HEADERS
Top 10 Notable Headers
In the November issue’s standings for September, mother and daughter Jana Murphy, 39, and Shawnee Murphy, 14, from Melrose, Iowa, entered into the standings in a three-way battle for fifth place with 20 points. Then, in October, they effectively cleared up the race by earning enough points at the Missouri Fall Classic, produced by Jeff Smith and 3 Point Productions, to take first and second on the leaderboard.
Shawnee earned a total of 24 points as a 4.5 header in the #8.5 when she took first (10 points), second (9 points) and sixth (5 points). Added to her previous 20 points, she now holds first in the standings.
Jana’s total of 35 points came to be when the 4.5 header took third place in the #11.5 for 8 points and then took fourth in the #9.5 for 7 points. She holds a second-place standing on the leaderboard, 9 points behind her daughter and just 4 points ahead of third place.
Though Kansas’ Jill Elwood had only 26 points for last month’s standings and now has 31, she was unseated from her second-place spot and bumped to third. The 54-year-old, #3 roper also competed at the Missouri Fall Classic and took sixth in the #9.5, worth 5 points. Though she lost her place to the Murphys, it did gain her an advantage over last month’s No. 1 header, Tess Menegatti, who falls to fourth with a maintained 27 points.
HEELERS
Top 10 Notable Heelers
Much of the standings remains the same on the heeling side with Virginia’s Sally Ball holding steady at No. 1 with 21 points. With 14 points, Colorado’s Christine Talton keeps ahold of second place by maintaining a bare, one-point edge over Della Spurlock’s and Bailey Watson’s third-place-worthy 13 points.
Places for fifth and sixth also remain tied at 10 points and, now, with newcomers Denim Smith and Abigail Peterman, seventh place is now in a three-way tie with Kaitlyn Torres at 9 points.
Hannibal, Missouri’s Denim Smith, who turned 26 in November, earned 6 points when she heeled for fifth place in the #9.5 at the Missouri Fall Classic. Added to the 3 points she earned for eighth in the #9.5 at August’s Central Missouri Championships, the 4.5 heeler made her way into the running.
Hailing from Gulfport, Mississippi, 14-year-old Abigail Peterman—a 3 heeler—entered the standings after earning her 9 points with one second-place finish in the #7 at October’s South Alabama Championships, produced by Ed Allen.
2021–2022 USTRC CINCH
Ladies Points Award
At Home Challenge Events: 10 points will be awarded to the winner; no other points will be awarded. Signature Events: Points will be awarded to those winning an aggregate check. First place = 10 points, second = 9 points, and so on. Signature Events will only award points to the number of places paid. Cinch NFTR: Points are doubled. First = 20, second = 18, and so on, as far down as the ropings are paid. The top points earners after the last run of the Cinch NFTR on May 1, 2022, will be crowned our Cinch Ladies Heading and Heeling Champions, each receiving a bonus check of $1,000 and one-year’s worth of Cinch clothing.
2021-2022 USTRC Cinch Ladies Leaderboard
(as of 10/25/21. Go to USTRC.com for current standings.)
Heading POINTS HOMETOWN
1. Shawnee Murphy 44 Melrose, Iowa
2. Jana Murphy 35 Melrose, Iowa
3. Jill Elwood 31 Lindsborg, Kansas
4. Tess Menegatti 27 Walsenburg, Colorado
5. Sarah Toole 25 Rydal, Georgia
6. Madison Haley 23 Paris, Texas
7. Sydney Ball 20 Max Meadows, Virginia
8. Kenzie Gordon 18 Florence, Colorado
9. Alli Tate 17 Vincent, Alabama
9. Brook Jamison 17 Ashby, Nebraska
9. Chancey Larson 17 Manhattan, Kansas
9. Hadlee Thone 17 Damascus, Arkansas
Heeling
1. Sally Ball 21 Max Meadows, Virginia
2. Christine Talton 14 Pueblo, Colorado
3. Della Spurlock 13 Baldwin, Georgia
3. Bailey Watson 13 Tioga, Texas
5. Sammy Gilbert 10 Burnet, Texas
5. Autumn Pritchard 10 Litchfield, Nebraska
7. Denim Smith 9 Hannibal, Missouri
7. Kaitlyn Torres 9 Alice, Texas
7. Abigail Peterman 9 Gulfport, Mississippi
10. Josie Brewer 8 Lyerly, Georgia
