PRORODEO Sports News - July 12, 2024

BASIN CITY, WASH.

Martin savors win after 3-month layoff Rewarding BASIN CITY FREEDOM RODEO

BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T ristan Martin’s guess was educated, but a guess nonetheless. The pen of steers at the Basin City (Wash.) Freedom Rodeo were extremely fresh, leaving every steer wrestler wondering what they would get when the gate opened. Martin simply guessed right and it paid off. “I didn’t really think mine was going to run all that hard. My horse scores very good and he just made the job easy and let me score and set it up and just go make a good run,” he said. The result was a 4.4-second effort that stood up against a loaded field, leading to a $3,955 payday for the Sulphur, La., cowboy. Martin edged out a pair of competitors who finished in under five seconds in Jesse Brown (4.5) and Traver Johnson (4.7). The victory at Basin City was a significant moment for Martin, but not solely for the earnings. The outcome marked his first win since his return to action in June. Back in March, Martin stepped away to address a longstanding ailment. For the last 5-6 years, he had been battling an infection inside his ear that doctors couldn’t get control over. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with a cholesteatoma, which is defined as an abnormal collection of skin cells deep inside the ear. The infection was impacting his equilibrium, leading to a procedure that involved removing his ear to rebuild his ear drum and install a metal plate. “It was beginning to eat a hole into my skull. I had to go to Houston to get it done, so it was a pretty major deal,” Martin said. “Since I started steer wrestling at 14 years old, I’ve never taken three months off, so it was quite a shocker.” While being home with his family was a nice respite, Martin knew he’d have ground to make up once he returned. The first few weeks were a bit of a struggle as Martin failed to place at the first five stops he made. Things finally turned around at the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede. While his first two runs didn’t earn round money, his aggregate time and finals effort were enough to bring in $3,653. From there, Martin found his momentum, picking up checks at the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede and the Eugene (Ore.) Pro Rodeo, before notching a second Cowboy Christmas win at the Western Stampede in West Jordan, Utah. Combined, he nabbed almost $16,000 during the holiday stretch, giving him almost as much money in about one week as he had the entire winter. After losing three months of action, Martin is inching closer to his goal of a third appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’s earned nearly $33,000 and sits 22nd in the PRCA | RAM World Standings heading into the heart of the summer schedule. And the recent success has Martin believing he can continue to make up for lost time. “I’m kind of fresh back at it and it felt really good to do some good the first two weeks I was out there and kind of get back into it – not in the Top 15, but we’re dang close now,” Martin said.

TOP SCORES

Tomlinson

Smith

TOP MONEY EARNERS Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith ($5,034 each, team roping) BAREBACK RIDING

1. Mason Stuller ..................... 85.5 pts. 2. Colton Clemens ............................ 85 3. Three tied at ............................... 83.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Tristan Martin ....................... 4.4 sec. 2. Jesse Brown ................................ 4.5 3. Traver Johnson ............................ 4.7 TEAM ROPING 1. T. Tomlinson/P. Smith ........... 3.9 sec. 2. K. Driggers/J. Nogueira ............... 4.1 3. J. Smith/D. Rich .......................... 4.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Brody Cress ........................ 87.5 pts. 2. Wyatt Casper ................................ 86 3. Kade Bruno ................................ 84.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Ty Harris ............................... 7.9 sec. 2. Kason Dyer .................................. 8.3 (Tie) Zane Kilgus .......................... 8.3 BULL RIDING 1. Lane Vaughan ........................ 88 pts. 2. Eli Necochea ................................. 86 3. Beau Gardner ................................ 85

COWBOY CHRISTMAS

Complete results/Page 110

Gini Roberge photo Tristan Martin put together a 4.4-second run to the capture the steer wrestling title at the Basin City Freedom Rodeo, a key stop on the PRCA Playoff Series.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2024

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