ProRodeo Sports News - August 6, 2021

Stetson Wright adds another title Headed into the CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS CHEYENNE, WYO.

2021 edition of Cheyenne Frontier Days, there had never been a member of the Wright family to win the saddle bronc riding. StetsonWright flipped that script in emphatic fashion in the finals on Aug. 1. Wright brought the crowd to its feet with a 90-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Feather Fluffer. The ride not only won him the saddle bronc riding crown, but it secured back-to-back all-around titles for the Milford, Utah, cowboy in Cheyenne. “It’s awesome, you know that’s something people have been talking about for some time,” said Wright, 22. “If I would’ve stubbed my toe in the final round, Ryder would’ve

Rod Connor photo Stetson Wright added to his already impressive résumé at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He became the first Wright to win a saddle bronc title, with a 90-point ride on Champion Pro Rodeo’s Feather Fluffer.

won the whole thing. But I guess I’m glad it was me coming out with the win this time.” Headed into the finals Wright’s status was up in the air after a scary wreck in the bull riding semifinals the night before. “I didn’t feel the best leaving the semifinal round after that wreck but winning always makes you feel a little bit better,” Wright said. “I don’t think it affected my riding at all, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked.” Rodeo fans would’ve been hard pressed to find a cowboy who was as happy and full of joy as steer wrestler Newt Novich was at the conclusion of Cheyenne Frontier Days. Before Cheyenne, Novich had never won more than $15,500 in a season during his ProRodeo career. One run in the finals at the “Daddy of ’emAll” earned him $6,442. “Oh, man, I can’t even put it into words how this feels right now,” said Novich, 28. “I would say this is at the very top of my ProRodeo moments, and man it feels amazing.” He acknowledged he was nervous for his final run, but he stuck to what he knew. That thought process turned into a rodeo record-tying, 5.1-second run. “It’s amazing, you just look at the crowd out there and if that doesn’t give you chills you don’t have a pulse,” Novich said. “It’s a little different being in an atmosphere like the one they have here in Cheyenne, but it’s kind of the same, it’s another run. I just tried to keep it simple and go do my job, and it worked out.” His week in Cheyenne earned him $8,953, which is nearly triple what he had earned up to that point in the season. He says no matter what happens the rest of the way this will be something he remembers forever. “I don’t think it has really set in yet, I was just excited to see it and it’s truly a blessing to be here,” Novich said. A run of a lifetime for Novich

The win in Cheyenne moved Stetson within $13,000 of his brother Ryder for the top spot in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. It’s a back- and-forth battle the siblings have had going since the season began. “We always tease each other as to who’s going to get a higher score on certain horses and it’s always a battle between us,” Stetson said. “At the end of the day we’re all just trying to win.”

Click Thompson photo Newt Novich picked up the biggest win of his ProRodeo career at Cheyenne Frontier Days. His 5.1-second run in the finals tied the arena record.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/6/2021

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