Jeanette Babin
March 23, 2016James Bryant
March 23, 2016
Oklahoma native Nathan Hatchel had the best eight seconds of his life on Saturday night in Houma.
It came at the perfect time – the final round of a bull-riding rodeo with a $7,500 prize hanging in the balance.
Hatchel won the 8 Seconds to Glory Rodeo this weekend at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, posting 172 combined points in his two rides.
His score was enough to outlast the 171.5 mark set by Montpellier native Koby Radley, who was the only other cowboy to last for eight seconds in both rounds.
Hatchel said the victory was an honor, calling the night one in which he will never forget.
“What can you say? It’s a tremendous feeling,” Hatchel said. “You’re on the bull, hanging on and trying to put on a show. There were a lot of other great competitors here. I didn’t know if the score would hold up. But I’m glad that it did. It’s an honor to come here and win the title.”
To last for eight seconds on two-straight bull rides is something that Hatchel said he was proud of.
He should be. The bulls were fierce on Saturday night, scoring far more victories than their human counterparts.
Throughout the rodeo, cowboys had a hard time getting into a groove against the massive beasts they were battling inside the stalls.
There were 31 cowboys in the adult competition, and each were given one preliminary ride with the Top 11 scores moving into the Championship Round.
There were 10 successful rides in the opening round, led by Golden Meadow native Lucas Guilbeau, who got the crowd on its feet after an 87-point ride in the opening minutes of the event.
Radley was second after the preliminaries, sagging just behind Guilbeau’s gem. Hatchel was third.
“I knew that it was going to be tough,” Hatchel said. “Lucas had one heck of a ride to start it out, and I knew it was going to take a very good finals for me to have a chance to catch him.”
In the Finals, the bulls were as aggressive as ever – just two cowboys withstood their aggression and lasted the full eight seconds.
The first was Radley, who took the lead after a solid ride. But Hatchel topped him by a half-point with a second-straight successful run to take the lead.
That set the stage for Guilbeau, who earned the last ride after own-
ing the preliminary-round lead.
Guilbeau rode tough, and made it interesting. He got out of the gates cleanly, and looked poised in the early seconds of his ride.
But the local was bucked just before the eight-second threshold, which guaranteed that Hatchel would take home the title.
Guilbeau finished third, thanks to his first-round score and the struggles the cowboys faced in the Championship Round.
“It’s always a great feeling,” he said. “When it sinks in that you were the one who got the top finish, it really feels great. The people here were great, and it was a very first-class event.”
HOUMA THRIVES IN RODEO WEEKEND
Just about everyone asked agreed with Hatchel’s statement.
Cowboys around the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center touted their pleasure with the event, which takes place annually in the Houma-Thibodaux area and is put on by local cowboy James Pierce.
Kaufman, Texas native De’Arion Loud said he enjoyed his time in the city, calling the people of Louisiana “first-class in every way.”
Loud finished sixth in the Championship Round.
“The crowd came out and showed their support, and that’s really all that you can ask,” Loud said. “It’s easy to see that this community has a lot of good people behind it, and that gets us excited to do our thing when we get our chance. It was a great weekend. The people were great, the food was great, and I’d say the event was a success.”
Radley agreed, saying that he’d be willing to return to Houma for next year’s event.
“Why not?” he said. “You know, it was pretty easy to tell throughout the night that the people here care. They were loud and were into it throughout the night. I’m glad that I was able to compete well to give them something to cheer about. All-in-all, it’s been very good.”
Perhaps the reason for all of that community support is the cause.
Proceeds for the weekend went to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center to support the hospital’s cancer center – a topic that is near and dear to Pierce’s heart.
He had cancer in 2013 – a battle that he calls the toughest of his life.
But now, he’s free from the disease and has a mind to give back.
Before the rodeo got started, TRMC CEO Greg Stock addressed the crowd, expressing his gratitude toward Pierce and event organizers for their work in the community.
There was also a 50/50 raffle during the rodeo that gave money to the cancer center, as well.
The main event took place at night, but the rodeo was an all-day affair with children’s events at the civic center throughout the day.
Pierce said he’s happy to give back however he can.
He said it always gives him pleasure to see the people of the community rallying together for a day’s worth of fun.
“It’s been great,” Pierce said. “It’s something that everyone can enjoy. These cowboys are the best. They put on a show. It’s something that I think people really enjoy.”
Cowboys shout encouragment to Corey Bailey as he battles a bull during the opening round of the 8 Seconds to Glory Rodeo this weekend. Bailey finished fifth in the event.
Before the professional riders took the main stage, the 8 Seconds to Glory Rodeo featured children’s and junior competitions.
