ProRodeo Sports News - August 10, 2018

R OUND THE SHORT

BY THE NUMBERS

The number of Wrangler ProRodeo Tour rodeos remaining as of Aug. 8. Three Wrangler Tour Rodeos conclude Aug. 11 – Farm-City ProRodeo (Hermiston, Ore.), Sikeston (Mo.) Bootheel Rodeo, and the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in Lovington, N.M. The Wrangler Tour consists of 22 of the PRCA’s biggest rodeos and culminates with the Justin Finale in Puyallup, Wash., Sept. 6-9. The top 24 competitors in the Tour standings in each event will earn a spot at the Finale. The combined number of people, animals and rodeo committees that have been enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo. The breakdown is 267 people, 34 animals and 29 rodeo committees. The payout – $333,008 – for the 2018 Wrangler ProRodeo Tour’s Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup Rodeo, a rodeo record. The previous highest payout was set in 2017 at $329,794. The Dodge City Roundup Rodeo first took place in 1977.

Brody Cress’ standout season took an unexpected turn Aug. 4. The Hillsdale, Wyo., cowboy, who was second in the Aug. 6 saddle bronc riding PRCA | RAM World Standings, broke his right ankle following his 86-point ride on Burch Rodeo’s Professional Lunatic at the Home on the Range Champions Ride in Sentinel Butte, N.D. “I landed wrong on my right ankle and shattered it,” said Cress, 22. “They went in last night (Aug. 5) and put a plate and six screws in my fibula, and then they went back in (Aug. 7) and fixed the bottom of my tibia right where it connects with my ankle.” Cress, who earned $3,096 for the ride, said doctors have told him he will be out at least 10 weeks. Cress trailed saddle bronc riding standings leader Jacobs Crawley by $5,405 at the time. Cress has had a slew of big wins this season, including Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, July 29 (story on page 43). Cress became the first saddle bronc rider in 82 years to win Cheyenne Frontier Days two years in a row. “I should be good for the Finals, but I will not be back for anything before that, I think,” Cress said. “It will probably take a little more time once they get done with everything and I go through all my checkups to really know for sure how long I will be out.” The 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo takes place Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. A year ago, Cress made his Wrangler NFR debut and won the average with 841.5 points on 10 head. He finished second in the world standings – $2,651 behind world champion Ryder Wright. Cress also broke his right ankle competing in wrestling his freshman year of high school. “Right now, I’m just trying to go through my checkups and get Out of Action Saddle bronc rider Cress sidelined with ankle injury

Brody Cress

back as quick as I can to make the Finals,” Cress said. “I guess if something bad was going to happen this is an OK time to have it happen because I have time to recover. It could have been a lot worse. It should get all put back together right, so I can recover and work hard and get ready for the Finals.” In related injury news, bull rider Steve Woolsey, a seven-time qualifier for the Wrangler NFR (2005-06, 2008-11 and 2013) suffered a broken tibia in his left leg after his 79-point ride July 27 in Deadwood, S.D. “When the buzzer rang, I reached down to

pull my tail and he jumped ahead and hung me up and stomped on my left leg,” he said. Woolsey is wearing a soft cast and had surgery Aug. 9. If everything goes well and he feels healthy, Woolsey will return to riding late in the season.

472 NUMBER OF PRCA-SANCTIONED RODEOS HELD SO FAR IN 2018

ProRodeo Sports News 8/10/2018

ProRodeo.com

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