ProRodeo Sports News - January 25, 2019

SANDHILLS STOCK SHOW

Bull rider Parker McCown had an 88-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s No. C05, to get the win in Odessa. The 19-year-old cowboy left town after earning $5,131. Dudley Barker photo

keep my shoulders back. That horse is little and wants you to get bowed down. She laid down in the chutes a little bit and I was trying to hustle. I got a good spur out on her and stayed back and kept my chin tucked, and she had a really good day.” Burr made his ride in the final performance Jan. 12 and earned $3,627. That pushed him to 40th in the Jan. 25 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $3,980. Dawson Hay was second with an 84.5-point ride. “Preston has a lot of try,” said Cort Scheer, a traveling partner of Burr’s. “He’s just one of those kids who just needs to get a couple more big licks like that (he had in Odessa) and he will be going down the road. He’s a cowboy at heart and you dang sure can’t beat him down because he’s going to keep going.” Scheer, a six-time qualifier to the Wrangler NFR (2010, 2012-15, 2018), finished sixth in the world standings last season. BASKING IN COLLEGE SPOTLIGHT In June 2017 in Casper, Wyo., Burr achieved glory at the College National Finals Rodeo by winning a saddle bronc riding national championship with 284.5 points on four head. “That was really cool,” said Burr, who is 5-foot-9. “One of my goals when I got out of high school was to win the College National Finals Rodeo. It really stepped my saddle bronc riding up and gave me a lot of confidence to start

entering.” Burr’s accession to that success was somewhat surprising since he didn’t start saddle bronc riding until he was a senior at Stratford (Texas) High School with a graduating class of 35. Until that point, he was focused on bareback riding, steer wrestling and team roping as a header and heeler. “I always wanted to be a cowboy and I’ve always roped,” Burr said. “My dad (Ed) grew up down on the border around El Paso (Texas) and they were always crossing cattle and I grew up in it. All my buddies rode (saddle) broncs and I broke my riding wrist and had some trouble with my neck as a result of bareback riding.” However, the transition to saddle bronc riding wasn’t easy. “I got bucked off a lot, and it was really frustrating,” Burr said. “The light bulb flickered on and I started figuring out saddle bronc riding right before I went to college. I love it. I love everything about bucking horses.” Scheer believes Burr will be competing at the Wrangler NFR sooner rather than later. “If Preston draws the right horse, he’s just as deadly as anybody else,” said Scheer, 32. “We joke around, and he calls me a dad and I call him a kid because he’s just getting started. He has a long road ahead of him and the sky’s the limit.”

Complete results on Page 44

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Preston Burr ............................. 87 pts. 2. Dawson Hay ................................. 84.5 3. Will Pollock ..................................... 84 4. Two tied at .................................... 83.5

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Tyson Durfey ............. 17.7 sec. on two 2. Shad Mayfield ............................... 18.0 3. Haven Meged ................................ 20.1 4. Charlie Gibson .............................. 20.2

STEER ROPING 1. JoJo LeMond ............ 60.5 sec. on four 2. Tony Reina .................................... 63.6 3. Connor McNeil .............................. 69.7 4. Jesse Tierney ................................ 75.5

BULL RIDING 1. Parker McCown ........................ 88 pts. 2. Jeff Askey ........................................ 86 3. Coy Pollmeier ............................... 85.5 4. Two tied at .................................... 84.5

ProRodeo Sports News 1/25/2019

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