ProRodeo Sports News - July 27, 2018

K-DAYS RODEO

After some difficulty crossing the Canadian border, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira won the K-Days Rodeo by one-tenth of a second before going on to win the Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo the next day for a total of $18,620 won in two days. Mike Copeman photo

Driggers and Nogueira win K-Days Rodeo Canadian K.O.

BY MATT NABER R acing the clock is old hat for team ropers Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira. But instead of chasing steers at the K-Days Rodeo in Edmonton, Alberta, Driggers and Nogueira found themselves trying to cross the Canadian border with an expired passport. Little did they know their struggles would pay off by winning nearly $10,000 each. The duo discovered Nogueira’s passport was two days past expiration when they arrived at the Salt Lake City airport – Nogueira could only drive across the Canadian border. They got as far as Seattle, where Driggers flew on to Edmonton and Nogueira planned to rent a car and drive to the rodeo. But Nogueira didn’t have a credit card, so he couldn’t rent a car. The 2016 All-AroundWorld Champion was stranded in Seattle.

Driggers took a cab to a motel, where he found steer wrestler Jesse Brown was set to fly to Vancouver. But Brown needed a rental car to get to Seattle and didn’t have a credit card. Driggers rented the car, which Nogueira drove from Seattle to Vancouver. Then Brown drove back to Seattle while Nogueira flew to Edmonton, arriving just as the team roping competition got underway. “I was nervous, it was the most stressful day in my life but the Edmonton rodeo for this year, I will never forget,” Nogueira said. “It’s going to be a good story for the rest of my life.” Even when Nogueira got to Edmonton, nothing came easy. “It started raining so hard and they took 15 minutes to open the airplane door, and I ran like crazy,” Nogueira said. “We took off running while on the phone. All I had in my bag was my gloves, and I had my gloves in my hand (when he arrived at the arena) and was ready.” Throughout the ordeal, the duo had a feeling of despair. “I thought there’s no way when they first told us, and no way when the

TOPS AT EDMONTON — July 20-22

BAREBACK RIDING 1. (tie) Shane O’Connell .............86.75 pts. Richmond Champion ....................86.75 3. Clint Laye ......................................84.25 4. Two tied at ......................................83.5

STEER WRESTLING 1. Tyler Pearson ............................ 3.1 sec. 2. (tie) Cody Cassidy ............................3.6 Clayton Moore ..................................3.6 Kody Dollery .....................................3.6

TEAM ROPING 1. K. Driggers/J. Nogueira ............ 4.2 sec. 2. R. McFadden/D. Wigemyr .................4.3 3. C. Tryan/B. Hall .................................4.5 4. Two tied at ........................................4.6

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Clay Elliott ..................................87 pts. 2. Dusty Hausauer .................................86 3. Zeke Thurston ...................................85 4. Two tied at ......................................84.5

ProRodeo Sports News 7/27/2018

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