ProRodeo Sports News - April 29, 2022

CLOVIS RODEO CLOVIS, CALIF.

Steer wrestler Guy wins Clovis eyes, return to NFR Moving On TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Stetson Wright

BY PATRICK EVERSON, Special to ProRodeo Sports News A year or so ago, steer wrestler Nick Guy got paired up with a new horse. At the time, it was his hope that the equine partner would eventually help steer him back to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. With a few more weekends like the one Guy just had, that goal could be reached sooner, rather than later. Sitting atop 9-year-old Flash, Guy had a big couple of days at the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo. In four go-rounds of steer wrestling, he cashed in the first, third and final rounds. And that consistency allowed Guy to win the Clovis average title, with a time of 32.6 seconds on four head. The average paid out $4,461, and all told, Guy left town with just shy of $7,000 at the stop on the NFR Playoff Series presented by Pendleton Whisky. . To hear him tell it, the time was right. “Honestly, I went there with the mindset that I was gonna do well,” Guy said Monday, after a 17-hour haul fromClovis to his home in Parker, Colo. “I knew the steers would be fresh and big. I knew it would be important to draw a couple good ones, and my last two steers were pretty good chances. I was fairly dialed in, and it went exactly how I planned. “I’ve done good in Clovis over the years. It’s been a good rodeo to me, one that I always wanted to win. So, it was pretty special to do it.” They say a good craftsman never blames his tools. The better craftsman gives those tools credit. For the Clovis win, and in fact for this whole season, Flash is getting much-deserved kudos. “I’ve only had him one year, so he’s still kind of green,” Guy said. “But he’s really kind of changed the game for me this year. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. That’s one of the most important parts.” But without Chip and MarilynWhitaker, this cowboys-horse pairing doesn’t happen. The Whitakers own Flash and knew he could be something special, with the right teammate. “They’re a pretty big part of this whole working relationship,” Guy said of the Whitakers, parents of seven-time Linderman Award winner Kyle Whitaker, a good friend of Guy. “They knew the horse had a lot of potential and wanted to see him succeed. And I was lucky enough to get him. I knew right away, a year ago, that he could be the real deal. It was just a matter of time. He required a little practice, training, getting in sync. “Now, I trust him, and I can tell he trusts me. We’re doing pretty good. Kyle and his family have been a big part of my rodeo success. And this horse is 80 to 90 percent of that success.” Guy is currently just inside the top 15 required to earn a Wrangler NFR berth, sitting 14th with $28,747 so far this season. He reached his first NFR in 2010, then qualified five straight times from 2014-18. But he hasn’t been back to Las Vegas since. “I need to get back there,” said Guy, 37. “In 2019, I tore my biceps right at the end of the year, and I was 18th.” The pandemic stifled Guy’s 2020 season, and then last year, he was breaking in the new horse, though he still finished 18th, just shy of an NFR qualification. Now, it’s game on again. “I know what it takes to get there. This horse deal of the past year has set me up for my next few years of rodeo,” he said, noting his solid winter/

($12,229, saddle bronc riding and bull riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Wright

1. Cole Reiner ............................. 88 pts. 2. Bronc Marriott ............................... 87 (Tie) Jayco Roper .......................... 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Nick Guy ..................... 32.6 sec. on 4 2. Bridger Chambers ...................... 33.6 3. Cameron Morman ...................... 33.7 TEAM ROPING 1. J. Dees/L. Lord ........... 37.1 sec. on 4 (Tie) A. Ward/B. Hawkins II ........ 37.1 3. C. Snow/W. Thorp ...................... 38.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Sage Newman ........................ 90 pts. 2. Jake Finlay ................................. 89.5 3. Three tied at .................................. 87 TIE DOWN ROPING 1. Zack Youngbloed ........ 41.8 sec. on 4 2. Chance Thiessen ........................ 42.9 3. Stetson Vest ............................... 43.7 BARREL RACING 1. Abby Phillips ............. 50.78 sec. on 3 2. Michelle Darling ....................... 50.89 3. Stevi Hillman ............................ 51.00 BULL RIDING 1. Stetson Dell Wright ................ 91 pts. 2. Reid Oftedahl ............................. 87.5 3. Two tied at .................................. 85.5

Complete results/Page 59

spring have him right on track.

“Summertime is a great time to have some confidence. I have that. Taking advantage of every steer I get to run and having a solid support system at home makes it a lot easier.”

Stu Hagen photo Steer wrestler Nick Guy, riding Flash, won the average at the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo. Guy earned just shy of $7,000 at the stop on the NFR Playoff Series presented by Pendleton Whisky.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/29/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 4/29/2022

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