ProRodeo Sports News - January 22, 2021

to match each other and make sure we have something to build on. The main thing is to get the ball rolling and have confidence to build on.” Though not partners during the season, Luke Brown and Joseph Harrison roped together at the 2020Wrangler NFR and finished second and third, respectively, in the world standings. Brown has joined forces with Petska. “Kaleb (Driggers) wanted to do something different and I didn’t know if I was going to rodeo hard or ride colts, kind of what I have done the last couple of years,” Petska said. “Luke came and asked me, and I thought about it and prayed about it. He’s a really good guy and I just decided to try and rodeo another year.” Masters, who won world titles in 2007 and 2012, has reunited with Harrison. In 2019, Masters and Harrison competed together at the NFR. They won Rounds 4 and 5 and placed in five rounds to rank eighth in the average with 54.9 seconds on eight head. Another new team in 2021 is Bubba Buckaloo and Billie Jack Saebens. Buckaloo qualified for the NFR in 2018, finishing fifth in the world. Saebens is a two-time NFR qualifier (2016-17). He placed a career-best seventh in 2016. “I’ve roped in a lot of jackpots with Billie Jack, but I’ve never rodeoed with him,” Buckaloo said. “I’m really looking forward to roping with him. He has a really good heel horse, and I think we’re going to do well. Our expectations are to win gold buckles.” Saebens also has high hopes. “We want to win a lot, and I think we can be a good team,” Saebens said. “Bubba catches a lot, and he will give me a lot of chances to throw my rope. I

think that’s what it boils down to, whoever catches the most. I think we both have the same goals and I’m excited to get to rope with him.” Logan Medlin, who qualified for the 2020 NFR with Charly Crawford, is roping with Coleman Proctor this season. Crawford announced at last year’s NFR that he was retiring from roping full time. Proctor finished 19th last season. “Coleman and I have never really roped together, but I’m excited to team up with him,” Medlin said. “He’s a great guy and obviously knows what it takes to win. He has been to the Finals several times. He stays positive, and I feed off that. Him being so positive is great because there will be times throughout the year that we need to stay positive because things will not always be going like we planned. He ropes good and has good horses, and I’m looking forward to roping with him.” Header Tyler Wade, a three-time NFR qualifier (2016, 2018-19), and Trey Yates have also teamed up. Yates made his lone NFR appearance in 2018, roping with Aaron Tsinigine. The pair won the NFR average with Yates finishing third in the world. Yates has been outside the Top 15 the past two seasons, finishing 22nd in 2019 and 17th in 2020. Wade also was out of the NFR mix a year ago, finishing 18th in the standings. “Tyler and I roped a couple of years ago and we got along pretty good,” Yates said. “It’s exciting to be back with him and I’m looking forward to it. We seemed to have a decent rhythm with our roping. I just want to get back to the NFR so bad, and our goal is to be contenders at the end of the year.”

NEW PARTNERS IN 2021

Kaleb Driggers and Wesley Thorp

Luke Brown and Cory Petska

Bubba Buckaloo and Billie Jack Saebens

Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin

Tyler Wade and Trey Yates

Tanner Green and Rich Skelton

Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith

Aaron Tsinigine and Ryan Motes

Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison

ProRodeo Sports News 1/22/2021

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