Curry Kirchner and Tyson Thompson broke the ice in a big way in the short round of the Bob Feist Invitational with a $160,000 victory at the Lazy E Arena on April 1, 2023 with a time of 45.38 seconds on six head.

Kirchner (24) and Thompson (25) quietly roped their way through five full rounds of nearly 130 teams, with fans being distracted by the flashy reaches, wild heel shots and other drama that The Feist offers. However, their slick 6.66-second run in the short round, where they came back in the No. 4 callback position not only earned them $3,000 for the round win, it left the next few teams chasing them. Despite the time advantages, the remaining top three couldn’t best the boys from Oklahoma and Texas, respectively.

In the short round, Thompson’s unique delivery in the heeling turned heads.

“There’s a lot of interesting shots when I throw them,” Thompson (25) said.

Thompson’s horse, “Shoppa,” stayed true and helped him pull off shots through the roping. Thompson gave credit to Kirchner and his great horse for his handles. Kirchner was quick to echo the brag on “Memphis,” who is owned by Jeff Tebow. Tebow offered the gelding to Kirchner after he had horses get injured, and the two have clicked as a pair.

“He’s big and he’s got a lot of run,” Kirchner said. “About halfway out there, he catches them. He’s so easy in the corner and you can put the cow wherever you want them. That’s such a big advantage here, to have a horse that’s fast and strong, but forgiving and lets you do what you need to do.”

Both cowboys noted that the win will help give them the chance to ProRodeo more in 2023, and that it marked the biggest of their career up to this point, and were quick to thank their families and extended support systems who helped cover both boys’ entry fees so they could show out at The Feist.

“Don’t rope anybody else’s roping but your own,” Kirchner said. “At the end of the day, you just have to do what you do and it’s going to be good enough.”

“Like Curry said, if you try to back off it never works.” Thompson echoed. “I’ve been here and tried to just catch them, and when that thought gets in my mind, I stay a step behind. If you’re not ahead at this roping, you’re not even going to get close to them.”

The Team Roping Journal will be following this story as it develops.

• The Cinch Timed Event Champion Marcus Theriot and the Bob Feist Invitational Champions Manny Egusquiza and Kory Koontz: Season 4, Episode 5
• Fast Time: Wyatt Cox Breaks Down the 2020 Bob Feist Invitational Quickest Run
• The Appaloosa That Won the Bob Feist Invitational

The Feist Results

Aggregate Results (on six head)

1. Curry Kirchner and Tyson Thompson, 45.38 seconds, $160,000
2. Brandon Beers and Daniel Braman, 46.43 seconds, $100,000
3. Clint Summers and Cory Petska, 46.63 seconds, $76,000
4. Chad Masters and Trey Yates, 47.95 seconds, $55,000
5. James Arviso and Nicky Northcott, 48.27 seconds, $34,000
6. Logan Olson and Seth Smithson, 48.67 seconds, $20,000
7. Wyatt Bray and Josh Patton, 48.86 seconds, $18,000
8. Jake Cooper Clay and and Kollin VonAhn, 49.40 seconds, $12,000
9. Shay Carroll and Evan Arnold, 49.71 seconds, $10,000
10. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 50.59 seconds, $9,000
11. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 56.65 seconds, $8,500
12. Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves, 57.40 seconds, $7,500
13. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, 37.97 seconds on five, $7,000
14. Peyton Walters and Kory Koontz, 40.55 seconds on five, $6,500
15. Bubba Buckaloo and JR Gonzalez, 42.31 seconds on five, $6,500

Round One Fast Time

1. Ty Blaingame and Brandon Bates, 6.41 seconds, $8,000
2. Tyler Wade and Travis Graves, 6.94 seconds, $6,000
3. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, 7.29 seconds, $4,000
4. Brandon Beers and Daniel Braman, 7.45 seconds, $2,000

Round Two Fast Time

1. Paul David Tierney and Tanner Braden, 6.14 seconds, $8,000
2. Guy Howell and Riley Curuchet, 6.41 seconds, $6,000
3. Ben Jordan and Scott Lauaki, 6.50 seconds, $4,000
4. Cash Duty and Sid Sporer, 6.69 seconds, $2,000

Round Three Fast Time

1. Justin Pruitt and Gralyn Elkins, 5.53 seconds, $8,000
2. Trey Begay and Cody Lansing, 5.60 seconds, $6,000
3. Cory Kidd and Lane Mitchell, 5.64 seconds, $4,000
4. Cyle Denison and Cole Curry, 5.74 seconds, $2,000

Round Four Fast Time

1. Clint Peverley and Levi Pettigrew, 5.27 seconds, $8,000
2. Matt Sherwood and Billie Jack Saebens, 5.68 seconds, $6,000
3. Kolton Schmidt and Max Kuttler, 5.93 seconds, $4,000
4. Casey Hicks and Steve Orth, 6.02 seconds, $2,000

Round Five Fast Time

1. Coy Brittan and Colton Brittain, 5.10 seconds, $8,000
2. Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, 5.36 seconds, $6,000
3. Manny Egusquiza and JC Flake, 5.41 seconds, $4,000
4. Rowdy Jones and Gage Wiliams, 5.73 seconds, $2,000

Short Go Fast Time

1. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 6.59 seconds, $4,000
2. Curry Kirchner and Tyson Thompson, 6.66 seconds, $3,000
3. Shay Carroll and Evan Arnold, 6.69 seconds, $2,000
4. Chad Masters and Trey Yates, 6.78 seconds, $1,000