ProRodeo Sports News - April 14, 2023

XTREME BULLS SAN ANGELO, TEXAS

Sage Kimzey gets his 2023 rolling with San Angelo win Back on Top

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T he rides weren’t perfect, featuring blemishes. The scores were terrific, but not breathtaking. But they resulted in a victory, easily. Sage Kimzey brings different expectations into competition. That’s what happens when the resume includes seven PRCA Bull Riding World Championships and eight National Finals Rodeo berths. Kimzey rides to be the best, not any given Sunday, but the last Saturday in Las Vegas. What makes this year different is that the 28-year-old is returning from left shoulder surgery that cut short last season, depriving him of a chance for back-to-back crowns. Kimzey is starting to resemble the man that dominated the sport for nearly a decade. He won the San Angelo Xtreme Bulls on Easter Sunday in Texas. It represented Kimzey’s PRCA record 11th career PRCA Division 1 Xtreme Bulls win, and the first since his triumph in Uvalde, Texas last May. “It definitely gives me a whole new perspective and allows me to enjoy the whole process a little more,” Kimzey said. “I am definitely not taking anything for granted. You start to realize that any ride can definitely be your last. It has broadened my perspective.” Kimzey posted 177.5 points on two head, scoring 87.5 points on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Crash Cart and 89.5 points on Harper & Morgan Rodeo Company’s Pickup Man. “San Angelo is always awesome. It’s an old school coliseum with the fans right on top of you. I like coming here,” said Kimzey, who pocketed $12,921 for his work. “It was really loud in there. I was really excited to have Crash Cart in the long round. He’s a borderline short-round bull. I knew he would give me a great chance to have a high preference in the short round. I had to capitalize. He moved right into my hand. He’s a money bull. And like for a lot of guys, he was a money bull for me.” Then came thin lip time. When butterflies in bellies become pterodactyls. Pressure is something that Kimzey has long embraced. He found a way to finish on a bull with a long history of leaving riders in the dirt. Pickup Man is nobody’s idea of an easy mark. Kimzey had never been on the bull, but asked around and formed a game plan that required patience and balance. “He puts a lot of top guys on the ground. He’s a bull that will take you to each side of the spin. It’s paramount to stay right in the middle. He shook me loose around the corner and went left,” Kimzey said. “I was able to finish strong.” Listen to Kimzey talk, and it’s not hard to see why he wins more than almost anyone else. This sport fits his mindset so well. “For one, it’s a really good way to provide for my family, and a lot better than having to keep a real job. And for me, it’s competition in its purest form. It’s mano-a-mano. Man vs. beast,” Kimzey said. “That one moment when you are on the bull, it’s the ultimate extreme challenge and when you are successful, there’s nothing like it.” For Kimzey, this latest victory shifts his season into high gear. He aims for another world title, and that is starting to come into focus. “I feel like I am really close,” Kimzey said.

Presented by 505 Southwestern Green Chile PRCA XTREME BULLS

2023 TOUR STANDINGS

(Unofficial as of April 12) 1. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas................... ...................$28,868 2. Sage Steele Kimzey, Salado, Texas......... .........27,512 3. T. Parker, Winnie, Texas........................ . .......................24,219 4. Kase Hitt, Ardmore, Okla....................... ......................24,163 5. Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa................... ...................19,613 6. Lukasey Morris, Union City, Okla........... ..........18,794 7. Koby Radley, Holden, La........................ .......................17,911 8. Tristen Hutchings, Monteview, Idaho.....17,372 9. Colton Byram, Mound City, Kan............. ............16,074 10. Creek Walker Young, Rogersville, Mo...16,072 11. Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Okla............. ............15,023 12. Trey Holston, Fort Scott, Kan............... ..............14,632 13. Jestyn Jax Woodward, Custer, S.D.......13,229 14. Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas.................... ....................12,717 15. Cole Fischer, Elk City, Okla.................. . ................12,359

Complete results/Page 43

Jerry Merrill, President & CEO at Concho Educators Federal Credit Union, presents a buckle to Sage Kimzey for winning the San Angelo (Texas) Xtreme Bulls on April 9. It was Kimzey’s PRCA-record 11th career Division 1 Xtreme Bulls victory.

Ric Andersen photos

Sage Kimzey had an 89.5-point ride on Harper & Morgan Rodeo Company’s Pickup Man to secure the title at the Division 1 San Angelo Xtreme Bulls on April 9.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/14/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 4/14/2023

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