ProRodeo Sports News - July 28, 2023

SHERIDAN WYO RODEO

SHERIDAN, WYO.

In the Groove Four-time champ Smidt heats up TOP SCORES TOP MONEY

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News R odeo offers an enticing checklist for competitors. First, they travel the country with friends, a camaraderie hard to match in a sterile office cubicle. Secondly, they meet new people and see new cities as they traverse the country. Third, they get a weekly, if not daily, opportunity to compete against the best, a measuring stick that provides motivation and inspiration. But in the end, for those at the top of the sport, only a fourth thing matters: winning. Few have done it more frequently than tie-down roper Caleb Smidt. In 2022, he delivered his fourth PRCA Tie Down Roping World Championship and won his second straight crown. That seemed like a long time ago as Smidt uncharacteristically grinded through this season. “Man, I had a slow winter. I didn’t go out there much. And I didn’t win much. And it got worse at the beginning of the summer,” Smidt, 33, admitted. “Then, I was headed to Greeley (Colo.) Stampede. I had two flights cancelled and I couldn’t get there (despite renting a car and driving to Montana from Canada to try to make it after the initial booking was scratched). So, I went home for a little bit and regrouped.” Even the best cowboys require a mental and physical rest, a moment to hit the reset button on the human remote. Knee deep into the summer schedule, Smidt is regaining his footing. And roping. He captured the Sheridan WYO Rodeo with a time of 16.6 seconds on two-head. He also claimed all-around cowboy honors as a last-minute option. “I guess it was an easy rodeo and they finally let me win something,” deadpanned Smidt. “I had a decent calf the first time. It was a good run. And I had the best calf in the second run. It made the average easy. I don’t compete in the team roping anymore. I just did it there as a fill-in.” Smidt was too good to stay down for too long. He followed his Sheridan performance with a strong showing at the Calgary Stampede. Seeing a No. 1 by Smidt’s name on the daysheet and results is starting to become common again for this uncommon star and nine-time qualifier in the Wrangler Nationals Final Rodeo. The reality is rodeo is hard. “I don’t know what is really different. I do know I wasn’t 100 percent healthy. And I probably needed a little time off. I wasn’t very good. I was frustrated and mad,” Smidt said. “When I went home for those five days, it helped. I was ready to go.” For Smidt, there remains no substitute for a routine. The more calves he ropes the better he gets. And he’s starting to heat up. “I am not even thinking about the NFR right now,” Smidt said. “All I am thinking about is winning out here right now.”

EARNER Caleb Smidt ($10,765, tie down roping and team roping) BAREBACK RIDING Smidt

1. Cole Reiner .......................... 88.5 pts. 2. R.C. Landingham ........................... 88 3. Jess Pope ................................... 85.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Will Lummus ............. 9.4 sec. on 2 2. Cody Devers ................................. 9.5 3. Shane Frey ................................... 9.6 TEAM ROPING 1. Rogers/Eaves .............. 12.0 sec. on 2 2. M. Sherwood/C. Hendrix ............ 12.2 3. B. Brown/K. Blankenship ............ 12.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Q McWhorter .......................... 90 pts. 2. Ira Dickinson .............................. 87.5 3. Sterling Crawley ......................... 85.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. C. Smidt ...................... 16.6 sec. on 2 2. Shane Hanchey .......................... 18.3 3. Three tied at ............................... 19.1 STEER ROPING 1. Martin Poindexter ....... 52.9 sec. on 4 2. Reo Lohse .................................. 53.4 3. Cody Lee .................................... 56.6 BULL RIDING 1. Ky Hamilton ......................... 89.5 pts. (Tie) T Parker ............................. 89.5 (Tie) Fulton Rutland ................... 89.5

Eva Scofield photo Tie-down roper Caleb Smidt, a four-time PRCA World Champion, got things rolling by winning the average at the Sheridan WYO Rodeo with a 16.6-second time on two head.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/28//2023

ProRodeo Sports News 7/28/2023

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

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