ProRodeo Sports News | 2020 Year-End Edition | Dec.18, 2020

BULL RIDING AVERAGE WINNER

Colten’s Two for One Colten Fritzlan won the Wrangler NFR average by riding more bulls than anyone else at the Finals. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Alaina Stangle BY MATT NABER C olten Fritzlan scored two highly coveted buckles in one fell swoop. By riding more bulls than anyone else The rookie cowboy was in the money for six of the 10 rounds, winning Round 3 outright with an 89-point ride on Bar T Rodeo’s Angel’s Landing to earn $45,058, including ground money. “I knew coming in here it would be a great 10 Fritzlan wins NFR bull riding, rookie of the year titles

days, and it was kind of like the law of attraction, I was attracting positive and had great things coming

at the 2020Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Colorado cowboy won the NFR average and was crowned the PRCA | Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year.

my way, and I’m just happy to do it,” Fritzlan said. Fritzlan’s Wrangler NFR efforts were worth $183,038, launching him to third in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $241,447. That also earned him the once-in-a-lifetime award of being the rookie of the year. “Ky Hamilton and I traveled with Clayton Sellars this year, and he (Sellars) won the bull riding rookie of the year before (in 2018),” Fritzlan said. “It was a great group of guys to travel with. They pushed me and taught me so many lessons I brought into the Finals.” The Wrangler NFR was the deciding factor in who would be the 2020 bull riding rookie of the year, as Fritzlan, Hamilton and Parker McCown all qualified to compete. “Winning rookie of the year is pretty cool, it’s been a great Finals, and it’s blessed,” Fritzlan said. “I’ve worked all my life to be the best bull rider to walk this Earth, and that’s what I shoot for every day in and out of the arena.”

Fritzlan’s 87.5-point ride on Outlaw Buckers Brahma Boots Chrome to place sixth in Round 10 put him at the top of the average with 605 points on seven head. “I saw my great friend Stetson (Wright) was 90 points on my last bull, and you couldn’t be more fired up about that,” said Fritzlan, 20. “I’d seen some videos of him (Chrome), and I knew he was going to be great, and it was outstanding.” Despite having so many things boil down to the final round, Fritzlan wasn’t nervous. “I got all of that out of the way in the first few rounds, and I was just here to have fun,” he said. “It’s kind of a different environment today (Round 10). Everyone is fired up with the final round, we all drew great bulls and I’m just blessed.”

ProRodeo Sports News 12/18/2020

ProRodeo.com

52