ProRodeo Sports News - April 29, 2022

EDITOR’S LETTER TRACY RENCK

Ric Andersen photo San Angelo, Texas’ own tie-down roper Ty Harris wowed the hometown crowd with some strong runs at the San Angelo Rodeo.

Storied tie-down roping tradition continues

T here was a time when some cowboys may have overlooked the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo – that time is no more. The last two years, the San Angelo Rodeo committee has stepped up in a big way. The rodeo is not only one of the best PRCA spring rodeos, but it has become one of PRCA’s top paying rodeos in the entire regular season. The rodeo paid out $660,746. That purse for the rodeo, a stop on the NFR Playoff Series presented by PendletonWhisky, was welcomed by all contestants, including four-time PRCAWorld Champion Tuf Cooper. Cooper earned a rodeo-best $19,204, thanks to splitting the average win with Tyler Milligan. The rodeo, which took place April 1-3, 7-9, and 13-15, was a sellout – 5,260 spectators – for each performance at the Foster Communications Coliseum. “TomGreen County right here in San Angelo, this is calf roping country,” Cooper said. “They have the Roping Fiesta, and it seems like they are the loudest for us calf ropers when we ride in there, thanks to Cody Ohl, Fred Whitfield, Joe Beaver, my dad (Roy Cooper) for bringing such excitement to this community. Thank you to everybody on the committee here that makes it possible to keep following in their footsteps.” Some cities are just meant for certain rodeo events and tie-down roping has a home in San Angelo. The roar of the crowd was deafening when tie-down ropers competed, especially when San Angelo’s own Ty Harris competed. When announcer Boyd Polhamus announced Harris’ name the crowd went wild. Harris was unable to capture a crown, but it certainly didn’t take away from the event’s excitement – especially at the San Angelo Chute-Out on April 16. There were 10 ropers in the long round and the top three – Shane Hanchey (7.8 seconds), Shad Mayfield (8.1) and Haven Meged (8.3) advanced to the three-man Chute-Out Showdown.

The finals were electric and that came as no surprise considering all three cowboys are PRCAWorld Champions – Hanchey (2013), Meged (2019) and Mayfield (2020). Meged set the pace with a solid 7.7-second run, but that was just the appetizer. Mayfield then wowed the crowd with a 6.9-second run. Mayfield was celebrating but it was short-lived. Hanchey delivered a blistering 6.8-second run for the win and the $7,500-first place check. “I don’t think many people thought I had a 6.8-second run in me when Shad Mayfield went 6.9 right in front of me and it was cool (to win this),” he said. Hanchey acknowledged the victory meant more because of its location. “You put a lot of work in that people

Tracy Renck is the editor of the ProRodeo

Sports News . He previously served more than seven years as a media coordinator at the PRCA. He has three decades of experience in sports journalism with the last several consumed by ProRodeo.

don’t see and when it can come to fruition like it did right there … this is calf roping country man,” Hanchey said. “San Angelo, Texas, is the definition of calf roping fans. If I would have done this anywhere else it would have been special, but not as special as doing it right here in San Angelo, Texas.” Hanchey, a 12-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, compared the atmosphere in the Foster Communication Coliseum to Las Vegas. “I’m going to say it was just as loud in that building as it is in the Thomas &Mack (Center in Las Vegas) … when I threw my hands up,” he said. The San Angelo experience was memorable to say the least.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/29/2022

ProRodeo.com

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