Earlier this month, 37 steer wrestlers competed in the second annual “Tough Enough to Wear Purple” steer wrestling competition at the Kingfisher Roundup Club Arena.
The event raised $5,000 for research at the OMRF. The funds will go to support cancer and Parkinson’s disease research.
The competition started in honor of Floyd Cross, a former steer wrestler from Kingfisher, who won his battle with cancer thanks to new treatments resulting from research. “We know how important research was to Dad’s recovery, and this year, we also chose to honor my uncle Clifford Cross, who died of Parkinson’s disease in 2010,” said event organizer and Floyd Cross’ daughter, Sherrie Cross.
The number of entrants more than doubled over last year’s, with 37 cowboys ranging from ages 18 to 49 taking part in the competition.
Winners of the three go-rounds were Riley Duvall, 2011 PRCA Rookie of the Year, of Checotah, Stockton Graves of Ponca City and Ryan Swayze of Freedom, respectively. Overall winner with the best average time in three go-rounds was Denard Butler of Cleburne, Tex.
“This is a great event for us, and we plan to keep hosting it as long as we’re able,” said Sherrie Cross. “Every cowboy said he would come back next year, so we’re already planning for 2013.”