ProRodeo Sports News - Feb. 21, 2020

SAN ANGELO RODEO SAN ANGELO, TEXAS Bingham wins despite dislocated shoulder

A dislocated shoulder in his non-riding arm didn’t hinder bull rider Tim Bingham as the Utah cowboy was the only bull rider in San Angelo to cover both of his bulls. Bingham placed fourth in the first round with an 84.5-point ride and was the only qualified ride in the final round with a 76-point ride on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s White Walker. Bingham declined a re-ride in the final round. “I figure I’m pushing my luck enough with this shoulder injury and if I can get by one, I’m happy with it,” Bingham said. “It was tender tonight, so I wasn’t going to take a re-ride no matter what the score was.” Dislocating his shoulder in Fort Worth a week before the San Angelo finals might have been a blessing in disguise. “Maybe because of the injury and the brace holding me down, it might have helped because I had to ride patiently and correctly and couldn’t ride crazy,” Bingham said. “Because of that, I couldn’t get out of position and it forced me to sit there and let the bull buck under me and not get too crazy. That’s all I did out there, just kept my body where it needed to be, and I was just as surprised as anyone that it paid off.” Bingham’s San Angelo win was worth $9,872 and a boost to 15th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. But unlike most years, Bingham isn’t focused on the world standings since he’s facing months of physical rehab once he has an operation on his shoulder. “Just winning San Angelo in the first place is a great achievement, and it’s a rodeo everyone wants to win,” Bingham said. “It’s right up there with all the iconic rodeos, and riding with a bum shoulder just adds to it.” Although the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund is an option for financial assistance while he’s unable to compete, Bingham said he’s hoping he won’t need it. “I try not to abuse it, but it’s there to help us,” Bingham said. “If I can find ways to make money, I won’t go use it just to use it. There are other guys who need it more than I do, but this (winning San Angelo) will get me by for a couple months and plays a role in the long run to come back strong and healthy.”

Ric Andersen photo Tim Bingham was the only bull rider to cover both bulls for a $9,872 boost in the world standings to 15th with $13,802.

Sechrist & Spiderman win Winning the San Angelo Rodeo with a horse called Spiderman was worth nearly as much as tie-down roper Bryson Sechrist’s entire 2019 season. Sechrist took home $12,616 and a San Angelo buckle just a few months after finishing 2019 with $13,394. “Winning this is really big and sets me up for the summer and gives me more confidence too since my goal is to make the NFR this year,” Sechrist said. Now he’s hitting the road with Spiderman in tow. “My grandpa (Randal Sechrist) named him,” Sechrist laughed. “He was turning calves out and said he looks like Spiderman, and so that’s what we call him. I ride him everywhere I can, and he has been good at every setup. He’s small, but he has a big heart and knows how to adjust (to different arenas).” The Apache, Okla., cowboy narrowly missed his lifelong goal of qualifying for the Wrangler NFR two seasons in a row. Sechrist finished 18th in the 2016 world standings with $58,516 and 21st in the 2017 world standings with $69,679. “I just barely missed it before and stayed home last year and regrouped,” Sechrist said. “Now, I’m ready for this year.” Sechrist’s 7.5-second run in Round 1 tied for third place, and although his run was slower in the final round at 7.9 seconds, Sechrist was a half-second faster than the No. 2 cowboy, which placed him at the top of the average with 24.8 seconds on three head. The 27-year-old cowboy’s San Angelo win pushed him to 10th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $14,280. “This is one of the biggest wins in my career,” Sechrist said. “It’s pretty close to being like the NFR because everyone enters here and all the top guys are here.”

Ric Andersen photo Bryson Sechrist’s San Angelo Rodeo win of $12,616 was worth almost as much as his entire 2019 season ($13,394).

ProRodeo Sports News 2/21/2020

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