There were calm winds from the west and an overcast ceiling. With the persisting winter weather, I was eager to get back into the sky for a flight. He can be reached at or 30.It was a beautiful afternoon as I waited with anticipation outside the Discover Aviation Center hangar at Lorain County Regional Airport. I feel so lucky to have had him as a coach and role model." "He knows what it takes to get to the highest level of this sport, and he's really good at motivating you. He's here to help you along because he really understands the mechanics of bull riding. "Having Seth here has let me get feedback right away and not be left wondering what I have to work on. "I've gotten better here because of the opportunity to practice regularly and learn from (Glause)," Tonita said of his coach, who was a four-time NFR qualifier and finished as high as third in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's world standings. He is undecided on his future in college rodeo, but thankful to have been able to pull on the Eagles' navy and yellow vest. He could return to LCCC this fall and start working on his bachelor's degree. Tonita - who is studying business management - intends to return to Canada after the CNFR and make a push at reaching the Canadian circuit's finals. The Golden Eagles placed third in the 12-team CRMR race. He was on our points team all year and gave us an opportunity to place as highly as we did in the region." "That's everything you'd expect from a second-year student. "He had a really good riding percentage, placed at a lot of rodeos and won one. "(Tonita) was more consistent this year than last year, but things just didn't break his way at the end," LCCC coach Seth Glause said. Tonita backed that with a fifth-place effort at Colorado State, which moved him to No. He was the only bull rider to cover two draws that weekend, which moved him from fourth in the CRMR standings - one spot out of a CNFR bid - and into second. His only win came at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington. Tonita ended up placing in five of 10 rodeos this season. He started this season strong, taking fourth at LCCC's Shawn Dubie Memorial Rodeo before finishing second at Chadron (Nebraska) State College. Tonita rode a fast start to his first CNFR appearance, winning the first two college rodeos he entered. "I'm feeling pretty confident going into the finals this year because of my experience." Making it back to the CNFR was one of my goals, and I did that. "I would have liked to end up on top, but that's not how it unraveled. "I'm happy with where I ended up finishing," Tonita said. It's the second time Tonita had the CRMR lead entering the final rodeo of the season, only to be leapfrogged on the final day. 10, 2021, but placed in six consecutive events to catapult up the standings. Johnson was 12th in the standings heading into the final rodeo of the fall portion of the schedule Oct. However, Sheridan's Coby Johnson claimed the CRMR bull riding title by winning UW's Laramie River Rendezvous. He was the top-ranked bull rider entering the CRMR season finale, hosted by the University of Wyoming. Tonita earned his second CNFR berth by finishing as runner-up in the Central Rocky Mountain Region's season standings. He will make his second attempt during slack Tuesday morning, and leave the chutes in the third round during Tuesday night's main performance. Tonita will get a chance to improve upon that finish starting with the Bulls, Broncs and Breakaway event that opens the CNFR on Sunday afternoon. He was thrown from his bull in the finals after 4.63 seconds, and also didn't make the whistle in the first or second rounds. Tonita made it back to the finals by virtue of an 81-point ride that won the third go-round. That's because he placed fifth at last year's CNFR. The 19-year-old sophomore knows what he's talking about. Doing well there means compartmentalizing the chute, the ride and everything else." "You still have to ride the bull jump for jump and try to get the best score you can. "Even though it's such a big stage, you still have to ride, no different than you do in the practice pen," the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, product said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |