The inaugural ABBI Junior Futurity season ended on a very high note for cousins Trevor and Cory Terrell in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trevor’s 659 Spider Monkey had another outstanding performance, earning an 87.75 to win his second consecutive event. Cory’s 119 was scored an 85.75 to take second.

Trevor earned another $10,000 check — a generous prize donated by Boyd-Floyd Bull Co. to the winner at every Junior Futurity this season — bringing his season total to $20,000.
“This was a tough one. The top five could go anywhere and place in the top,”revealed Trevor of the competition. He then explained that despite Spider Monkey’s winning record, the bull wasn’t a sure thing.”This bull is a wild one. My dad (Mitch) picked out a few that he thought would be good and then he let me pick which one I wanted to compete with. My dad told me ‘he’ll be at the bottom of the page (results sheet) or the top.’ And that was the truth!”

Trevor’s bet on the wild bull paid off. As busy as he is helping his dad with the T-N-T bulls, he needs a “new truck”— something he can now afford to buy.

Despite experience at other Futurities where both cousins did well, Cory had some nerves headed to Tulsa. ”I was worried coming in. I knew he bucked at the house, but I didn’t know how he’d do with me flanking him,”shared Cory. “119 is out of a Mudslinger son and a cow of my uncle Mitch’s.” Cory won $1,000 and calf donated by Tom Teague.

Twenty-three ABBI junior members entered the final event of the 2008 series. In third place with an 84 was Bailey Buck with Page S35, Hannah Gant was fourth with an 82.5 for RP607 Big Money. In fifth was Karl Allen with an 80 for JF666 El Diablo.

“We feel that the first season of the ABBI Junior Futurity was a huge success,” confirmed Brad Boyd. “We were very pleased with the response of the kids. Most of these kids are already involved at home helping feed and work with the calves and sometimes when the spotlight is shown for a calf bucking good, they get no credit. With the Junior Futurity, they get all the credit. We feel this was great for them, Lots of nerves were tested and it’s just a part of growing up. We believe some — if not all — learned valuable lessons from the competition with one another. If they didn’t win this year, they will work harder for next year.”

“Changes and improvements for next year will mainly be up to the Board of Directors of the ABBI,” reported ABBI’s Andee Lamoreaux.

“I am sure we will get to give some input into possible changes,” added Boyd, “but we feel this year was pretty special itself.”

The ABBI will try to have most of the events next year during times when the junior breeders are on school break. They rescheduled some events this season because it turned out it was just too hard, even when held on a weekend, for junior members to attend and ABBI wants as many members as possible to be able to participate. They also hope to work more closely with programs such as FFA to increase awareness and involvement in junior futurities.

“Ultimately we’d also like to have a Finals,” disclosed Lamoreaux.  The ABBI Junior Futurity series has been a great success this first season and is shaping up to be even bigger and better for 2009.