PSN_Dec3 2028

STEER WRESTLING

GETTING OVER THE HUMP WILL LUMMUS SEARCHING FOR HIS FIRST GOLD BUCKLE By Alex Dodd W ill Lummus finished as the reserve world champion in steer

wrestling for the sec ond-straight year and third time in his career last season. This December, the Byhalia, Miss., cowboy is arriving at his eighth Wrangler National Fi nals Rodeo with a leg up on the competition. Lummus finished the regular season atop the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings with a $32,959 lead over the No. 2 steer wrestler, Jesse Brown. “It’s another check mark on my resume,” Lummus said of finish ing as the season leader. “Being the season leader is always something that

PRCA photo by Kathryn Coleman

and dry, big and short,” Lummus said. “To end up No. 1 at the end (of the regular season) really does mean a lot to me.” Lummus said he’s not changing his strategy entering the NFR as the season leader. With almost $37,000 on the line each night and $94,000 up for grabs for the NFR average winner, the PRCA World Championship is any thing but settled. “I’m going to go in there, do my job, do the best I can and see what steers they draw for me,” Lummus said. “All of the steers should be pretty good so you have to hit the barrier and do your job. It’s as simple as that.” While Lummus is in good shape to make a push for his first PRCA World Championship, he’s trying not to lose sight of how special it is to compete against the best in the world every night at the Thomas & Mack Center. “The main thing is to have fun,” Lummus said. “I’ve gotten caught up in trying to win the gold buckle every year. Last year, I went in there like the first year when I made it, just blessed to be there. There are a ton of guys who either just missed making the Finals or would love to be at the Finals. It truly is a blessing to be there, and I feel like we lose sight of that sometimes.”

you want to do. Realistically, when you think about it, being a world champion is an amazing thing, but with as much as the NFR pays now, anybody can go in and be the world champion, no matter if you go in first or fifteenth.” Lummus relied on horsepower from Swamper owned by Broom Tree Ranch LLC. The horse finished second in the Nutrena Horse of the Year awards presented by AQHA this year. The 33-year-old jumpstarted his season, finishing as the co-champion at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo (Abeline, Kan.) and Livingston (Mont.) Roundup Rodeo. He also racked up wins in the Southeastern Circuit at the Homestead (Fla.) Championship Rodeo, 154th Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., the Bill Hoy Kiwanis Rodeo in Clarksville, Tenn., and the Crowley’s Ridge Saddle Club Charity Rodeo in Forrest City, Ark. Lummus’ biggest win of the year came at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo at the start of the summer run. But he con sistently picked up checks throughout the entire season to finish atop the pack when Sept. 30 rolled around. “I really take a lot of pride in being the season leader because I’ve done it in all different kinds of arenas, wet

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