ProRodeo Sports News - August 6, 2021

O’Connell hitting cruise control CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS CHEYENNE, WYO.

There’s nothing in the sport of ProRodeo slowing down the tear veteran bareback rider TimO’Connell is on right now. Two weeks after winning the prestigious Calgary Stampede, O’Connell added another impressive championship to his résumé in Cheyenne. He captured the Cheyenne Frontier Days title on Aug. 1, with an 89-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s MLW’s Irish Eyes. The win was his second at the “Daddy of em’ All,” his first title coming in 2017. This time around he credited the stock he got on for taking him to the pay window. “I was very blessed to get great draws this entire week, with all of them being Sankey horses, especially having the chance to get on Irish Eyes in the finals,” said O’Connell, 29. “She did her part and then

Jessica Potter photo Tim O’Connell continued his quest toward another world championship after winning his second Cheyenne Frontier Days title with an 89-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s MLW’s Irish Eyes.

if you want to win a world championship in this sport, this is just a great steppingstone in the right direction,” O’Connell said. “I learned from that experience last year that in the darkest times you have to look for the light. The light for me was to enjoy these moments. So, to be here at the Cheyenne Frontier Days, win it for a second time, and have my wife and my son here with me there’s not a more special feeling in the world to me than that.”

some, in turn it allowed me to showcase my best ride of the day off and here we are as a champion. I just can’t thank the Sankey Pro Rodeo contractors enough.” O’Connell sits atop the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $151,919, as he looks for his third world championship after falling $6,657 short a year ago to Kaycee Feild. “It’s going to take everything from the bottom of your guts and more Yates back in Top 15 with win Tie-down roper Marty Yates, a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, is starting to catch fire at the right time. He took it a step further in Cheyenne. Yates was the first cowboy to go in the championship round and set the tone. He clocked a 10.3-second run, which eventually earned him his second title at the “Daddy of ‘emAll.” Yates also won in Cheyenne in 2015. “It was a great run for me,” said Yates, 27 “When it comes down to these one- run finals it can always go either way. You can either put the pressure on them or make a so-so run and get beat. It worked out great for me today, I’m just glad to finally have another good horse under me and be back headed in the right direction this season.” Coming into the finals at Cheyenne, Yates was sitting 16th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. His $10,993 payday bumped him up in the standings. He credits a lot of that to the horse he’s been getting on the past few rodeos. “The first part of the summer this year has been really rough, I hadn’t won a lot,” said Yates, who has qualified for the last seven NFRs. “I’ve been riding a green horse up until this point. I couldn’t find much consistency. It seemed like I was riding a different horse just about every other rodeo there for a while. Just recently I bought a horse ( Jag) from Shad Mayfield (the reigning PRCA Tie- down Roping World Champion) and things are clicking pretty good between us right now.”

Robert Rosales photo Tie-down roper Marty Yates picked up his biggest win of the year so far in Cheyenne. Yates stopped the clock in 10.3 seconds during his finals run.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/6/2021

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