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Show A4 Sitting in the Tall The Emery County Review, Tuesday, August 26, 2008 S A D D L E Continued from Page A1. not be his last, because he can’t imagine not roping. “It’s the thrill of it. It’s the camaraderie of those who rodeo. They’re the greatest people in the world. You get to know these people. They’re different. You go away from it for a while and then you think, I’ve got to get back,” he said, his voice wavering with emotion for a lifestyle he loves dearly. Where and when that love started stretches back to when he was just a boy and he discovered that there wasn’t much he enjoyed more than the thrill of roping. “When I was a little bitty kid, don’t ask me where I got the roping bug from, but I went to school over to Price and when I was in the second grade my dad bought the pool hall over in Castle Dale. I would steal my granddad’s rope and take it to school and I’d rope the kids all during recess and lunch hour. That’s all I ever wanted to do, was rope,” Nielsen said, grinning. That early love of roping would come to shape his entire life, and it was through roping that he came to meet, and win the love of his life. “One day Sonny’s dad, (By’ Johansen) asked me what I was doing on the weekend and if I wanted to come and help brand calves. When I got out there By’ said to me ‘climb on that horse and let’s see if you can catch one of them calves,’ so I climbed on the horse and roped and drug calves all day. After we’d been there four or five hours roping calves, Sonny’s dad said ‘how old are you?’ and I said ‘I’m 10,’ and he said you just come work for me for the next 10 years and you can have Sonny for your wife. And I did most of the 10 years, but he paid me too,” Chris grinned. Sonny, standing to the side smiled softly and nodded her head. “It’s true,” she said. “She wouldn’t have nothing to do with me in the winter. When we went to school she had her school boyfriends, but the minute school was out and she knew I was going to be roping, here came Sonny.” The couple raised three children on the ranch, Shane, Amy and Hank, and the two boys became skilled ropers themselves, practicing with their dad on the ranch and participating in rodeos when they grew older. While the two have a great deal of skill and have won saddles and belt buckles as well, they didn’t quite catch the bug of roping the way their dad did. Chris and Sonny try to go somewhere every week and when they aren’t able to Chris is not all that happy. “That’s what we do. We don’t look at the sights or anything, we just go rope. Sonny will sit in the stands and tell me what I did wrong,” Chris said. And Sonny would know exactly what to tell Chris if he did do something wrong. While Chris’ reputation as a roper is legendary, the skill of Sonny as a flagger is also well known. She was one of the first women to be a judge for team roping, and Chris’ voice cracks as he relates her experiences gaining the respect of some of the top rodeo cowboys as a flagger. As a header in team roping, Chris has collected his share of prizes over the years, both in the professional and amateur rodeo circuit. Although the memories are too many to properly categorize, he said one of his fondest memories was a team roping event where he had Casey Jensen of Cleveland as a partner and the two of them won $5,000 a piece by winning the event. Today Chris knows that time has whittled away at his body enough to take the sharp edge off his skill, but despite a bad back, and the fact that he is missing half of one foot, he is still a fierce competitor on the circuit. When he was younger, professional rodeo team ropers were categorized by a number based on their skill. Headers and heelers each had a different scoring system, and at that time Chris was a five, with the top rodeo hands in the world ranked a seven. The numbering system for ropers still exists today, with some changes. Knowing that age was creeping up on him and that physically he wasn’t what he used to be, Chris said he had to petition to get his score lowered so he could still compete. “Some people say I still rope like a five, but I’m crippled. So I wrote a letter and said this foot here is cut off and I’ve had laser surgery on my eyes so many times it’s hard for me to see, so I want my number lowered. They wrote me a letter and said, no, you win too much; we can’t lower your number. I wrote them another letter and had a letter from my doctor and I got my number lowered from a five to a four. A four was supposed to be a beginner, an inexperienced roper or an old guy like me,” he said. Leading his horses out to his corral; Sonny runs the chute as he takes a little time to rope a few steers. While it takes him a little longer to get into the saddle, once there he rides easy, and when Sonny releases the steer he is ready…riding tall. bound over for trial. Arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 16. Marty Hayward Heaps. Heaps pled guilty in 2007 to a misdemeanor charge of Accepting Bribe to Prevent Prosecution (amended). An order to show cause hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16. Travis James Sweat. Sweat pled guilty in May to a misdemeanor charge of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and a misdemeanor charge of Attempted Illegal Possession/ Use of a Controlled Substance. Sweat was sentenced to a suspended jail term of one year, fined $1,000 and placed on 24 months probation. Terms of probation ordered him to serve 30 days in jail, with credit granted for time already served. Jeffory Lyne Kirkham. Kirkham faces a felony count of Theft by Deception. The matter was continued to Oct. 21 for preliminary hearing or disposition. Jodie Lavon Ashby. Ashby pled guilty in May to a misdemeanor charge of Simple Assault. Ashby was sentenced to a suspended one year jail term, fined $925 and placed on 36 months probation. Terms of probation ordered Ashby to serve 90 days in jail, with credit granted for time already served. Jose Vargas. Vargas pled guilty in 2005 to a felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance and a misdemeanor charge of Tampering with Evidence. In an order to show cause hearing an evidentiary hearing on the order to show cause was set for Sept. 16. Prosecutor Brent Langston requested that the defendant be taken into custody because he posted bail in Texas, not Utah. Defense attorney Mark Tanner objected. The court ordered the defendant to remain in Utah, inform parole and probation of his current address and transfer his bail to Utah. Eric B. Sitterud. Sitterud faces a felony count of Forgery and a misdemeanor count of Theft. In his initial appearance Sitterud was advised of the charges and penalties and he informed the court that he would like to represent himself. The court strongly urged that he obtain legal counsel. Further proceedings are scheduled for Sept. 16. Ricky Lee Armstrong. Armstrong faces amended misdemeanor charges of Attempted Illegal Possession/Use of a Controlled Substance; Attempted Illegal Possession/Use of a Controlled Substance; and Attempted Purchase/Possession of a Dangerous Weapon. He pled guilty to all charges. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21. Michael Winston Taylor. Taylor faces a misdemeanor charge of Failure to Stop at Command of Law Enforcement. Taylor did not appear before the court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Ricky Arnoled Ruttenbur. Ruttenbur faces a misdemeanor charge of Illegal Possession/Use of a Controlled Substance. He pled guilty to the charge in May. In a sentencing hearing the defendant agreed to a drug screen and the court was informed that Ruttenbur tested positive for methamphetamines. The defendant was sentenced to a suspended one year jail term, fined $925 and placed on 24 months probation. Terms of the probation ordered him to serve 45 days in jail with credit granted for time already served. COURT REPORTER Appearing in 7th District Court Aug. 19 before Judge Douglas B. Thomas were: Rachel Annette Wardle. Wardle entered a plea in abeyance agreement in 2007 on a felony count of Illegal Possession/Use of a Controlled Substance and a misdemeanor charge of Driving Under the Influence of Alco- hol or Drugs. In sentencing, judgment and commitment proceedings Wardle admitted to one of the allegations against her and the court dismissed a second allegation in the order to show cause. The matter was continued to Oct. 21 to allow the defendant time to get established with her employment. Michael Homer Whiterock. Whiterock pled guilty on July 29 to a felony count of Failure to Stop/Respond at Command of Police and a misdemeanor charge of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs. The defendant had served the 45 days in jail he was sentenced to and the court ordered him Mark & Brenda Seely Family Two of the children of Mark and Brenda Seely were recently injured in the tragic accident that occurred Tuesday, August 12, 2008. Because of these injuries a financial strain has been put upon the Mark and Brenda Seely Family. A Fund has been set up in their name to help pay the medical cost that the family has incurred. Anyone interested in making a donation may go to any Zion’s Bank Branch and make a deposit to the The Mark and Brenda Seely Donation. S Christy’s alon ensations released. Felisha Mitcheson. Mitcheson faces a felony charge of Unlawful Acquisition/Possession/Transfer Card and a misdemeanor charge of Property Obtained by Unlawful Conduct. In her initial appearance she was advised of the charges and penalties and the court appointed David M. Allred to represent her. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21. Denise Marie Heaps. Heaps faces a felony charge of Obstruction of Justice, which she pled no contest to on Aug. 19. Heaps waived a preliminary hearing and a presentence investigation was ordered. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21. Cameron Leo Miller. Miller faces a felony charge of Unlawful Acquisition/ Possession/Transfer Card and a misdemeanor charge of Property Obtained by Unlawful Conduct. Miller waived a preliminary hearing and the matter was SupplieS •Digital Plus Alkaline Batteries (Buy 2 get 2 Free) Walk-Ins Welcome or call for an Appointment Tuesday - Friday “Service With A Smile” Christy Collard Katie Brady •USB Flash Drives 4GB of storage $2499 2GB of Storage $1499 1GB of Storage $999 •Calculators •SD Cards Jones 190 So. 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