Powell bull rider continues to climb in WNFR standings Powell bull rider Kanin Asay continued to climb in the standings at the 50th annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas with scoring rides Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Asay posted the third-best ride in round five when he registered a score of 87.5 on a bull named Iron Clad. That effort helped him add more than $10,000 to his 2008 WNFR earnings. He followed that performance with a fourth-place ride on the bull known as Night Moves Tuesday. His score Tuesday, a 75.5, added just more than $7,000 to his event total.

For Asay, his performances Monday and Tuesday helped him continue his climb into the upper ranks of the WNFR standings after opening the rodeo with three straight scoreless rounds. During those scoreless rounds, two of Asay's rides fell just short of the required eight seconds needed to garner scores. His second- and third-round efforts covered 7.5 and 7.8 seconds.

“I'm just trying to stay positive,” Asay said during a phone interview Wednesday morning. “I expected to do better in the first round, but I overrode the bull that night. In the second and third round, I got some hard bulls to ride, and I came close on those. I'm feeling pretty good right now, and God has blessed me with some favorable draws. I'm just going to keep taking them one at a time, and it'll work out the way it's supposed to work out.”

Asay also said he's sustained his share of bumps and bruises during the competition. During the event's first round, Asay said the bull he rode stepped on his shoulder after bucking him off. Asay also took a horn to the hip during the early rounds.

“I've got a pretty good bruise on my shoulder, and my hip has been pretty tender,” Asay said. “I'm just trying to take care of those things the best I can.”

At the conclusion of Tuesday night's action, Asay ranked fourth in bull riding average at the WNFR with three successful rides and a point total of 245.5. He trailed J.W. Harris, Douglas Duncan and Shawn Proctor. Harris, through six rounds, had five scoring rides for 424 points. Duncan was second with four rides for 333 points, and Proctor was third with three rides for 258.5 points.

Asay's three scoring rides Sunday through Tuesday helped him add just more than $27,000 to his earnings in the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings.

When Tuesday's round concluded, Asay held the No. 10 spot in the world standings with earnings totaling just more than $103,137. At the start of the WNFR, Asay was ranked 13th. However, he began his ascent in the event and world standings with a solid effort Sunday night on Silverado Rodeo's Alabama. During that round, Asay notched a score of 82.5.

Round seven was slated for Wednesday night and after the Powell Tribune's press time. The WNFR is scheduled to conclude this weekend, and a full report on Asay's efforts will be included in the Tuesday, Dec. 18, edition of the Powell Tribune.

• WNFR Leaderboard for Bull Riding (as of the conclusion of round six): 1. J.W. Harris, 424.0/5; 2. Douglas Duncan, 333.0/4; 3. Shawn Proctor, 258.5/3; 4. Kanin Asay, 245.5/3; 5. Spud Jones, 235.0/3; 6. Bobby Welsh, 230.5/3; 7. Chance Smart, 177.0/2; 8. Cody Hancock, 170.5/2; 8. Wesley Silcox, 170.5/2; 10. Steve Woolsey, 169.5/2; 11. Colin McTaggart, 165.0/2; 12. Mike Moore, 86.0/1; 13. Zack Oakes, 80.5/1; 14. B.J. Schumacher, 0.0/0; 14. Seth Glause, 0.0/0.

• PRCA World Standings for Bull Riding (as of the conclusion of round six): 1. Chance Smart, Philadelphia, Miss., $179,917.24; 3. J.W. Harris, May, Texas, $158,407.14; 3. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, $149,348.31; 4. B.J. Schumacher, Hillsboro, Wis., $135,191.86; 5. Wesley Silcox, Payson, Utah, $132,472.69; 6. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, $122,492.79; 7. Shawn Proctor, Tooele, Utah, $110,228.80; 8. Douglas Duncan, Huntsville, Texas, $105,238.96; 9. Colin McTaggart, Las Vegas, Nev., $105,161.20; 10. Kanin Asay, Powell, $103,137.40; 11. Cody Hancock, Taylor, Ariz., $94,334.56; 12. Seth Glause, Rock Springs, $92,537.97; 13. Zack Oakes, Elk, Wash., $84,402.63; 14. Spud Jones, Tohatchi, N.M., $84,222.96; 15. Mike Moore, Kankakee, Ill., $83,286.74.