ProRodeo Sports News - July 7, 2023

PONOKA STAMPEDE

PONOKA, ALBERTA

Harris grabs big Ponoka win BY DIANNE FINSTAD, Special to ProRodeo Sports News I n any sport, major championships can be won or lost by the smallest of fractions. Ty Harris knows that well, after riding away with the Ponoka Stampede tie down roping championship on July 2. The title is decided in a four-man sudden death Showdown round, with the best times on three runs in the timed-events making the cut. Harris was making his first appearance in the high-stakes round, and as last man out, the four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier needed to better a pair of 9.1’s already posted by Haven Meged and Beau Cooper on the long score arena set up. “My calf kind of hit and fell right there, so I didn’t know how fast I was going to be but I just told myself ‘keep your mind going the right pace and just do your job and finish and let the time end up where it is’,” said Harris, who cleaned up his tie and saw the clock stop a mere tenth of a second faster – 9.0 – for the big victory. “I must have been so close to the barrier. The whole run I didn’t know if I’d really got out or not. I couldn’t hear anybody yelling, so it was kind of iffy for me, but I knew that I just needed to finish my run and see how it ended up,” he said. “I knew it was going to be close. When you’re up against ropers of this caliber, it can go either way at all times. “I actually get to ride with the two guys that won second and third back down to the States. I would’ve been so happy for them if they won it, but that’s rodeo. They’re going to have a lot of great wins.” Harris posted the fastest time of the week at Ponoka with a 7.6-second run on his second calf. His Ponoka success marks a turnaround, because the high-speed talent found himself a little chilly in early June. “I was struggling a little bit and didn’t really have any success,” he said. “That’s definitely a personal weakness of mine – trying to push too hard when it’s not going right, instead of just doing my job and roping. “I want to win every time I back in there, but when I haven’t been winning is when it will actually get worse for me because then I start pushing and pressing and making mistakes that I shouldn’t make.” Acquiring some patience and perspective in the process has been coming. “I think I’ve just gotten older, and hopefully, a little bit wiser,” Harris said. Harris, who’s also the current Canadian tie-down roping champ, pulled $18,155 out of Ponoka. That wasn’t all he earned over the rich rodeo weekend, also placing at both Greeley, Colo. and Williams Lake, B.C. to net what he estimated was close to $30,000, a far cry from his previous best Cowboy Christmas winnings of $7,500. “I’ve never had a good Fourth of July and I’ve never made the short round at Ponoka, so man, it’s just awesome to be here and get to rope in front of these people. I’ve just been super blessed,” he said. The financial boost will put the 25-year-old Texan in the top end of the world standings race, but there’s no slow in the Harris ‘go’ at this point in the season. “I’m just going to go and just try to do the best that I can. I’m not going to stop until September 30 (the end of the PRCA regular season). When you’re blessed with a win like this, I’m going to take it as a motivator and hopefully, an accelerator. I’m definitely not going to slow down.” Jackpot

Billie-Jean Duff photo

Complete results/Page 86

COWBOY CHRISTMAS Tie-down roper Ty Harris clocked a 9.0-second run in the Showdown of the Ponoka Stampede on July 2.

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Orin Larsen .......... 90.75 pts. 2. Kade Sonnier .............. 88.25 3. Kody Lamb ................. 87.75

STEER WRESTLING 1. Dalton Massey ......... 4.6 sec. 2. J.D. Struxness .............. 10.8 3. Riley Reiss ...................... NT

TEAM ROPING 1. P. Eaves/E. Rogers .......... 6.9 sec. 2. K. Bonnett/L. Bonnett ............. 7.2 3. Ty. McLeod/Tu. McLeod ....... 18.6

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Zeke Thurston ...... 92.75 pts. 2. Chase Brooks ................... 90 3. Kolby Wanchuk ........... 89.75

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Ty Harris .................. 9.0 sec. 2. Beau Cooper ................... 9.1 3. Haven Meged .................. 9.1

BARREL RACING 1. Emily Beisel ......... 17.28 sec. 2. Paige Jones ................ 17.34 3. Dona Kay Rule ............ 17.85

BULL RIDING 1. Nick Tetz .............. 88.75 pts. 2. Coy Robbins .................... NS 3. Lonnie Phillips ................ NS

TOP MONEY WINNER Paul Eaves and Erich Rogers (Team roping, $20,327 each)

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SCORES

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

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