ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 3, 2021

Win eases tough season for Nelson, Lord Not Done Yet KITSAP STAMPEDE BREMERTON, WASH.

For the third time this season, a bareback rider recorded that score aboard Macza Pro Rodeo’s Ols Tubs Stevie Knicks. At the Kitsap Stampede, it was Clayton Biglow who did his part to win the event and $4,265. Earlier, Chad Rutherford (Gooding, Idaho) and Seth Hardwick (Weatherford, Texas) also turned in 90-point rides on the horse. 90

TOP MONEY WINNER TOP SCORES

Stetson Wright ($6,201 saddle bronc riding and bull riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Wright

1. Clayton Biglow......................... 90 pts. 2. Jess Pope.......................................85 3. Seth Hardwick. ...............................84 STEER WRESTLING 1. Tanner Brunner.......................3.6 sec. 2. Rowdy Parrott. ..............................3.7 3. Two tied at ................................... 3.9 TEAM ROPING 1. N. Wyatt/L. Lord.....................4.1 sec. 2. K. Driggers/J. Nogueira. ................4.4 (Tie) K. Johnson/C. Johnson. ........4.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. K’s Thomson......................... 88.5 pts. 2. Wade Sundell...............................87.5 3. Stetson Wright. ...........................86.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Taylor Santos..........................8.2 sec. (Tie) Paden Bray............................8.2 3. J.D. McCuistion.............................8.4 BARREL RACING 1. Dona Kay Rule....................16.92 sec. 2. Stevi Hillman. ............................16.99 (Tie) Destri Devenport. ..............16.99 BULL RIDING 1. Stetson Wright. .................... 88.5 pts. 2. Jordan Spears. ............................87.5 3. Trevor Reiste. .................................87

Kent Soule photos Team ropers Nelson Wyatt, right, and Levi Lord have had a tough season after qualifying for the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The duo bounced back with a much-needed win in Bremerton, Wash.

BY KEVIN CARMODY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News I njuries aren’t the only “not if, but when” predicament a rodeo athlete will undoubtedly face a time or two, if not more. Then there’s that thing called adversity when, despite doing everything by the book, absolutely nothing seems to go right. Take team ropers NelsonWyatt and Levi Lord. Not quite a year ago, they had reached rodeo’s pinnacle for the first time after qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas. Things got even better after they placed in five rounds, and both ultimately finished the season fourth in their respective disciplines in the final PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. Then along came 2021. Not the same tune. “The wintertime was OK, and we were looking forward to the summer,” said Lord, 25, a heeler from Sturgis, S.D. “Then just kind of everything started going the wrong way. A few weeks before in Dodge City (Kan.), we were kind of kicking around ideas to see what we were going to do. Nobody wants to have that discussion about going home. Things weren’t going our way, but at the end of the day, we know we’re

talented and a few bad months won’t define us.” That decision paid dividends recently at the Kitsap Stampede in Bremerton, Wash. The pair stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds to take home checks worth $4,473 each, their biggest windfall since winning the average title at the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo more than three months before, when the tandem sat 17th and 15th, respectively, in their respective world standings. The earnings at Bremerton bumped both to barely inside the top 40 in the world standings, and with the clock ticking on the 2021 regular season, reality has set in. Both would have to nearly double their totals to even have a shot at a second straight NFR berth. “Regardless of whether or not we eventually make the NFR, we can still

win a lot of money out here,” said Lord, who with Clanton, Ala.-based roper Wyatt, 28, are entered up through September. “We just want to put everything behind us with all the bad stuff that’s happened and move forward and win what we can. We’ve won a little bit since that talk, and it’s been a decent decision so far. When I’m at home, I just rope and ride a lot of horses and buy and sell some. Out here, you can win $5,000 on one steer. You can’t do that when you’re at the house.” They nearly made that total in just over four seconds in Bremerton. “We had watched that steer about an hour before. It was winning the rodeo in the slack,” Lord said. “It makes it a lot easier when you know your steer is good. Nelson got off to a good start and headed him fast, and the run came together really good. We both hope this got things turned around a little bit. It’s nice to win again.”

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ProRodeo Sports News 9/3/2021

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