ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2024

PANTONES:

466C 468C BLACK WHITE

186C 655C C. GREY 1C

STEER ROPING WORLD CHAMPION

Cole Patterson won his third PRCA Steer Roping World Championship at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan.

LEGACY STEER ROPING CROWNS WINNERS AT NFSR The Legacy Steer Roping also took place in Mulvane in conjunction with the NFSR and a pair of champions were crowned. Chad Mathis earned $3,225 at the Kansas Star to claim the year-end Legacy Steer Roping title. Will McBride won the average at the event with 38.1 seconds on three head. He earned $3,599 for his performance. Also, in the NFSR Permit Section event, Frank Pohlmann took home top honors with a 34.1-second time on two head. Jett Fisher was second after winning the second round with a 13.1-second time.

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PRCA ProRodeo photo by Ryan Jae

Cole Patterson, middle, shares a moment with his wife, Natalie, left, their son, Pruitt and Lee Lee, who donated the bits to Patterson for winning the world title. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Ryan Jae

Golden Again Cole Patterson captures his third gold buckle at NFSR with clutch Round 10 performance

BY TRACY RENCK M ake it a gold buckle hat trick for steer roper Cole Patterson – and in dramatic fashion. With a championship hanging in the balance in Round 10, Patterson delivered a 10.6-second run, which split second in the round, and catapulted him to his third PRCA World Championship at the Kansas Star Arena on Nov. 2. Patterson, who won gold buckles in 2021 and 2023, needed to finish fourth or better in the round to clinch the world title and that’s what he did to defeat hard-charging Scott Snedecor by $4,141. “I didn’t know the fourth or better, I just knew when we talked before Round 10 started that if the average stayed the same Scott couldn’t catch me if I held my spot in the average,” said Patterson, who was the last roper to compete in Round 10. “But, if he moved up in the average, he could catch me and if he moved up in the average he was probably going to place in the round, so I knew it was a possibility (he could beat me) and he goes out there and sticks it on one (with a 10.4-second run to take the Round 10 lead). “When I rode in the box I looked down at my dad (Rocky Patterson, a four-time steer roping world champion) and said, ‘I guess I have to get a check now,’ and he said ‘Yep.’ I just let it all hang out.” Patterson earned $7,946 with his Round 10 effort and finished fourth in the average – 121.2 seconds on nine head – to collect another $15,456. He finished the season with $152,928 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings to edge four-time world champion Snedecor, who

finished the season with $148,787. Slade Wood was third with $122,467. “That’s the most pressure-packed run you can have in this event (in Round 10),” Patterson said. “You back in there and you have to win good in the 10th round to secure (the world championship) and you’re laying a lot on the line because when I went at that last one, I put my average check on the line. It is a big risk, but we rodeo all year long to win the gold (buckle) and anytime I’m put in that situation that’s what I’m going to try for.” Snedecor, who has won PRCA Steer Roping World Championships in 2005, 2008, 2017 and 2018, arrived in Mulvane in sixth place and nearly came away with gold buckle No. 5. “I knew I was behind quite a bit going into this deal and my mindset is always the same where I’m going to try and get as much out of here as I can,” Snedecor said. “Just run every steer I get and do my best job on it. It was fun. I made a big mistake in (Round 6, a no time). I put a wrap and a hooey on him, and he kicked loose, but it didn’t affect me, and it came down to the wire. “I like it. Somebody backs you in the corner, you have to come out swinging. Cole’s done a good job of roping all year long and it is fun. It used to be me and Trevor (Brazile) and now it seems like Cole has stepped in there and he does an outstanding job roping and he makes things fun.” Snedecor won the average with 109.6 seconds on nine head and earned a $32,016 check. He beat out John E. Bland (109.8); J. Tom Fisher (114.5);

and Patterson. Snedecor has now won four NFSR average titles in 2005, 2011, 2017 and 2024. Snedecor earned the most of any cowboy at the 2024 NFSR with $82,322. That’s the second most money ever won at the NFSR behind only Cole Patterson’s record $85,726 when he won his first gold buckle in 2021. When Cole won his first world title, he and his father Rocky became the third father and son to win steer roping world championships. They joined John McEntire (1934) and Clark McEntire (1956-57); Charles Good (1975) and Gary Good (1979). The Pattersons are the winningest father/son duo in PRORODEO steer roping history as they have combined to collect seven world championships. Rocky has four world titles in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016. “These are memories I will share for a long time and having my little boy (Pruitt) with me makes it even better,” Patterson said. Cole came to the NFSR as the season leader by $18,516 over second place Wood and he extended that to a $23,875 advantage through the first five rounds. Patterson earned $30,122 on Day 1, highlighted by winning Round 2 with a 9.2-second run. On the second day, Patterson didn’t collect a check until Round 10, but still earned $23,402 on the day, thanks to his average payday.

Complete results/Page 84

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

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