LAS VEGAS -- Jake Vold earned his second cheque in as many nights at his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo while Dustin Flundra got his first cheque. Both were good ones too.

"As soon as you get the first one and break the ice here, it feels good every time," said Flundra, a four-time Canadian Champion. "The guys that are here and the horses, especially in this pen… there's nothing here that's easy that a guy can relax on. You gotta bear down to get by any of them."
 
Flundra's 81 points on Special Time from J Bar J took the lead at the time the judges revealed their scores.
"He was one that I thought, 'I kinda like the way that one looks in there compared to some of the other ones.' I mean none of them are easy but there are some that are maybe a touch easier,' " Flundra said.
 
For Flundra, the score ended up third-best and worth $11,340, moving the Pincher Creek cowboy up to 12th in the World Standings and fifth in the aggregate thus far. 

"I'm a long ways off. To be honest I'm just here one round at a time. I'm not looking at anything like that. I'm on the outside looking in still. I'm here to gather up as much as I can, ride as good as I can every single day and see how it ends up in ten rounds," Flundra said.

His preparation and continuation of fitness throughout the season is paying dividends. 

"Physically I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in. That's definitely helped me mentally too. I don't know if I'd ever say that I wasn't mentally tough but it's nice to know it always gives you that confidence and eases your mind sometimes in certain situations. Anything that can make you feel like you're better prepared down the road for any situation that comes up, I'm raring to do," Flundra said.
 
Having carried the flag in the grand entry as the lone Canadian in previous years, Flundra is enjoying the company of fellow Canadians Vold and Cassidy.

"It's neat to ride out there with Curt every day in the grand entry. We have a little visit and I watch him too. It's fun to come here and be able to root for other Canadians. There's not a whole bunch of times where you feel like you've got a team aspect in rodeo. That part's pretty neat," Flundra concluded.

An 83 on Empty Pockets from Beutler & Sons tied for second place in the round three ways for $11,442 a man moving Jake Vold's total to $16,346 in only two nights in Vegas. He sits third in the aggregate standings thus far. 

"This is a good start, this is exactly what I wanted to do," Vold said. "That first night was something else. Now it's kinda settled in and feeling pretty good, so I'm ready to go."

Curtis Cassidy sits tenth in the aggregate after a wrestling match with a steer that resulted in a time of 9.5. 
Round three of the 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo begins at 6:45pm inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. 

Official Results from Round Two of the 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV on December 5th, 2014.

Bareback riding: 1. Steven Peebles on New West Rodeo Productions Right Spur, 85 points, $19,002; 2. (tie) Justin McDaniel, Steven Dent and Jake Vold, 83, $11,442; 5. Bobby Mote, 82.5, $4,904; 6. Tilden Hooper, 81.5, $3,065.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Luke Branquinho and Kyle Irwin, 3.6 seconds, $17,010; 3. Nick Guy, 3.7, $11,340 each; 4. Bray Armes, 3.9 $7,969; 5. Trevor Knowles, 4.1, $4,904; 6. Casey Martin, 4.4, $3,065.

Team roping: 1. Turtle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 3.8 seconds, $19,002; 2. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 4.5, $15,018; 3. Brandon Beers/Jim Ross Cooper , 4.6, $11,340; 4. Clay Tryan/Jake Corkill, 9.4, $7,969; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Patrick Smith , 9.7, $4,904; 6. Jake Barnes/Junior Nogueira, 10.10, $3,065.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jacobs Crawley on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock's Spade, 82.5 points, $19,002; 2. Cort Scheer, 82, $15,018; 3. Dustin Flundra, 81, $11,340; 4. Jake Wright, 80.5, $7,969 each; 5. Cole Elshere, 76.5, $4,904 each; 6. Spencer Wright, 76.5, $3,065 each.

Tie-down roping: 1. Cade Swor, 7.7seconds, $19,002; 2. Trevor Brazile, 7.9, $15,018 each; 3. Clint Cooper, 8.0, $11,340; 4. Tyson Durfey, 8.1, $7,969; 5. Matt Shiozawa, 8.2, $4,904. 6. Hunter Herrin, 8.5, $3,065.

Barrel racing: 1. Lisa Lockhart seconds, 14.29 seconds, $19,002; 2. Kassidy Dennison, 14.31, $15,018; 3. Sherry Cervi, 14.35; 4. Jana Bean, 14.59, $7,969; 5. Kaley Bass, 14.66, $4,904; 6. Carlee Pierce, 14.81, $3,065.

Bull riding: 1. Aaron Pass on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock's Seeing Red, 89.5 points, $19,002; 2. Cody Teel, 85, $15,018; 3. Sage Kimzey, 80.5, $11,340; 4. Joe Frost, 74, $7,969; no other qualified rides.

For full results, draws and more visit ProRodeo.com

Courtesy of Ted Stovin, EverythingCowboy.ca