ProRodeo Sports News - July 10, 2020

COWBOY CHRISTMAS

Martin wins Black Hills Roundup in first appearance Big Debut BY TRACY RENCK F or the last three years, tie-down roper Cooper Martin has earned a bid to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Trip No. 4 will be a challenge for the Kansas native because the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with the 2020 PRCA regular season. Martin took a step in the right direction to get back to the Finals in Las Vegas by winning the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, S.D., with a 7.7-second run July 4. “The calves were walking fresh, and I had one that ALL-AROUND COWBOY Tuf Cooper, TOP SCORES Cooper

$4,700, tie-down roping and steer roping BAREBACK RIDING

stood out and knew it, so all I had to do was not break the barrier and she was going to be good,” said Martin, 23. “I didn’t know she would be that good, but it worked out well for me.” Martin earned $3,858 for the victory in his first appearance at the Black Hills Roundup. The win helped him climb to 21st place in the 2020 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $19,659. “That rodeo was awesome,” Martin said. “We got up there the night before we competed (on July 1), and it was beautiful weather and really pretty country. They had an awesome arena, and it was a really good experience.” Martin rode his main horse, Gru, 13, in Belle Fourche. “I rode Gru in seven of the 10 rounds at the NFR last year and all winter,” Martin said. “I was super impressed with how he worked (in Belle Fourche). He’s been awesome, and we just haven’t gotten to compete at that level for a while. The break did him some good.” Martin finished a career-best ninth in the world standings in 2017 and was 13th the last two years. “Getting to go to rodeos (over the Fourth of July) was great,” he said. “We’re all out here just trying to make a living. All these committees have done a good job continuing to have rodeos, and the ones that have canceled I think we all understand. This (rodeo hiatus because of COVID-19) made me realize I need to have some sort of a game plan when I retire eventually. You never know what’s going to happen and rodeo isn’t always going to be there.”

1. Kaycee Feild ......................... 90.5 pts 2. (Tie) Tim O’Connell ....................... 88 Orin Larsen ................................... 88 STEER WRESTLING 1. Tyler Waguespack ................. 3.4 sec. 2. Joe Nelson ................................... 3.6 3. Riley Reiss ................................... 3.8 TEAM ROPING 1. L. Simpson/S. Carroll ............ 4.5 sec. 2. (Tie) K. Schmidt/H. Koch .............. 4.9 L. Ivy/D. Wingereid ...................... 4.9 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Riggin Smith ....................... 88.5 pts. 2. Dusty Hausauer .......................... 87.5 3. Tyler Corrington ............................ 87 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Cooper Martin ....................... 7.7 sec. 2. Clint Robinson ............................. 7.9 3. Tuf Cooper ................................... 8.0 STEER ROPING 1. J. Tom Fisher .............. 32.3 sec. on 3 2. Cody Lee .................................... 33.7 3. Scott Snedecor ........................... 34.5 BULL RIDING 1. Garrett Smith ....................... 89.5 pts. 2. Coy Pollmeier ................................ 87 3. Two tied at ..................................... 85

Alaina Stangle photo

0.1 seconds Steer wrestler Tyler Wagues- pack, a two-time world cham- pion, won in Belle Fourche with a 3.4-second run. That was one-tenth of a second off the rodeo record set by Ron- nie Fields in 2004.

$4,309 What steer roper J. Tom Fish- er earned at the Black Hills Roundup. Fisher got $2,999 for winning the three-head average and earned $8,227 during Cowboy Christmas, tops among steer ropers.

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