ProRodeo Sports News - December 16, 2022

RAM NFR OPEN

money and it seemed easier to win if you drew good.” Hirdes wasn’t overthinking his team’s plan in the final four. “We knew we had a good steer and we just wanted to get a really good start,” Hirdes said. “We made a good run and it all worked out. I had never been a national champion before. I have come close before, so it was great to win.” SANTOS ON THE MOVE WITH NFR OPEN WIN Last season Taylor Santos accomplished a lifelong goal of his to qualify for both the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the tie-down roping and the National Finals Steer Roping. He checked another box off his bucket list at this year’s NFR Open powered by RAM and that was winning a national championship. The Creston, Calif. cowboy punched his ticket to the finals with the fastest run of the rodeo in the semis with a 7.9-second time. He was the third man out in the four-man short round and made it count. Santos clocked an 8.6-second time to edge out Sy Felton by 1.1 seconds for the win. He knew the calf provided an opportunity to be fast if he managed put together a clean run. “I was just trying to make a good run on that calf, and they had tied him in eight (seconds) last night, so I knew he’d be a good chance,” said Santos, 27. “I just tried to make the best run I could, and it worked out in my favor.” KYLE IRWIN ADDS ANOTHER CIRCUIT TITLE Kyle Irwin knows what it takes to win a national championship, he captured the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo title in 2014 but hadn’t return to the prestigious winner’s circle since. That all changed during his most recent trip to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the inaugural NFR Open powered by RAM. Sparked by a strong performance in the semifinals Irwin captured the NFR Open title in the four-man finals with a 3.8-second run. His time was a full second faster than second place finisher Cade Staton. He said circuit rodeoing has always held a special place in his heart. “I believe in the circuit system,” said Irwin, 32. “I like these finals a lot and I’ve always tried to qualify for it. Colorado Springs went above and beyond this year.” He admits headed into the finals the nerves were still there, but once he backed into the box it was all about trusting his preparation. “You know I’ve made the four-man round two other times in my career at the circuit finals and I always came back first, so I had to put the pressure on,” he said. “This is the first time to ever get to go last. I feel like we just went full steam ahead. It worked out and we are just going to keep doing it.” POPE POWERS TO NFR OPEN CROWN IN BAREBACK RIDING Fresh off a college national championship, Ty Pope starred at even a higher level at the NFR Open powered by RAM. Pope had an 86.5-point ride on Generations Pro Rodeo’s Doughboy in the final four to tie Kade Sonnier, who registered the same score on Kirsten Vold Rodeo’s Painted Playgirl before a sellout crowd of 6,400 at the Norris Penrose Event Center on July 16. Pope, however, won the national circuit title since he won the semifinal round with an 88-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Famous Dex. “This is just awesome,” said Pope, 20. “There were a lot of elite guys here who have been to the (Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) and I just won my college national championship (rodeoing for Missouri Valley College), so I had a lot of confidence.” As the last cowboy out in the final four, Pope had a simple plan. “I knew I had a good horse and being last I knew what I had to be, and it worked out in my favor,” Pope said. “I had never been on that horse before and then when I tied (Sonnier) I didn’t even think about it. I knew I made a good bareback ride.” Pope, who was on his PRCA permit, left Colorado Springs after earning $16,251.

Champions of the NFR Open powered by RAM hold up their buckles after winning the lucrative rodeo at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Click Thompson

Rocky Mountain High Bruno strikes paydirt at NFR Open in Colorado

whistle in the finals. Randolph left Colorado Springs after earning $19,155.

“This is nuts,” said Randolph, 21. “This is the second biggest finals you can go to and even win. To be first one to win it is pretty special because that will go down in history. To win the very first one, everyone will remember it and that’s pretty cool.” Randolph said there was no secret to his outstanding effort in the Olympic City. “I just stayed calm and relaxed, and I believed in myself that I could get it done,” Randolph said. “It worked out and I’m tickled to death. A win like this can definitely help me get to the (NFR) and give me money to go because it is not cheap trying to ProRodeo.” TEAM ROPERS HIRDES/PEARCE TAKE IN NFR OPEN GLORY Team ropers Blake Hirdes/Dalton Pearce weren’t the fastest competitors in the first and second round or the semifinals. However, they were when it mattered most. Hirdes/Pearce clocked a 5.3-second time to win the four-team sudden death finals and take-home top honors at the NFR Open. The partners left town after earning $11,430 each. “This is awesome, and it counts toward the (PRCA | RAMWorld Standings) so it is a pretty good boost to a guy’s year, especially at this time of the year,” Pearce said. “Winning this kind of money gives us a reason to keep going. There was just so much money available here. It is just awesome. I would say I was less nervous here than other rodeos just because there was so much

BY TANNER BARTH A year ago, saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno was in a prime position to place in the top four of the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., but a missed mark out in the semifinals put his goal on hold. It’s a ride that’s been in the back of his mind since then. All it took was a change of name and venue for him to flip the script at this year’s NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. He wasn’t going to let a golden opportunity slip through the cracks this season. “I’ve kind of had a chip on my shoulder for this rodeo since last year down in Florida,” said Bruno, 21. “I was riding good and then I stubbed my toe in the eight-man round. I kind of just put it on the bookshelf and came back to it this year. “I was able to draw really well this year and took it horse by horse. This is the biggest win of my career to date, and it was really fun. I’m kind of at a loss for words if I’m being honest with you.” Bruno was a man on a mission, securing the NFR Open title with a 90-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s All or Nothin in the finals. It’s a horse that

he’s had his eye on for a while now and the luck of the draw was on his side, July 16. “That’s a great horse, I watched Dawson Hay winThe American on him,” he said. “When I saw that was the horse that I drew I was pretty stoked. I just knew that if I did my job, he was going to do his and it had the potential to be a big-time ride.” That wasn’t his only impressive performance during the week. He placed in three other rounds, which included winning Round 1 and the average with 169.5 points on two head. In total, he walked out of Colorado Springs with $25,596 in his pocket, trailing only breakaway roper Martha Angelone for the RAMTop Gun award ($25,765). BULL RIDER RANDOLPH HAS CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE Second-year PRCA bull rider Braidy Randolph arrived at the inaugural NFR Open powered by RAMwith $9,000 in season earnings. That total took a jolt at the Norris Penrose Event Center, thanks to Randolph’s career-best performance in Colorado Springs, Colo. Randolph won the four-man sudden-death round with an 86-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Grand Slam. He was the only cowboy to make the

ProRodeo Sports News 12/16/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 12/16/2022

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