Trio relish rodeo tradition

If you didn't live around Las Vegas before it had an Eiffel Tower and New York City skyline dotting the Strip, then you might be surprised that Southern Nevada's roots are buried deep in western culture.

And many believe Las Vegas remains a cowboy town -- and not just when the National Finals Rodeo visits each year.

Logandale team roper Randon Adams believes it. So does his former neighbor, calf roper Matt Shiozawa, a former all-state basketball player at Moapa Valley.

It was the winning tradition of the UNLV rodeo team that drew bull rider Colin McTaggart to move here three years ago from Brentwood in Northern California.

The trio not only are competing professionally in rodeo, but they are back at the Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Adams, who grew up in northwest Las Vegas before his family moved to Logandale 14 years ago, led the trio in Thursday night's opening round, when the reigning world champion heeler in team roping combined with JoJo LeMond of Andrews, Texas, to win the first go-round with a time of 4.3 seconds.

"Yeah, there aren't as many horse properties close to the city because a lot of the owners sold when real estate got so high," Adams said, "but you can find a lot on the outskirts and in Logandale."

The family ranch just north of Las Vegas is where Adams and LeMond, along with Shiozawa, have been practicing the past few weeks.

Shiozawa, who has lived in Chubbock, Idaho, the past two years, didn't register a time in calf roping when the animal broke free, but he remains upbeat about the rest of the 10-day Finals, which resume at 6:45 p.m. today.

"It makes the game plan pretty simple now. Just treat it like nine straight rodeos that pay $17,000 to win," said Shiozawa, who is competing in his fourth Finals.

He credits ranch exposure in Logandale for his winning more than $814,000 in his 10-year career and qualifying for a fourth Finals.

"No doubt I wouldn't be here if it weren't for being able to practice at the Adams' ranch," Shiozawa said. "And school was set up where we'd go half days and be in the pens by 1 in the afternoon."

It's the third straight Finals for McTaggart, who posted an 84-point effort in bull riding to place fourth.

"I came here because UNLV had a great rodeo program and have no reason to leave," said McTaggart, 25, who lives near State Route 95 and Durango.

He has two semesters left to complete at UNLV to earn his diploma and plans to return to school soon.

"I had a scholarship for two years and left to rodeo full time, but I'm definitely going to get my degree," he said. "Your next injury in bull riding can end your career, and I've never talked to someone with a (college) degree who said it was a waste of time."

In addition to the Adams-LeMond team, winners in the first go-round were Justin McDaniel (Porum, Okla.) and Jason Havens (Prineville, Ore.), tied in bareback riding; Curtis Cassidy (Donalda, Alberta), steer wrestling; Taos Muncy (Corona, N.M.), saddle bronc riding; Josh Peek (Pueblo, Colo.), calf roping; Brittany Pozzi (Victoria, Texas), barrel racing; and Kanin Asay (Powell, Wyo.), bull riding.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.