ProRodeo Sports News - January 25, 2019

Strong January can help in qualifying for Wrangler NFR Coming in Hot QUICK START

BY MATT NABER

JAKE BROWN – BAREBACK RIDING Age: 29 Hometown: Cleveland, Texas Joined PRCA: 2008 Career earnings: $621,616

“Usually I start right after the season ends because in October, conveniently, there are quite a few in Texas. Then, right after January, right after the NFR, I like to go pretty good because I like riding bucking horses and it takes a little pressure off you. If you can get the ball rolling fast it’s a lot easier to keep momentum than trying to catch everyone come June and July. “I’ve been blessed to keep healthy, I try to stay in shape and take care of myself the best I can and make business decisions while I’m rodeoing to go to the right places.

Starting the season with a strong lead makes the rest of the year less stressful. If a cowboy is in the top 20 at the end of January, it puts them in a better place to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo or the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. Although it’s not unheard of for cowboys to rapidly climb the PRCA | RAM World Standings in the final months of the season, having a position at the top makes it easier to brush it off when things go wrong. Some cowboys consistently kick off the season with a strong lead. Among them are Joe Frost, Jake Brown, Luke Brown and Cody Lee, who have ranked among the top 20 around the end of January and went on to qualify for the Finals each of the last three years. These early starters shared their thoughts on the importance of getting a fast start.

“I think if you win $20,000-30,000 the first two or three months you have some weight off your shoulders come summertime to not 100 percent depend on how summer goes. You never know, you could go a month of not drawing good horses or horses that fit you very well. But if you have a little bit built up, it won’t be as big of a deal. “I like to spread them out over the year rather than mashing in as many as I can in three or four months. ... It opens you up to go to the rodeos you want to go to, you don’t have to go to everything – you can just go to your favorite ones.”

CODY LEE – STEER ROPING Age: 43 Hometown: Gatesville, Texas Joined PRCA: 1998 Career earnings: $883,563 “I think it helps greatly to get a great start. It’s easier than playing catch-up at the end. Up until this year, we had San Antonio in February, and if you had a good San Antonio it made your whole year go really, really easy and you could coast through it. But if you don’t, it seems like you’re roping for the bottom 15 spots instead of the Top 15 spots. “Living in central Texas, we can practice more in the winter than the northern guys. We have a bit of an advantage in the fall since we have a few rodeos in the fall and can run a lot of practice cattle to prepare for the Finals, and then the first few rodeos make it a lot easier. “It also helps you mentally. If you have one bad rodeo you can brush it off and don’t put near as much pressure on yourself. It seems like it’s easier to win when you want to and don’t have to. It seems like when you have to win you put a lot more pressure on yourself and it’s a lot easier to make a mistake. “It’s a lot easier to get lucky at the beginning than it is at the end.”

ProRodeo Sports News 1/25/2019

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