ProRodeo Sports News - July 22, 2022

CALGARY STAMPEDE CALGARY, ALBERTA

Steiner continues big season with Calgary win Rock On TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T wo years ago, Rocker Steiner appeared in an episode of the hit show “Yellowstone” riding bareback. It was foreshadowing. Just 18, his run on the circuit is playing out like a movie or the life of a rock star. He seems destined to go No. 1 with a Mullet. Steiner had a 91.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Yipee Kibitz to win the showdown at The Calgary Stampede July 16, netting $50,000 as part of a breathtaking week. Check that. It’s been a breathtaking season. Steiner received his card in December and now ranks fourth in the world in bareback riding. “From the time I turned 18, it’s been zero to 100 miles per hour,” Steiner admitted. “Everything has just escalated so fast. The energy in Calgary was unbelievable. And the horses were some of the best in the world. There have been some injuries, but I have had some good luck and now after winning some big rodeos I can be more selective going forward.” With roughly 15 rodeos left on his schedule, Steiner owns nearly double-figure wins. He worked through sore ribs to put on a show at Calgary, a performance that continued writing a story that feels easier to appreciate than explain. The zenith – at least for now because his first appearance in the Wrangler National Final Rodeo awaits – came in the Riggin Rally Xtreme Broncos event in Darby, Mont., last month. Steiner hopped on C5 Rodeo’s Virgil. He told a friend that he dreamed of doing something special on the famous horse. However, even he was surprised by what happened next. Steiner posted a 95-point ride, setting a new world record that had stood since 2002. “It’s not like as an 18-year-old you think of doing stuff nobody has done before,” Steiner said. “When they said it was a 95, I thought it was a joke. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. It probably won’t set in what happened until the season is over.” Steiner was born into a rodeo family of stars. His grandfather Bobby is a world champion bull rider, his grandma Joleen was a barrel racer, just like his mother Jamie, and his dad Sid is a PRCA World Champion steer wrestler. However, Rocker did not take up rodeo until four years ago. He was a world-ranked wakeboarder, then flipped the script. “There was never really a moment where it was like I was (over) water sports. I was having a hard time with wakeboarding. It was kind of taking a turn downhill, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do next,” said Steiner, who hails fromWeatherford, Texas. “My granddad and his buddy suggested bareback riding. It sounded good to me.” For Steiner, the huge payday in Calgary alleviates some pressure in the standings. Yes, he loves to compete, but he also wants to let this unique experience sink in. “I love traveling. I love going to new places,” Steiner said. “I do want to have some fun from here on out. Everything that has happened this year, it’s hard to put into words.”

Caleb Smidt ($67,000, tie down roping) BAREBACK RIDING

Smidt

1. Rocker Steiner .................... 91.5 pts. 2. Orin Larsen ................................ 89.5 3. Tim O’Connell ............................... 89 STEER WRESTLING 1. Will Lummus ....................... 3.6 sec. 2. Ty Erickson .................................. 4.0 3. Riley Duvall .................................. 4.5 TEAM ROPING 1. C. Summers/R. Ashford ....... 4.0 sec. 2. A. Tsinigine/K. Lockett ............... 13.4 3. R. Richard/J. Buhler . ................. 14.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Logan Hay . ......................... 89.5 pts. 2. Dawson Hay .................................. 89 3. Lefty Holman ................................ 88 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Caleb Smidt ......................... 7.5 sec. 2. Haven Meged ............................. 22.5 3. Cory Solomon .............................. NT (Tie) Zach Jongbloed ................... NT BARREL RACING 1. Kassie Mowry .................. 16.97 sec. 2. Dona Kay Rule ......................... 17.11 3. Ivy Saebens ............................. 17.24 BULL RIDING 1. Dakota Buttar ...................... 88.5 pts. (Tie) Shane Proctor . .................. 88.5 3. Alan DeSouza ............................. 82.5

Complete results/Page 67

Covy Moore photo

Rookie bareback rider Rocker Steiner had the biggest win of his career when he took home the title at the Calgary Stampede with a 91.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Yipee Kibitz.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/22/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 7/22/2022

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