ProRodeo Sports News - Jan. 21, 2022

TEAM ROPING COWBOYS

Buckaloo

Harrison

Masters

Petska

Rogers

Davis

Flenniken

Minor

Carroll

Arnold

Dees

Lord

everywhere it’s worth putting our names down.” Harrison is also hoping to complete the circle began in 2018 by qualifying together for the Wrangler NFR. “It would be cool to get to rope with Buck at the Finals after we’ve roped together off and on all these years.” Masters may be sticking closer to home, but he is taking advantage of being qualified to all the big paying, limited entry winter rodeos and has picked up fellow world champion Cory Petska for the run.

winters in Begay’s home state of Arizona, the two have never roped together nor met. Begay plans to also enter San Antonio but says he’ll just enter open again. “It’s hard to say to someone, ‘hey, do you want to enter up when you don’t have a horse,’” he noted. For now, he’s on the hunt for something to buy or borrow. “I’m at the end of my career anyway and I’ve gotten to do a lot,” Begay said. “If it comes together, I’ll go again but I’m not going to force it. “I’ll never retire, there’s always somewhere to

Wyatt

Worley

“Neither one of us wanted to go hard so we’re going to five rodeos: Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Austin and San Angelo,” Petska said. Like Masters, he just missed the 2021Wrangler NFR after finishing 17th. Like Harrison and Buckaloo, Petska’s Texas home is close to Masters, making practicing easy. “I don’t have an arena and he has an awesome one,” Petska admitted the added advantage with a laugh. The pair has roped together at jackpots in the past but never rodeos. “He’s fun to go behind; he gives really good handles,” Petska said. Horsepower plays into it as well. “My horse is old and Chad just has some younger ones.” Lack of horsepower is the major hurdle in 2022 for Petska’s previous partner, Derrick Begay, whose reliable go-to, Swagger who had carried him to seven of his nine qualifications, suffered an injury on the eve of the 2021 Wrangler NFR. “I never messed with him (after the Finals),” Begay said. “i just turned him out. He’s got age on him and I didn’t want to do that to him, take a chance of hurting him again.” Without Swagger, Begay doesn’t

go,” he said. “I’ll be putting my name down wherever I feel like I want to go.” Northwest cowboys Garrett Rogers and Jake Minor have been to a pair of Wrangler NFR’s together and just missed out again in 2021, finishing 26th and 23rd, respectively. But the duo won’t be on the road together in 2022 as Minor is heeling for 2018 Rookie of the Year and 2020Wrangler NFR qualifier Jeff Flenniken. “I moved to Caldwell about a year ago and I’m right down the road from Jeff. We practice every day,” Minor said. Minor actually heeled behind Flenniken in his rookie season where both ended up 17th in the world standings. “I’m pretty excited about it.” Flenniken took a year off the road, working to up his horsepower for another shot at the Finals. “Our goal is Vegas,” Minor said. “We’re still good buddies; there were no hard feelings,” Rogers said of the change up. He will rope with 2009Wrangler NFR qualifier Justin Davis for the winter run. “Justin asked if I wanted to rope at the four we qualified for in the winter. We’ve roped at a lot of jackpots together as second partners but never at a rodeo.” Like many of their competitors, Rogers and Davis have been in

William Kierce photo

Header Shay Carroll, above, competing in Odessa, Texas, is now teamed up with heeler Evan Arnold.

New duos form at start of 2022 rodeo season Partner Swaps

BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News A s the new season begins, professional rodeo athletes across the board have made adjustments to be ready to tackle the new year. They may have new equipment, a new horse or maybe have worked on their skills to improve their chances of ending the 2022 season with a berth to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge. For team ropers, new year adjustments may also mean pairing up with someone new. Partner changes happen for a variety of reasons from location and ease of practicing to struggles to win together and a need to shake things up. For many of the new teams in 2022, it was simply a matter of changing priorities. Heeler Joseph Harrison roped with two-time World Champion Chad Masters in 2021; Harrison qualified for his fifthWrangler NFR, but

Masters fell just short, ending the season 18th. Harrison heeled for Quinn Kesler in Las Vegas, placing in four go rounds. But with Masters not wanting to travel as much in 2022, Harrison is now roping with Bubba Buckaloo. “We’ve been very good friends for a long time,” Harrison said. “In 2018, when Bubba made the Finals, we actually started the year roping together.” When the team was not winning, they decided to end the partnership, but they were still entered at a handful of rodeos together. “We won like $30,000 at those last two or three rodeos,” Harrison laughed. “We both ended up making the Finals that year, so it ended up good.” Harrison and Buckaloo live about 20 minutes apart and have practiced together for years. Living close together makes it easier to coordinate hitting the road. “I’m looking forward to it,” Harrison said. “We’re pretty much entered

plan to rodeo hard but, like Masters and Petska, wants to take advantage of being qualified for the lucrative winter rodeos. “I entered the draw pot at Fort Worth,” Begay said dryly. He was partnered up with Dillon Graham, a Canadian cowboy who finished 46th in the PRCA | RAMWorld standings in 2021 to earn his position in Fort Worth. Though Graham

NEW 2022 ROPING TEAMS

Arizona tuning up for the stock show which is now underway. Their goals for 2022 are based on a wait-and-see approach. “He’s got a lot going on at home but we’re on the same page. We said we’d go to these first ones and see how we’re doing,” Rogers said. “If we’re doing good, we’ll go more.”

• Bubba Buckaloo — Joseph Harrison • Chad Masters — Cory Petska • Garrett Rogers — Justin Davis • Jeff Flenniken — Jake Minor • Shay Carroll — Evan Arnold • Jr. Dees — Levi Lord • Nelson Wyatt — Tyler Worley

ProRodeo Sports News 1/21/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 1/21/2022

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

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