ProRodeo Sports News - March 19, 2021

Fritzlan sweeps The American bull riding Big Bucks BY MATT NABER W hen the sun set on March 7, bull rider Colten Fritzlan had already won almost as much money in the 2021 season as he had going into his 2020Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut. TOP SCORES

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Fritzlan

That’s because Fritzlan posted a 90.25-point ride on Dakota Rodeo’s Safety Meeting in the four-man Shoot-Out to win RFD-TV’s The American, earning $103,000 in the process, with $53,000 of that counting toward the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. He launched from 48th to first in the world standings with $56,260. Last season, he went into the NFR with $58,408, and it was a battle just to get that. “It took all year with COVID and everything to earn that much last year,” said Fritzlan, 21. “I went into the Finals with roughly that much, and to have that right here and now is dang sure a jump start for this early in the season, but I’m not going to settle for it this year.” Fritzlan struck a home run at Globe Life Field in December by winning the NFR average to claim the 2020 PRCA | Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year title. Three months later and one building over, Fritzlan made a clean sweep to winThe American. “I was 16th in the world around this time last year and then COVID hit, and I was stuck there,” Fritzlan said. “I was brewing on it and not comfortable with it so I worked hard and knew when rodeos came back, I would get my job done to make it.” He won the first round of The American with an 89.75-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo Company’s Justified and went on to make the only qualified ride in the eight-man semifinals with an 89.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Chiseled. “Chiseled, I had seen him countless times and he’s been bull of the year,” Fritzlan said. “I was really fired up about the matchup, he’s going to buck around to the right and I just had to keep going at him.” His competition in the four-man finals was determined based on scores from the first round, pitting him against six-time world champion bull rider Sage Kimzey, Dustin Bouquet and Marco Eguchi. Fritzlan had seen Safety Meeting in December, when Kimzey rode the bull for 92 points to split the win in Round 10 of the 2020 NFR. “I came here with one goal in mind and got done what I wanted to achieve today, and that’s a huge blessing,” Fritzlan said. “I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life.”

TOP MONEY WINNER Ryder Wright (saddle bronc riding), Colten Fritzlan (bull riding), $103,000 each BAREBACK RIDING 1. Tilden Hooper .................... 90.50 pts. 2. Tim O’Connell .......................... 89.25 3. Kaycee Feild ............................. 88.50 STEER WRESTLING 1. Jacob Talley ........................ 3.87 sec. 2. Tyler Pearson.............................. 4.82 3. Cody Devers ............................... 4.88 TEAM ROPING 1. E. Rogers/P. Bray ................ 5.05 sec. 2. L. Brown/W. Thorp ..................... 6.35 3. D. Begay/M. Sherwood .............. 7.87 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Ryder Wright .....................91.25 pts. 2. Stetson Wright ......................... 89.75 3. Zeke Thurston .......................... 82.50 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Shane Hanchey ................... 7.74 sec. 2. Tuf Cooper ................................. 8.14 3. Cody Craig ............................... 10.20 BARREL RACING 1. Hailey Kinsel ................... 15.420 sec. 2. Stevi Hillman .......................... 15.903 3. Jessica Routier ...................... 16.014 BULL RIDING 1. Colten Fritzlan ................... 90.25 pts. 2. Sage Kimzey ............................ 89.00 3. Dustin Boquet .......................... 87.00

Joe Duty photo

Complete results/Page 48

ProRodeo Sports News 3/19/2021

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