2007 VIRGINIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD AT CLAYTON C. BRYANT ARENA ON SATURDAY APRIL 26TH 2008

ON SATURDAY, APRIL THE 26TH 2008, CLAYTON C. BRYANT SR. HOSTED THE 2007 STATE OF VIRGINIA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CLAYTON C. BRYANT ARENA. THE DAYS EVENTS WENT QUICKLY AND BEAUTIFULLY, AS EVERYONE RAVED OVER THE NEW FACILITY AND THE STATE EVENT BEING CONDENSED TO A ONE DAY SHOW VERSES A WEEKEND SHOW. NORMALLY, THE SHOW IS HELD AT LEXINGTON OR HERNDON, VIRGINIA, AND BEGINS ON FRIDAY AND ENDS ON SUNDAY. MANY MISS WORK AND SCHOOL TO ATTEND THE YEAR END CHAMPIONSHIP DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE. THE STATE ASKED CLAYTON IF HE WOULD CONSIDER HOSTING THE EVENT AT HIS NEW FACILITY AND HAVE IT ALL IN ONE DAY. CLAYTON BELIEVED THE 7 CLASSES IN THE SHOW WOULD RUN LATE INTO THE NIGHT, HOWEVER, THE SHOW BEGAN AT 8 A.M. ON SATURDAY AND WAS RAN SO SMOOTHLY IT ENDED AT 9:30 P.M. SATURDAY NIGHT. THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME FOR CLASSES AND AN AWARDS CEREMONY AT THE END, WHICH SUITED ALL THE 125+ PARTICIPANTS, WONDERFULLY.

THE FIRST CLASS OF THE SHOW, AFTER EXHIBITIONS (PRACTICE RUNS), WAS THE PEWEE EVENT, IN WHICH THERE WERE 13 PARTICIPANTS, TOTAL. THESE PARTICIPANTS MUST BE UNDER AGE 8 AS OF JANUARY 2007. MANY ARE LEAD THROUGH THE BARRELS BY THEIR PARENTS. EVERY RIDER GETS AWARDED WITH A PRIZE. RAYLEE BROOKS ROPER REPRESENTED APPOMATTOX AND CLAYTON BRYANT BARREL HORSES BY RIDING HER PONY SUGAR BUGS, TOTALLY DECORATED IN PINK, RAYLEE’S FAVORITE COLOR. SHE DID VERY WELL. THE WINNER OF THE 2007 PEWEE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE 2ND YEAR IN A ROW WAS SARAH JANE FRENCH OF CUMBERLAND, VIRGINIA.

THERE WERE 2 OPEN CLASSES IN THE SHOW. THE NEXT CLASS WAS THE 1ST GO OF THE OPEN. THE OPEN CLASSES INCLUDE MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL AGES. OUT OF THE TWO OPEN CLASSES THERE WERE 7 FINALISTS OUT OF EACH DIVISION TAKEN BACK TO THE FINALS TO RUN FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. ADAM ROPER HAD TO BUCKLE DOWN AND TRY HARD AS HE HAD THE LAST YEAR’S 2006 1-D OPEN STATE OF VIRGINIA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE TO DEFEND ON CLAYTON’S PROMISES TO DASH, SQUIRREL. HOWEVER, TO ADAM AND CLAYTON’S DISMAY, PROMISES WOULD NOT GET A CHANCE TO DEFEND HIS TITLE AS HE WAS SUFFERING FROM A SORE RIGHT, FRONT FOOT, DUE TO AN ABSCESS. BRYANT AND ROPER HAD WORKED ON PROMISES ALL WEEK TO TRY AN GET HIM READY TO RUN, HOWEVER, IT WASN’T IN THE CARDS. HE HAD TO SET THE DAY OUT. ADAM, INSTEAD ROAD THE TWO DASH TA FAME COLTS HE HAD TRAINED THE YEAR BEFORE; ONE NAMED THR REGAINED FAME, AKA QUEEN, AND THE OTHER DIAMONDS AND FAME, AKA PRISSY. ADAM KNEW HIS HORSES COULD WIN, BUT ALSO FELT THEY LACKED THE CONSISTENCY BEING COLTS, TO RUN 3 SUCCESSFUL RUNS IN ONE DAY, AGAINST MANY SEASONED AND OLDER, OPEN BARREL HORSES.

WELL, 4 YEAR OLD QUEEN PROVED ADAM WRONG IN THE 1ST GO OF THE OPEN AS SHE PLACED 3RD OUT OF 125 COMPETITORS. THAT MEANT SHE WAS BACK IN THE FINALS. HOWEVER, THE HORSE HE AND CLAYTON HAD THE MOST CONFIDENCE IN, PRISSY, KNOCKED OVER AND HAD ONLY ONE MORE SHOT IN THE 2ND GO TO GET BACK INTO THE FINALS. TRACEY CAMPBELL OF BEDFORD, VIRGINIA WON THE 1ST GO OF THE OPEN.

AFTER THE FIRST GO, THE YOUTH WAS RAN AND JOSIE MCCORMICK REPRESENTED APPOMATTOX AND CLAYTON C. BRYANT BARREL HORSES. SHE HAD A VERY GOOD RUN BUT KNOCKED OVER A BARREL AND WAS UNABLE TO WIN THE YOUTH STATE TITLE. REED DALE FROM CUMBERLAND, VIRGINIA IS THE NEW 2007 VIRGINIA STATE YOUTH CHAMPION.

THE NEXT CLASS TO RUN WAS THE SENIORS IN WHICH COMPETITORS MUST BE 50 YEARS AND OLDER AS OF JANUARY 2007. JIMMY MCCORMICK REPRESENTED APPOMATTOX AND CLAYTON BRYANT BARREL HORSES. HE RODE HIS LARGE GREY 5 YEAR OLD MARE, NICKNAMED LULU. JIMMY TRAINED THIS COLT LAST YEAR AND SHE HAS BEEN COMING ON VERY STRONG, LATELY. JIMMY RAN AND HELD THE LEAD IN THE SENIORS UNTIL THE LAST HORSE, IN WHICH MIKE ROPER OF POWHATAN, VIRGINIA, ADAM ROPER’S FATHER, RAN A LITTLE FASTER TIME ON STACEY KAY’S EXPRESS. MIKE ROPER WON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA 2007 SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP, MAKING JIMMY MCCORMICK THE 2007 RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION OF VIRGINIA.

THE NEXT CLASS TO RUN WAS THE 2ND GO OF THE OPEN IN WHICH DUCKIE KELLER OF BEDFORD, VIRGINIA WON AND ADAM ROPER PLACED 5TH ON PRISSY GETTING HIS SECOND HORSE BACK INTO THE FINALS. 2 FOR 2. YOU CAN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT. EVEN THOUGH, HE HAD 2 TOP NOTCH HORSES BACK, ADAM REALLY MISSED OLD FAITHFUL, PROMISES TO DASH, WHO CURRENTLY HOLDS THE ARENA RECORD OF A 14.2 TIME IN CLAYTON’S ARENA. CASSIE COLEMAN OF APPOMATTOX, VIRGINIA, ALSO REPRESENTED THE TOWN PLACING 4TH IN THE 2ND GO ON LADY’S DREAMING (PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY KAY KAY ROPER) TO OBTAIN HER COVETED FINALS RUNNING POSITION.

THE LAST CLASS TO RUN WAS THE FINALS FOR THE STATE OF VIRGINIA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. MOST OF THE HORSES GOT CLEAN RUNS AND DID WELL. ADAM WAS READY AND KNEW HE HAD TO RIDE EXTRA HARD, LACKING HIS ACE IN THE WHOLE, PROMISES TO DASH, 2006 STATE CHAMP, 2006 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CHAMP AND TOP 5 WORLD QUALIFIER. ADAM WAS TO RUN NUMBER 6 ON 4 YEAR OLD QUEEN. QUEEN GOT A PRETTY GOOD RUN BUT ONLY RAN A 15.2 AS ADAM HAD TO SET UP A BARREL. ADAM WAS TO RUN NUMBER 33 ON 5 YEAR OLD PRISSY AND HE KNEW SHE WAS HIS LAST SHOT. WELL, HE HAD A NICE RUN, CLOCKING A 14.716, BUT HAD TO SET UP 2 BARRELS COSTING HIM SOME TIME. HOWEVER, THE DUO TOOK OVER THE LEAD. AFTER TAKING THE LEAD, ROPER KNEW HE STILL HAD TO DEFEND HIS TIME FOR 23 MORE HORSES. THE LAST RIDER AND HORSE TO RUN WERE LACY SPONAUGLE AND TA EXPRESS. ADAM WOULDN’T EVEN WATCH THE PAIR AS HE KNEW THE HORSE ALL TOO WELL. HE HAD OWNED THE HORSE AS A 2 YEAR OLD, TRAINED HER, AND WON MANY BARREL RACES ON HER, AS A FOUR YEAR OLD. HE SOLD THE HORSE TO LACEY ABOUT 6 YEARS AGO, RIGHT BEFORE HE MOVED TO APPOMATTOX AND BECAME APART OF THE BRYANT FAMILY. LACEY AND “TA” MADE AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL RUN, CLOCKING A 14.4 AND TAKING THE LEAD FROM ADAM AND PRISSY.

IN CLOSING, THE NEW 2007 1-D OPEN STATE CHAMPIONS ARE NOW LACEY SPONAUGLE AND TA EXPRESS, THE 2007 1-D OPEN RESERVE STATE CHAMPIONS ARE NOW ADAM ROPER AND DIAMONDS AND FAME. ALSO, CASSIE COLEMAN OF APPOMATTOX PLACED 3RD IN THE 2ND DIVISION ON HER MARE, LADY’S DREAMING.

ALL IN ALL, CLAYTON BRYANT HOSTED A WONDERFUL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. OUR APPOMATTOX BARREL HORSES FAIRED WELL AS USUAL AND PLANS FOR 2008 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD AT BRYANT ARENA ARE ALREADY IN THE WORKS.