Accepting the Gold Standard Futurity Buckle on behalf of Curtis Leshcynshyn & 4G Ranch include (from left to right) Lial Dodge, Bill Griggs, John Griggs and Cactus Dodge. Presenting the buckle is Randy Schmutz. Photo by Gautreau

“We’re extremely glad to have paid out $150,000 once again this year at the Gold Standard Futurity,” stated Randy Schmutz, general manager of the UBBI.  ”When the dust settled and we determined the Top 30 bulls, Dr. Jim Shipman, DVM collected blood samples from the money winners and advanced those samples to Industrial Laboratories in Colorado for testing.  I’m happy to say that there were no violations and prize money checks will be received by the winners in just a few days!”

The Sycamore Springs Ranch became the new home of the Gold Standard Futurity in 2013 and UBBI members were treated to a first class facility and production this year.  Jerry Rush, owner of  Sycamore Springs Ranch, made sure everyone felt at home and the SSR staff were great.

Randy Schmutz said, “It was a great weekend and we had absolutely no problems at all.  The Sycamore Springs Ranch staff was great to work with.  A special thank you to David Bailey, Jr for doing an outstanding job preparing and keeping the arena ground in perfect condition for 187 bulls.”

Plans are already underway to return to the Sycamore Springs Ranch for the 4th Annual UBBI Gold Standard Futurity April 25 – 26, 2014!

“Early this year John Griggs came to me with a video of 3 bulls all sired by Cracker Jack (x Straight Jacket) that were being offered for sale by Lial & Cactus Dodge,” explained Leschynshyn.  ”There was bull #1589, bull #170 Cactus Jack and bull #159 Crack Back Jack.  The best bull on that video was #1589 and Crack Back Jack was really the least of my picks at the time and I really didn’t want to purchase him or Cactus Jack!”

#159 Crack Back Jack from Leschynshyn/4G winning $50,000 at the UBBI Gold Standard Futurity. Photo by Gautreau

Fortunately, all’s well that ends well.  The deal was that all three bulls had to be purchased as a package, so in order to buy the bull Leschynshyn wanted (#1589) he bought all three.  And now in hindsight, he’s certainly glad he did.

“We bought all three bulls in early February and 4G took delivery and began to work with the bulls,” stated Leschynshyn.  ”All the bulls had all the tools, they just bucked so hard they just had trouble putting it all together.  Cactus Jack and Crack Back Jack bucked at the NBBA Team Futurity in Fort Worth.  Cactus Jack was rank and Crack Back Jack fell costing us a big check!”

Crack Back Jack redeemed himself later in March placing 2nd at the NBBA event in Glen Rose.  Although bull #1589 has yet to compete this year, it looks as though he’s gonna make a tremendous bull also.

Lial & Cactus Dodge with Bill & John Griggs accepting the UBBI Gold Standard Futurity Championship buckle with Randy Schmutz. Photo by Gautreau

Curtis is quick to say that the 4G Ranch has much to do with his success.  ”Bill, John and Jake Griggs have worked really hard and they deserve the credit.  I’ve had success with them and their breeding program when I purchased Quick Shot and we won the Las Vegas Shootout in 2011.  They are great people and the easiest to work with!”

It certainly seems to be the teamwork that’s paying off.  The 4G team consists of dad, Bill Griggs who takes care of all the day to day ranch work and chores and looks after all the stock.  John Griggs handles most of the ranch and breeding program promotion and sales and is the “ambassador” for 4G while holding down a full-time high school coaching job in Corsicana, Texas.  Jake Griggs, who is a full-time banker, handles all the finances and money management and also shares the role as flankman with his dad.

“I also umpire Little League baseball games and unfortunately I was not able to attend the Gold Standard,” explained Jake.  ”Dad took over and did a great job and we’re all glad Crack Back Jack did so well!”

“We bucked 22nd in the order and I immediately texted Jake and told him we were winning,” stated John Griggs.  ”But I also told him we had to wait through over 120 more bulls to see if it would hold up! As the end of the futurity got closer I got more and more nervous!  We just can’t believe it!  Winning the Gold Standard against some really great bulls was outstanding!”

Curtis Leschynshyn concluded by saying, “It just goes to show that you never know.  The bull I was the least interested in buying ends up winning big!  And a thank you to Lial & Cactus Dodge for selling me a great set of bulls!”

After all the Gold Standard and Diamond Futurity bulls were checked in, the UBBI hosted a meeting and discussed the upcoming schedule of events and activities.  General Manager, Randy Schmutz presented an idea to the participants that 6 judges be used and keep all 6 scores instead of throwing out the high and low scores.  The idea was put to a verbal yes or no vote.

“We polled the members and asked for a yes or no vote and it was literally a 50-50 vote,” explained Schmutz.  ”I felt like that some members didn’t want to express their opinion publicly and didn’t vote.  So I asked if we took a secret ballot at the Breeders Reception, would they be willing to abide by the majority vote to do one or the other.  It was unanimous and so we had a secret ballot.”

Schmutz explained, “The votes were counted in front of the members and the decision was to use 6 judges and keep all 6 scores.  It was a close vote and 57% of the members voted to use all 6 scores, so that’s what we did.  We had 6 judges and we used all 6 opinions and added them all up.  Obviously each judge had 1-25 points times 6 judges equating to a total possible score of 150 points.  The winning bull posted a total score of 133.75 points!”

UBBI Gold Standard Futurity Reserve Champion bull #250 War Tank from King/Foster. Photo by Gautreau

Finishing as Reserve Champion was King/Foster’s #250 War Tank with a total score of 132 points.  War Tank is continueing his winning ways, having just won the Spring Spectacular Futurity and the 1st leg of the Wayne Hodges 4 Star Trailer Futurity Super Series.

At the conclusion of the Gold Standard Futurity, Dr. Jim Shipman, DVM collected blood samples from the Top 30 bulls for testing for banned substances as per the UBBI Banned Substances Rules and Guidelines.  Prize money checks will be mailed to the winners after test results have been confirmed.

The UBBI and it’s staff would like to thank Jerry Rush, the owner of the Sycamore Springs Ranch Arena for being an outstanding host for making everyone feel at home.  The 2014 UBBI Gold Standard and Diamond Futurity will return to it’s new home in Locust Grove, Oklahoma on April 25th & 26th, 2014!

See COMPLETE RESULTS

#-210 Hou's Drinking Water winning the UBBI Diamond Futurity. Photo by Gautreau

“The Gold Standard Futurity attracts the absolute best 2 year olds all trying to win $50,000,” stated Randy Schmutz, the general manager of the UBBI.  ”Those who participate with their best bull in the Gold Standard also have additional bulls at home and we designed the Diamond Futurity to allow them to bring those bulls and compete in a second futurity during the same weekend!  We had 40 bulls and an outstanding 1st annual Diamond Futurity!”

With 40 participants, the event paid 8 places.  Landing in the top spot was bull #-210 Hou’s Drinking Water owned by Flying D/Spring Creek Ranch with a score of 88.25 points and cashing a check for $4182.  Finishing in the Reserve Champion spot was bull #162 from Loe Co/Melton Bull Company posting a score of 86.5 points.  Finishing out the top 4 were bull #186Y Wild Wylie from Tom & Tish Peterson and bull #191 Northern Lights from Johnson & Walker.

Paul & Lorie Daniel and Jeremy Hopkins accepting the Championship Buckle for the UBBI Diamond Futurity from Randy Schmutz. Photo by Gautreau

The 2014 Diamond Futurity will be held once again in Locust Grove, Oklahoma in conjunction with the UBBI Gold Standard Futurity on April 25 – 26, 2014!

See COMPLETE RESULTS

“We are very excited about this year’s Gold Standard,” stated Randy Schmutz, general manager of the UBBI.  ”We have 150 confirmed entries and can guarantee $50,000 to the winner.  Our thanks to the UBBI members for their continued support of the Gold Standard.  Once again the event will pay 30 places!”

-9 Circle City owned by Mike Trimble. Photo by Glanville.

In 2011, the Gold Standard had co-champions!  Indiana and Texas shared the win at the first event and split 1^st and 2^nd place and half of $65,000 ($32.500 each).  Mike Trimble and his daughter Amanda, with their bull #-9 Circle City split the win with J & J Supply/Gene Baker and bull #915 Houla Hoop.  Circle City is a Rooster Grandson and Houla Hoop is a son of the legendary Houdini.  Both bulls share White Sports Coat in their pedigrees and both bulls were marked 89 points for their extraordinary performances.

Mike and his wife Kathy live in Spencer, Indiana sixty-five miles south of Indianapolis and started their program in 1996.  Mike was unable to attend the first Gold Standard but his bulls were in good hands with his daughter, Amanda.  “She’s been a part of our program and has been flanking bulls since she could bend over the bucking chute,” said Mike proudly of his daughter.  “She’s plenty capable and a willing hand and real go-getter!”

915 Houla Hoop from J&J Supply & Gene Baker. Photo by Glanville

Sharing the win with Gene Baker was his partner, Jim Mattox, the owner of J & J Supply.  Jim manufactures bags for the produce and vegetable industry and is very excited about Houla Hoop.  “This could not of happened to a better guy,” said Gene Baker.  “Jim has been at this a little while and this check for $32,500 is proof that hard work is always worth it!”

#54 Jungle Fear from Pillow & Barrett winning the 2012 Gold Standard Futurity. Photo by FotoCowboy

“The Gold Standard is always a tough event with a lot of really great bulls,” stated Larry McConnell.  McConnell’s bull #-110 R2D2 picked up a check for splitting 15th and 16th place.

This year’s event in Locust Grove will kick off with a Welcome Reception, hosted by the UBBI and the Sycamore Springs Ranch.  The reception will begin with a complimentary meal and continue with the 2014 Lottery Position Draw.  The evening will also feature a calcutta and live entertainment with Nashville Recording Artist, T. Graham Brown.  Tickets for the meal, calcutta and entertainment will be $15 per person.

On Saturday morning, the excitement will begin with the UBBI Diamond Futurity at 10am.  At the conclusion of the Diamond, there will be an awards ceremony and then a break for lunch and the Gold Standard will start at 1:00pm.  There will be 75 bulls bucked and then a one hour break and the remaining 75 bulls will finish the event.  The Gold Standard Awards will conclude the event with buckle and check presentations.  Click HERE for Event Details.

W-W Bucking Chutes at Lonnie Austin Arena 2013

“When Bob Tallman sold the Rodeo Stock Registry to the PBR and they formed the ABBI, Amber and I asked Bob if we could continue to produce the event,” explained Randy Schmutz.  ”He was more than happy that we were interested in moving forward with what he started and the Spring Spectacular was born!”

The first Spring Spectacular was held inside the Lone Star Arena in April of 2005 as an American Bucking Bull, Inc (ABBI) sanctioned event along with a PBR bull riding.  It quickly became the single largest ABBI event held each year and a regular stop for some of the rankest bulls in the bucking bull industry.  In 2010, the National Bucking Bull Association sanctioned the event and the Championship Bull Riders (CBR) provided bull riders, before it moved to it’s current home at the Austin Arena in Myrtle Springs.

UBBI members enjoying the Breeders Social

“Amber and I introduced a new level of appreciation for the breeders and participants,” Randy explained.  ”We checked everybody in, gave ‘em a Spring Spectacular ball cap, feed ‘em a complimentary meal, had a calcutta, put on the best event we could produce and presented the winners a Spring Spectacular award jacket!  We really tried to show ‘em how much we appreciated their support and it worked!  The Spring Spectacular has been a great event for everyone for 9 straight years!”

The hospitality worked and entries increased every year and the reputation of the Spring Spectacular being the biggest and best event continued to prove true! In 2013, the hospitality continued as Lonnie Austin rolled out the red carpet at his arena facility just north of Canton.  Breeders were met by the United Bucking Bulls, Inc (UBBI) staff. They received a UBBI ball cap and an invitation to the Breeders Social where they were fed by the Partin Heart Bar Ranch crew.

Randy shared, “Carltin Partin and his family and ranch crew brought crawfish, fresh catfish, fries and hushpuppies and ribs and cooked a meal like we’ve never had before! It was outstanding and really set the tone for the entire weekend!”

Cactus Jungle from Tom & Tish Peterson winning the Derby

The Derby kicked off the competition on Friday with 40 three year olds battling it out.  Tom & Tish Peterson left with the buckle, the jacket and the check for first place with his new acquisition, bull #207 Cactus Jungle, posting a score of 89.5 points and earning $2,760.  Peterson just purchased the bull the week before from Bobby Pillow.  Finishing as reserve champion was Flying D’s #X18 U Freakin’ Kiddin’ Me with a score of 88.5 points.  Finishing in the top 5 were bull #X9 Platinum Maxx from Bob & Jeri Adams/Flying D; bull #34 My Time from Raymond Harrington/Hookin H Rodeo and #09 Stuck on Stupid from Bob & Jeri Adams/Flying D.  Eight places were paid in the Derby and the top 10 all received Spring Spectacular award jackets presented by Wayne Hodges 4 Star Trailers.

The Spring Spectacular Futurity was held on Saturday morning and also was the first leg of the Wayne Hodges 4 Star Trailers Super Series.  Eight-six bulls competed in the event and 68 of those were enrolled into the Super Series by paying a one-time $300 enrollment fee (68 x $300 = $20,400).  One-Hundred percent of the $20,400 in Super Series Bonus Money will be divided equally at the three Super Series events ($6,800) to pay 4 places in bonus money to the Top 4 Super Series enrolled bulls ($2,720; $2.040; $1,360; $680) each time.

War Tank from Stormy Foster winning the Futurity

Stormy Foster’s bull #250 War Tank plowed through the field with an 89.5 point score to win first place and $5,031.  War Tank was also enrolled into the Super Series and earned an additional $2,720 in Bonus Money to win a total of $7,751.  The futurity paid 17 places and 16 of the 17 bulls were enrolled into the Super Series.  Finishing second was Simino & Breaux’s #110 Iceberg Slim winning $3,633 plus $2,040 for a total of $5,673.  In third place was #110 What A Burger from DAM (John Donaho & Jim Murff) earning $2,305 plus $1.360 and a total of $3,665 and in fourth place was Frontier & Ray’s #255 who earned a total of $2.426 in Futurity and Super Series money.  Stormy Foster was presented with the Tres Rios Silver Championship buckle and the top 20 all received Spring Spectacular award jackets.

Tyler & Larry McConnell accepting the buckle for the Classic win along with the Top 10 in the Classic

“We actually purchased 1/2 interest in For Sale from Kenny Vaught,” explained Larry McConnell.  ”We seen the bull and told Kenny that he should be hauling the bull more because he had the talent to win.  Kenny bought the bull as a yearling and named him For Sale and we used to kid him about it and finally convinced him to sell us half of him so we could haul him.  It’s worked out great so far and we’re glad that half of him was ‘For Sale’!”

Bull #901 For Sale posted a score of 88.5 points and earned $2,616.  Finishing second was Frontier/Ray/Folds/Strickland’s #945 Lights Out and rounding out the top 4 were #1324 Born This Way form Owens & Lane and #+912 Hot Pink from Wilburn Bucking Bulls.

A big thank you to our sponsors including Wayne Hodges 4 Star Trailers, Pro Bull Nutrition, W-W Equipment Manufacturing and Tres Rios Silver Buckles.  The UBBI would also like to thank all of our members for your continued support and participation at the 2013 Spring Spectacular.  ALL PHOTOS BY GAUTREAU.

View COMPLETE RESULTS

This year’s event will once again kick off with a Breeder’s Social, complimentary Crawfish & Catfish dinner and Calcutta on Friday at 4pm inside the Austin Arena.  The Derby will be held on Friday night at 7:30pm.  Saturday will feature the Futurity & Super Series at 10am and the Classic that evening at 7:30pm.

“The Spring Spectacular has always been a special event with a lot of exciting things for our participants,” stated Randy Schmutz, general manager of the UBBI.  ”We always award the winners in each event a Tres Rios Silver Championship buckle.  The Top 10 in each event will receive a denim Spring Spectacular award jacket.  And this year, UBBI member Carlton Partin and his crew will be cooking Crawfish, Sweet Corn & Red Potatoes and Catfish & Hushpuppies for our dinner on Friday!  We’re looking forward to a good time at Lonnie Austin’s Arena!”

Click HERE for Entry Info

Bull #626 Hard Time owned by UBBI Youth Member Dominic Hogue winning 1st place. Photo by Gautreau

“I thought the bulls were really good and it was a tough futurity and I was very pleased to see the number of entries,” stated Randy Schmutz, general manager of the UBBI.  ”It’s really neat to see these young folks getting involved in our industry!”

Dominic Hogue finished on top with his bull #626 Hard Time with a score of 87.25 points and earned a check totaling $1560.  Entry fees were $275 and the event paid 7 places. Also finishing in the money were Brandon Stewart, Caden Mullican, Hannah Wheeler, Cutter Nugent, Westin & Orin Cobb and Savanna Smith.

Check the UBBI website for future announcements of additional Youth Futurity events.

Jimmy Ray presenting Dominic Hogue the Youth Futurity championship buckle along with James Hogue and Randy Schmutz. Photo by Gautreau

Complete Youth Futurity RESULTS

Flash from Wilburn/Leschynshyn winning the 2012 Spring Spectacular Classic. Photo by Gautreau

The 2013 Spring Spectacular celebrates it’s 9th year as one of the premier bucking bull events in the country.  Once again this prestigious event will be sanctioned by the United Bucking Bulls, Inc and held inside the Austin Arena in Myrtle Springs, Texas.  The event will feature the first of three Futurity Super Series competitions presented by Wayne Hodges 4 Star Trailers, a 3 year old Derby and 4 year old Classic event.

“The Spring Spectacular has grown to be one of the largest events in our industry,” stated Randy Schmutz, general manager of the UBBI.  ”It’s a great time of year to crack out new bulls and see how they stack up to the competition that’s out there.  It’s also an opportunity to preview the 2 year olds that may be competing in the upcoming UBBI Gold Standard Futurity!”

The event will once again roll out the red carpet for breeders by hosting a complimentary dinner and calcutta on Friday (April 5th) at 5pm.  The Top 10 in each event will receive a Spring Spectacular award jacket and the winner in each event will also win a Tres Rios Silver Championship Buckle.

The Futurity Super Series allows participants to enroll their bull or bulls into an exciting “side pot”!  A one-time $300 enrollment fee for each bull will be paid back 100% to the Top 4 placing Super Series Eligible bulls at each of the three Futurity Super Series events.  With 125 bulls enrolled, $12,500 in Super Series bonus money will be paid back at each of the three events.  If one bull wins all three Futurity Super Series competitions the UBBI will award $100,000 to the Super Series Champion.  The High Point Champion after the final event will receive one year’s use of a new 4 Star Aluminum Trailer from Wayne Hodges!

Click HERE for Spring Spectacular Event Info