer wasn’t very good on paper. They were long on him twice. I just focused on doing my job and hoped that it played out for me, and it did.” The average crown was a done deal for Gilbert when Tyler Waguespack, the 2016 PRCA world champion and last steer wrestler to compete, had a 6.1-second time in the third round, giving Gilbert the victory by five-tenths of a second. “Tyler bulldogs exceptionally well, and I wasn’t necessarily trying to win the round,” Gilbert said. “I just wanted to be solid and do what I could do.” GILBERT’S DECADE Since buying his PRCA card in 2008, Gilbert has earned more than $150,000. His best season came in 2016 when he earned $41,752. “I went hard a few times and finished in the top 30,” he said. “But the last couple of years, I got married and we bought a place, and I have a construction business (Double GConstruction) and I’ve been focused on that. We focus on building barns, fences and houses. I entered a little bit this summer with Hunter Cure and Blake Mindemann. I told them if I had a good circuit finals I would want to go rodeo with them (for the 2019 season). My performance (at the RAM SCFR) should help get me into the winter rodeos, so I can go with Hunter and Blake and build on this more than $8,000 I won.” Gilbert and his wife, Brandy, have been married more than a year. Gilbert lives in two places – fromDecember through March he’s in St. Cloud, Fla.; the rest of the time he’s in Springtown, Texas. In Florida, Gilbert stays with his friend and fellow steer wrestler Kamry Dymmek’s family. CIRCUIT FINALS SOUTHEASTERN

pick it back up until I was 17 and I started steer wrestling. I’m really competitive and none of my family rodeoed. I went to a steer wrestling school. Then I met up with Tyler Haugen who had success in the Badlands Circuit, and he took me under his wing. I would drive 45 miles to his house three to five days a week. I fell in love with steer wrestling.” In high school, Gilbert was 6-foot and weighed 230 pounds. Haugen captured the steer wrestling Badlands Circuit year-end title in 2008. With his steer wrestling career moving forward, Gary’s mother, Benita, passed away in 2010, also from cancer. “I moved from (South Dakota) to Texas because I didn’t have a whole lot keeping me in South Dakota, and I wanted to rodeo and start a business,” Gilbert said. MAKINGA CONNECTION IN FLORIDA After competing in the Texas Circuit a few years, Gilbert thought about declaring the Southeastern Circuit. Through his college buddy Juan Alcazar Jr., this year’s Southeastern Circuit steer wrestling year-end champion, Gilbert got hooked up with Dymmek, who lives in Kissimmee. “Kamry had been a great friend,” Gilbert said. Gilbert has been competing in the Southeastern Circuit since 2016. During his latest triumph, Gilbert was riding his palomino horse, Balboa, 11. “That horse has always done good for me, and my wife stayed on top of the health of that horse and she has him feeling great,” Gilbert said of his wife who is a nurse and has an animal science degree. Dymmek was thrilled to play a part and see Gilbert succeed in Davie. “Gary’s a positive person who stays positive through tough times and easy times, and that helps him win,” Dymmek said. “I’m good friends with Gary, Juan (Alcazar), Wag (Waguespack), and it made for an exciting final round. I hazed for Gary and Gary hazed for me. That’s what makes rodeo so great, everybody is friends, and everybody is family. Just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good rodeo for you. I was glad to share a small part of Gary’s victory. It was fun to see him excel.”

Dymmek hazed for Gilbert in Davie and placed third in the average. “I rodeo with Kamry, and his mom (SeBelle) has competition horses,” Gilbert said. “I work for them and stay there quite a bit and spend some time hunting.” Gilbert grew up in New Underwood, S.D. He began his rodeo career in the Little Britches Rodeo Association. He aspired to be a bull rider, but he started getting too big in stature to continue riding bulls. When Gilbert was 12, his father, Rick, passed away from cancer. “I pretty much

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stopped rodeo then,” Gilbert said. “I didn’t

Complete results on Page 120

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Bradley Harter .......... 244 pts. on three 2. Joey Sonnier III .......................... 230.5 3. Scott Davis .................................... 229 4. Tyler Baeza .................................... 224

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Justin Thigpen ........ 28.6 sec. on three 2. Shane Hanchey ............................. 29.7 3. Bart Brunson ................................ 30.7 4. Braxton Laughlin .......................... 36.2

BARREL RACING 1. Sabra O’Quinn ...... 44.42 sec. on three 2. Ericka Nelson .............................. 44.78 3. Chloe Gray .................................. 45.05 4. Wendy Culberson ....................... 45.60

BULL RIDING 1. Dustin Boquet ........ 247.5 pts. on three 2. Lucas Mooningham .... 167 pts. on two 3. Corey Atwell .................................. 164 4. Wagner Luciano ............... 80.5 on one

ProRodeo Sports News 11/16/2018

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