ProRodeo Sports News - April 3, 2020

would say, ‘Well, there’s my alarm clock.’”

Nathan Cooper was another local roper who helped. “It just kind of opened my eyes and humbled me a bit,” Cooper said. “But the biggest thing I loved was his faith and his belief. He is a strong, strong, gentleman and believes he can do anything.” When Fillmore was 15, he sent Lovell a message on Instagram asking for roping advice. When he got his permit rolling in 2019, Fillmore had another question for the six-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I asked him what it would take to get him to rope with me and he said I’d have to move down there and get after it, so I moved from Payson, Utah, to Madisonville, Texas, in the first part of 2020,” Filmore said. “I’ve only known him a couple months.” LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM Fillmore won $200 in 2019. He multiplied that 125 times with that single win at The American. No surprise, it was his last rodeo on his permit. Cashing in for $25,000 in Arlington, Texas, had him starting his ProRodeo rookie season two days later. “I feel like if I wouldn’t have worked so hard I would feel lucky, but I work hard at it every day by getting up at 4 a.m. to go to the gym and then rope the dummy all day,” Fillmore said. “I feel privileged and thankful, but I also feel like I earned it too.” Fillmore’s dedication is something Lovell appreciates. “He’s pretty motivated, tries hard and practices hard, and he is real open-minded on what he has to do to be one of the best,” Lovell said. “It helps me too because every day you can learn more from other people.” As nice as the prize money was, the confidence boost was also valuable. “It feels like I’ve been able to show who I am and what I can do,” Fillmore said. Lovell agreed. “I thinkThe American spoke for itself,” Lovell said. “We ran 11-12 sudden-death steers and the pressure doesn’t get to him; he stays calm under pressure. He’s doing great at the level he competes at, and coming through what he’s been through, the sky’s the limit.” From the stands and from home, Fillmore had his own cheering section. “I just feel like he’s my brother, and I just love seeing him succeed,” Cooper said. “It put a smile on my face watching him qualify for The American. He called before every run. I said, ‘If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand.’ “He was roping so good and I was jumping on the coffee table watching it on TV. It couldn’t happen to a better guy. We were all yelling and screaming, it was more fun watching that than any basketball or football game in the world.” Competing in ProRodeo is a perpetual learning process and the rookie is keeping that in perspective. “It’s tougher than you think,” Fillmore said. “I learned that there will be ups and downs. In the big picture, the roping doesn’t matter. There’s no steer you’ll rope that will affect who you are or your value as a person, so I focus on that.” Even during the biggest competition of his life, Filmore brought a bit of his past to the arena, honoring his friend who perished that fateful night. “When he was at The American, he wore a purple shirt,” James said, “because that was her favorite color, and he does things in remembrance of her.” Fillmore’s view on rodeo might vary frommost of his competition’s. “My motivation to compete is God gave me a chance to live again and I need to make good use of it,” he said. “If I didn’t have God under me and that motivation to keep me going, there’s no way I would do it for buckles and money. That doesn’t matter to me. It’s about just realizing what God has given you and using it to the best of your ability.”

ProRodeo Sports News 4/3/2020

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