ProRodeo Sports News June 14th, 2019

Up-and-comer McGinn captures steer wrestling title Rewarding BY TRACY RENCK M aking the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is a work in progress for steer wrestler Mike McGinn. His hard work was rewarded when the Haines, Ore., cowboy captured the title at the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo for the TOP SCORES

ALL-AROUND COWBOY Tyler Forsberg,

first time by stopping the clock in 8.9 seconds in the two-head average. “Last year at Sisters, I won the first round and missed my second one, so I had to go back and redeemmyself this year,” McGinn said. “This is one of the biggest wins of my career.” In 2018, McGinn took top honors in the first round with a 3.9-second run. This year, he split the round-one win with Sterling Lambert, as they each stopped the clock in 4.5 seconds. It was a double celebration as McGinn’s traveling partner – Jesse Brown – split second place in the average. “It was exciting for us to take first and second,” said McGinn, who earned $5,112. “We are partnered on our bulldogging horse, Chopper, and Chopper (16 years old) was coming back from some injuries. It was a lot of fun to see how things worked out.” McGinn earned a career-best $22,935 a year ago and is well on his way to pass that mark in 2019, where he was 46th in the June 13 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $15,705. “I had a decent year last year,” McGinn said. “... I have a lot more than I’ve ever had won at this point. I’m pretty excited to look forward to what’s coming.” McGinn, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds, didn’t initially want to be a steer wrestler. “I never really rodeoed growing up, and when I started rodeoing in high school as a freshman, I was doing team roping (as a header),” McGinn said. “I thought I was going to ride broncs, but that didn’t go very well. I knew steer wrestlers Trevor and Blake Knowles because we hauled cows and we knew their families through ranching, and I decided to try steer wrestling.” Trevor Knowles is a 13-time qualifier for the Wrangler NFR. His cousin Blake is a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier. “Trevor and Blake are great guys to have show you the ropes in steer wrestling,” McGinn said. “I have progressed a ton in the last two years. This year, I want to win where I can and see how I end up.”

$1,852, tie-down roping and team roping. BAREBACK RIDING

Forsberg

1. Tilden Hooper ......................... 87 pts. 2. (Tie) Clint Laye .............................. 83 Kody Lamb .................................... 83 STEER WRESTLING 1. Mike McGinn ................. 8.9 sec. on 2 2. (Tie) Jesse Brown ......................... 9.5 Sterling Lambert ........................... 9.5 TEAM ROPING 1. D. Bird/T. Yates ...................... 5.2 sec. 2. (Tie) R. Minor/B. Minor ................. 5.4 B. Hall/C. Tryan ............................. 5.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Taos Muncy ............................ 86 pts. 2. (Tie) Mitch Pollock ........................ 85 Joaquin Real .................................. 85 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. (Tie) Westyn Hughes ... 19.3 sec. on 2 Jake Pratt .................................... 19.3 3. Matt Shiozawa ............................ 20.7 BARREL RACING 1. Meka Farr .......................... 17.29 sec. 2. Megan McLeod-Sprague ........... 17.59 3. Rainy Robinson ........................ 17.78 BULL RIDING 1. Parker Breding ........................ 86 pts. 2. Ruger Piva ..................................... 82 3. Jordan Spears ............................... 81

IN BRIEF BIRD & YATES GET FIRST WIN TOGETHER Team roping header Dustin Bird and heeler Trey Yates recently teamed up and it paid quick dividends. In their first official PRCA rodeo, they won the Sis- ters Rodeo in 5.2 seconds. They

Bird

Yates

Complete results/Page 65

each earned $4,242. The win moved Bird, a five-time Wrangler NFR quali- fier (2012-14, 2016-17), to 45th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $13,145. Yates edged up to No. 16 in the heeler standings with $24,050.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/14/2019

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