ProRodeo Sports News - Jan. 6, 2023

WRANGLER NFR INJURY UPDATE

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle Bareback rider Orin Larsen was forced to miss the final six rounds of the 2022 Wrangler NFR after suffering a broken thumb in Round 3.

making his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut. Stratford broke his left ankle during Round 4, when he failed to make the whistle aboard Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Con Air. He suffered a break to both his tibia and fibula. “They decided to let my ankle heal as is after the break,” said Stratford, 20. “I was in a cast for four weeks and now a walking boot. I have a couple more weeks of that before they want me to put any weight on it.” He was also dealing with a torn labrum in his shoulder before the Finals even began. He says he hopes to have that surgery completed sometime during the winter. He’s hoping to return during the 2023 season but won’t rush the process. “I tore my labrum completely off the bone. I’ve had it fixed before, but I guess I tore it all out again,” he said. “They told me it’s going to be a lot bigger of a surgery this time. I’m trying to keep my hopes up to return by July, but if I don’t feel ready by then I’ll definitely be back to 100 percent by the start of 2024 season.”

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returning to the rodeo arena in the spring. “I’ll start therapy and rehab in two to three weeks,” he said. “I am going to listen closely to the doctors and Justin Sportsmedicine team throughout this whole deal. They know a lot more about this then I do. I’m hopeful that I’ll be ready to go by the beginning of March and get to ride in Houston.” He believes there can be a silver lining when injuries like this happen, it may just take a while to realize what that is. “No matter what kind of hardship you have as far as injuries go, there’s always a silver lining,” Larsen said. “Sometimes you don’t know what the silver lining is until you get back on the road and have time to reflect on it. I know this is a blessing in disguise and we are just going to move forward with it.” It was also an injury riddled NFR for bull rider JR Stratford, who was

ProRodeo Sports News 1/6/2023

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