PRORODEO Sports News - July 26, 2024

XTREME BULLS SPANISH FORK, UTAH

Phillip Kitts photo Sellars takes a victory lap in Spanish Fork, Utah, after capturing the Division 1 Xtreme Bulls win. The victory was worth $14,923.

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News C layton Sellars knows that people don’t buy it. He’s a cowboy from Florida, he tells them. It is not exactly a common home in a sport dominated by stars from Utah, Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. But it always made sense for him to pursue this lifestyle. “Some of my earliest memories are competing or just riding in the Cypress Head Swamp and pushing out Brahman cows on a hot Florida day,” said Sellars, who remains a huge Florida Gators fan after getting hooked during the national championship days of quarterback Tim Tebow. “I lived for it.” Sellars’ passion eventually pushed him into riding bulls. He exploded onto the scene in 2018, winning Resistol Rookie of the Year honors. Three straight berths to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo followed. But rodeo humbles everyone. And Sellars was no different. He pursued a different circuit in 2022 then missed most of the 2023 season because of injuries. Now, he’s back in a big way, sitting fourth in the standings after capturing the top prize on July 20 at the Spanish Fork Fiesta Xtreme Bulls in Utah. Sellars posted an 85.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Gladiator’s Hammer. It continued a profitable trend of performing his best when it matters most at Xtreme Bulls events. They have provided rocket fuel in his race up the leaderboard. “I think Xtreme Bulls always have been good for me because they put all the best bulls in there. So, there’s a good chance of On Top

Clayton Sellars nabs big payday

drawing a good bull. There’s also a lot of money, and I feel like I have to be the best I can be on that day,” Sellars said. “It just seems like they are always a beneficial place to go.” To understand his success this season, it remains helpful to peer back at 2023. Because he was sidelined, Sellars knew he would not be able to enter enough rodeos to qualify for the NFR. But he used the end of the campaign to build momentum and regain his footing. “I had a quarter of a season. It was about getting ready, getting practice for 2024 because this year I had some big goals,” the 26-year-old Sellars said. “I am at that point where I am not the young guy anymore. I have some good years left and have talent. But it’s time to go right now because I don’t know if I am going to get a chance like this again.” What is fascinating about Sellars is his view. He’s not looking to return to the NFR for the first time since 2021. He’s aiming for a gold buckle. Rodeo isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle. His wife Billie is the older sister to saddle bronc standout Lefty Holman. She designs western wear and there is a battery of relatives who have competed in rodeo for the last five decades. “At (holidays), sometimes we talk about other stuff because we talk about rodeo every day,” Sellars said with a laugh. “But I love what I do. Just getting back to the NFR is not what is driving me. It’s kind of understood that I should get there. I have been enough times that now I know what it’s like. I have yet to have that outstanding performance. That’s what I am looking for.”

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Steve Gray photo Clayton Sellars took care of business at the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Xtreme Bulls. He won the rodeo with an 85.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Gladiator’s Hammer.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/26/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 7/26/2024

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