PRORODEO Sports News - February 7, 2025

RECORD RUNS

A pair of team roping duos made history during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo this past week. Header Levi Lord and Dustin Egusquiza laid down a 3.6-sec ond run on Jan. 30 to tie the Fort Worth record set in 2022 by Lightning Aguilera/Coleby Payne. Less than a week later, Riley Kittle and Will Woodfin tied the record with 3.6-second run of their own on Feb. 4. Lord and Egusquiza knew the odds were against them going into their bracket at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. And the longer they waited to run, the more they realized just how difficult things were. Among the seven other team roping duos competing in Bracket 4, there were a com bined 51 previous qualifica tions to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and five PRCA World Championships. In totaling the six runs from the other three brackets that had occurred prior to Bracket 4’s first round on Jan. 30, the average winning time was 4.45 seconds. If Lord/Egusquiza had aimed for that mark, they would have been looking at a fourth-place finish at best. Fortunately, nothing about

their first go ended up being average. After watching the seven other teams, Lord/Egusquiza backed into the box knowing they had to hit the barrier quickly. It’s a mentality that guided them to a time of 3.6 seconds on Jan. 30, tying the Fort Worth record set by Lightning Aguilera/Coleby Payne back in 2022. “It was a tough set of guys, so we figured the round was going to be pretty fast,” Lord said. “We were kind of plan ning on being pretty aggressive anyways and, sure enough, we got in there, we were last out, and 3.9 was winning it and it was taking a short-four to place. That kind of let us be as aggressive as we could.” Lord/Egusquiza weren’t quite as quick on their second go, but they were still faster than everyone else. Their time of four seconds flat won the round, earning them a qualifi cation to the semifinals Feb. 7. Not be outdone, Riley Kittle/ Will Woodfin also claimed a share of the record with a 3.6-second run on Feb. 4. “Man, it’s just super fun to have a chance to rope some where like that,” Woodfin said. “And to have success doing it adds a cherry on top for sure.”

he 100th anniversary of the La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo is Feb. 15-23. Started in 1925 as an effort to pro mote tourism, the rodeo featured prizes like a 750-pound block of ice and a “Big Cactus” ham. The rodeo gained quick success, and seven years later moved to its current location, the Tucson Rodeo Grounds at south 6th Avenue and Irvington Road. The Tucson Rodeo has grown into one of the 10 Best Rodeos in the US according to USA Today, May 2024. Sanctioned by the PRCA, the Tucson Rodeo features top competitors in ev ery event, many who start the rodeo season in Tucson and go on to com pete in the Wrangler National Rodeo Finals presented by Teton Ridge in Las Vegas each December. A true Tucson tradition, local school districts close for two days for Rodeo Break to allow families the opportu nity to attend the rodeo. The Tucson Rodeo has reached the 100-year milestone thanks to the Tucson Ro deo Committee who has continually nurtured the rodeo. The all-volunteer committee engages hundreds of vol unteers for the annual event. LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS TUCSON RODEO 100TH ANNIVERSARY Saddle bronc rider Lefy Holman competes during the 2024 La Fiesta de Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz. PRCA photo by Jake B. Hodnett T

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