ProRodeo Sports News - February 23, 2018

IN HIS OWNWORDS: CLAYTON SELLARS

ROOKIE RANKS THIRD IN BULL RIDING STANDINGS Clayton Sellars is off to an impressive start. Though it’s early in the 2018 season, the 19-year-old rookie bull rider from Fruitland Park, Fla., is sitting in third place in the PRCA World Standings with $29,744 as of Feb. 20. Sellars won the 2017 Permit This year has been more hectic already. I’ve made it to 25 rodeos so far. Last year, I traveled with Jesse Petri. I’m traveling with him again this season and I’ve also been going with Tristan Mize. When I was going with Jesse I did most of the entering. 1/4 page color ad $457 (12mth b/w rate)

Members of the Year Challenge in Las Vegas, and currently leads the Resistol Rookie Standings by more than $20,000. He lives and attends school in Texas and competes in the RAM Texas Circuit, where he is also in first place.

Tristan has been doing most of it recently. But there come times when I have to enter separately, so I enter myself. But Tristan does most of it. It was kind of difficult at first to learn how to enter, it took a few screw- ups to figure it out. There were some times I would screw up and have to go a whole week by myself, driving around to places. But once I started figuring it out it went pretty smooth. I asked older guys how to do it and how to go about it. There were a couple of guys who really, really helped me a lot. I bought my card in September so I’d be ready to go right away for the 2018 season. Then, on Oct. 1, the first day of the new season, I won the Comal County Fair & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls in New Braunfels, Texas, cashing a check for $7,041. It was awesome because the whole month or two before that, all I had been thinking about was getting out there and getting a jump on all these older guys. Next thing you know, I’m only one of two guys to stay on one and I win that much money. It’s like, ‘Wow, it’s that easy when you put your mind to something.’ It feels really cool to have this success early, but it also feels right at home, kind of. I spend so much time thinking about that, it kind of feels like it’s supposed to be. If you spend as much time as I do thinking about that stuff, it’s bound to happen. PSN- Pro Rodeo Sports Ne March 2018

I got into bull riding because my dad (Brady), older brother (Austin) and cousin Stu Sellars also did it. We didn’t have our own arena but there was kind of a county arena nearby that we could use. But none of them took rodeo to the level I have. They just did it a little. My family wanted me to stay in school, for sure. But then once I got out there and they realized I could do this, they kind of lightened up. They were very excited. I am in school though. I go toWestern Texas College and am in the Welding Program. When I’m there I stay extra time and weld more. I have to miss some classes because of rodeo, so I stay a little longer on other days to make up for it. Winning the permit title last season was pretty neat. It was just nice being able to rodeo all year and being introduced to ProRodeo without the stress of competing in the rookie race or the world title race. It was a good year, a learning year, more or less. I think I made it to 87 rodeos last season. I liked it a lot. Sometimes it gets a little stressful, but for the most part it was pretty easy going.

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Photo by karenkellyphotography.com

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ProRodeo Sports News 2/23/18

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