For the week of July 30 - August 5, 2003

Ashley Smith wins national cutting, again

In New Mexico

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Hailey’s Ashley Smith saved her best two performances for her final two performances and won the girls’ cutting championship at the National High School Finals Rodeo Sunday.

Action took place during the 55th annual, 13-performance National High School Finals Rodeo at Farmington, N.M. Wood River High School senior Smith won her second national cutting title in three years.

Smith, 17, a daughter of Greg and Chris Smith, posted an outstanding 228-point first-place go-round Saturday night and followed it up with a first-place 227-point ride Sunday.

Combined with her winning 223-point effort last Monday morning, Smith finished her three qualifying runs with a total of 678 points—8.5 points ahead of runner-up Whitney Denton (669.5) of Sterling, Utah.

In third place with 664 points was last year’s national girls’ cutting champion Shayla Smith of Nogal, N.M. Shayla could never get it going for a big score in 2003, posting consecutive rides of 220-219-225.

Denton, in contrast, looked like she might be Ashley Smith’s chief rival when she opened with a first-go of 224.5 points Wednesday, 1.5 points better than Ashley’s first go. But Denton fell to 219 Thursday before finishing at 226 Sunday.

In fourth place in the final averages was Johanna Hiatt of Buhl with 656 points. In 32nd place out of 117 girls in the cutting competition was Whitney Wines (428.5) of Gooding.

The outcome was sweet revenge for 2001 national champion Ashley Smith, who had settled for second place at nationals last July by a 661 to 659.5 or slim 1.5-point margin to Shayla Smith.

In addition, Ashley Smith didn’t even win her state competition this year. She was fourth, with teammate Natalia Ferris second, in the Idaho Finals June 22 in Pocatello.

Ketchum’s Natalia Ferris also competed at nationals in New Mexico last week but recorded only one point-getting performance, a 212.5 Thursday.

Ashley Smith also won nationals in 1997. So over the past seven nationals, she has three first places and two second places in girls’ cutting.

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