2020 Wrangler NFR Round 9 Event Program

BULL RIDING SEASON LEADER

Kimzey leads for seventh straight year

The starting point and finish line for Sage Kimzey’s 2020 season has turned out to be the same place – Arlington, Texas. Splitting the win at The American in March put him on track to return to Arlington for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. BetweenThe American and the Finals was an unlucky season plagued by COVID-19 and injury, but the reigning six-time world champion finished atop the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings for the seventh consecutive time. Since the start of his ProRodeo career in 2014, Kimzey has won more money than any bull rider during the regular season. “I always say it but this year more than ever it’s going to be a 10-round shootout, but in Arlington instead of Las Vegas,” said Kimzey, 26. “I’m looking forward to the competition, but the lead doesn’t amount to much since we’re all a go-round-and-a-half apart. But the bigger the rodeo the more pressure there is and that is when I shine, so I like my chances going into Arlington.” Shortly before COVID-19 put the 2020 season on hiatus, Kimzey split the win at The American to give his season earnings a $40,125 boost. Climbing the world standings during a normal season is a fight, but doing it during COVID-19 and while battling injuries turned it into a steep and slippery uphill battle. “It seemed like I was fighting injuries all year long, coming off surgery and literally only went to two rodeos, The American and Houston,” Kimzey said about his winter. “Not many guys went through quite

PRCA ProRodeo file photo Since 2014, Sage Kimzey has won more money than any bull rider during the regular season and remained the PRCA world champion.

as much as I did this year, so coming in that high, my resiliency this year is what I’mmost proud of.” There was a light at the end of the 2020 regular-season tunnel for the Oklahoma cowboy who now lives in Texas and married Alexis Bloomer in October. “Sage has always been extremely focused and makes goals every year, and we write them out as a couple and individually, and he is fiercely competitive and obsessed with perfection and holds himself to a high standard,” Alexis said. “He’s always on, and it’s always about bull riding 24-7. It’s inspiring to see a competitor act like that.” Kimzey made ProRodeo history by becoming the first cowboy in any event to win world titles in his first two seasons – winning as a rookie in 2014 and repeating in 2015. He continued to make history in 2016, winning his third consecutive world title while becoming the youngest cowboy to surpass $1 million in career earnings at 22 years, 3 months and 2 weeks. In 2019, he posted the best regular season in any event in PRCA history,

earning $480,797, including ground money. The 2019 season started out rough due to an injury sustained at the 2018 NFR, but the result remained the same – another world title. Only two bull riders have as many world titles as Kimzey, and both of them are ProRodeo Hall of Famers – Jim Shoulders (1951, 1954-59) and Don Gay (1974-77, 1979-81, 1984). This season, Kimzey suffered an ankle injury at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and went into surgery Feb. 14, but he was back in the chutes less than a month later, winning the first round of Bracket 1 at RodeoHouston. “Nobody saw behind the scenes when he had surgery on Valentine’s Day and then got on bulls in Houston three weeks later,” Alexis said. “It’s been fun to watch since he is so in love with the sport.” –Matt Naber

WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO 15