Cinch RSNC made it to Waco, Texas, April 4–6, 2025, and brought $20,000 in added money for the South Central Regional Super Sort, including payouts over $16K for the Waco Gold Shootout classes.

Cinch #13 Gold Shootout Winners

Texan Trever Field returned to the Cinch #13 Gold Shootout winners circle after drawing a partner in Colorado’s Emily Sperle to best a tough field in Waco. The team entered the final round toward the lower end of the high calls. And, as the cattle proved increasingly tough to beat, they rose to the ranks of victors, earning $8,312 for sorting 38 head in 202.37 seconds across four rounds.

“It turned around, honestly,” Field, from Granbury, admitted. Also noting that he’d been having some tough luck up until that point in the day. Field, an Open rider in the Cinch RSNC who was also on a qualifying team at last year’s WRCA World Championships Ranch Rodeo, was riding Shuga Rey, a 2018 mare by Smart Sugar Badger out of Reydar, who he’s recently introduced to the sport.

“She’s just now getting the game really figured out,” Field said of the mare he calls “super cowy.” Field is also getting the game figured out: The Waco Cinch #13 Gold Shootout is the third he’s won in as many months. In February, he won the #13 is San Antonio; in March, he won the class again in Glen Rose, Texas, at the “Moo Lah” Series produced by TR Performance Horses; followed, of course, by his Waco win.

“That class has been the main class,” Field said of his recent ranch sorting strategy. In contrast, Sperle, of Wellington, entered the Gold Shootout with caution.

Sperle and Field rode their mounts to a payout over $8,000 in Waco. Cinch RSNC / Sperle Western Media

“I’ve always had the mindset of staying out of the high-entry-fee, high-payback classes. I guess I was always intimidated to ride them,” Sperle offered. “But I pulled a check in the Shootout at Reno last year, and I was like, ‘Okay, I can do this.’”

Sperle sold her own horse a few months ago. So, she’s been piloting a horse that belongs to her husband, the RSNC’s own Tanner Sperle. “He’s strong and powerful,” Sperle said of her mount, registered as R Metallic Twister—a 2018 gelding by Dual Rey out of Play Purr View RG by Metallic Cat—who proved to be a valuable asset as Field and Sperle took a businessman’s approach to their final run.

“We knew we needed to slow down and play it a little bit safer,” Sperle said. “So, we both agreed that we wanted a check. We weren’t necessarily going for a win. Trever started it kind of slow, and then we just picked up as we got more and more [cows] out… We were just waiting for our moment to take them on the ends and kept them going and got lucky with a couple doubles and triples there. That definitely helped.”

Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout Champs

Cashing in on the event’s biggest paycheck was the draw team of Williamson, Georgia’s Harper Grace Pierce and Wykoff, Minnesota’s Steve Freiheit, who won $8,888 for their efforts in the Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout after sorting 34 head across four rounds in a time of 235.11 seconds.

Pierce, 11, may be small in stature, but she’s made a sizeable mark in the ranch sorting space since she began competing in late 2022. For this young hand, winning a Gold Shootout was simply the next step in her journey. In her interview with RSNC announcer Rowdy Fewel following the final round, Fewel noted Pierce’s many accomplishments and wins throughout the season, as well as her humble nature.

“They say you’re going to be a good hand,” Fewel said to Pierce, who employed her mom’s horse for the class. “But I think you’re past going to be. I think you’re already there.”

Steve Freiheit and his young gun sorting partner, Harper Grace Pierce cashed in the biggest paycheck of the event. Cinch RSNC/Sperle Western Media

Pierce’s partner, Steve Freiheit, recognizes that the higher entry fees might be a turnoff for some folks. But he knows that time will tell when it comes to the success of the Gold Shootout classes. He also knows it paid well.

“It worked out well,” said Freiheit, who has been a member of the RSNC since its inception, witnessing its continued growth over the years. “The numbers are getting unreal. Like I said, it all takes time.”

Freiheit was riding a “well-seasoned” gelding he calls “Gus”. And, after Waco, the two had their sites set on a ranch sorting closer to home in Sioux Falls, produced by his son. “I always have a good time,” Freiheit concluded. “It’s good people. Some of the best people are in this sport. So yes, it’s always a good time.”

About the Gold Shootout Classes

The Gold Shootout classes are new to the Cinch RSNC lineup. They are offered exclusively to Gold- and Platinum-level members of the Ranch Sorting National Championships. Upgrade at any event, or give us a call at 970-897-2901.

Though the fees to enter Gold Shootouts are higher, so are the rewards. Additionally, Gold and Platinum members who enter up in the Gold Shootouts throughout the season are eligible to compete in the classes at the Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth in June, with a guaranteed $75,000 payout.