ProRodeo Sports News - January 25, 2019

PRCA | Resistol All-Around Rookie of the Year NelsonWyatt. Yates, who made his Wrangler NFR debut in 2018, is upbeat about joining forces with LeMond. LeMond has qualified for the Wrangler NFR in team roping three times (2008-10) and was an injury replacement for Jake Barnes in 2015. That year he and partner Junior Nogueira placed in eight rounds and finished third in the average. LeMond also has qualified for the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping four times – 2013, 2015-17. “JoJo and I roped together back in 2016 in the Northwest and did decent,” said Yates, 23. “He and I are good friends. He’s a cool guy and one of the most talented guys with a rope, period. It doesn’t matter what event, and he’s hungry again. He wants to be at the top, and I feel lucky to be heeling for him. It is going to be a lot of fun.” Trevor Brazile, who won his PRCA-record 24th world championship when he took home the All-Around gold buckle at the 2018Wrangler NFR, will team rope with seven-time champion

of the world and ProRodeo Hall of Famer Clay O’Brien Cooper on a limited schedule. Brazile team roped last year with heeler Patrick Smith. Brazile and Smith won world championships while roping together in 2010. Smith, who also was a team roping heeler world champ in 2005 with Clay Tryan, has teamed up with Charly Crawford, a nine-time Wrangler NFR qualifier – 2005-07, 2009-10, 2012-14, 2017. In 2016, header Levi Simpson and heeler Jeremy Buhler made history by becoming the first all-Canadian team to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. They made more history by becoming the first world champions in the heading and heeling from Canada. For 2019, Simpson and Buhler have split up. Simpson is with Cole Davison, who finished 11th in 2018 while roping with Tyler Wade at the Wrangler NFR. Buhler has paired with fellow Canadian Kolton Schmidt, who qualified for the 2016 Wrangler NFR, finishing 10th in the world standings.

NEW DUOS A glance at some new team roping pairs for the 2019 season. • Clay Smith/Jake Long • Luke Brown/Paul Eaves • Charly Crawford/Patrick Smith • Trevor Brazile/Clay O’Brien Cooper • Kolton Schmidt/Jeremy Buhler • Nelson Wyatt/Rich Skelton • Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett • JoJo LeMond/Trey Yates • Tyler Wade/Billy Jack Saebens • Levi Simpson/Cole Davison • Bubba Buckaloo/Hunter Koch • Bart Brunson/Trace Porter • Matt Sherwood/Tyler Worley

Heeler Paul Eaves, the 2018 world champion, top left, is now roping with Luke Brown, top right. Aaron Tsinigine, bottom right, who won the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo average with partner Trey Yates, has switched partners to Kyle Lockett. Yates, bottom left, will campaign with header JoJo LeMond, a Wrangler NFR qualifying team roper and four-time Clem McSpadden NFSR qualifier. PRCA ProRodeo file photos

ProRodeo Sports News 1/25/2019

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