ProRodeo Sports News - July 7, 2023

GREELEY STAMPEDE

GREELEY, COLO.

Bruno reaping benefits of switching events Niche Found BY BRADY RENCK Special to ProRodeo Sports News K ade Bruno was supposed to be a professional bull rider. His dad was a bull rider. Pictures decorated the walls of the family home featuring his exploits. Bruno rode his first sheep at 4. His parents Mike and Mindy never pushed him into rodeo, even though it was the family’s lifestyle, or into the sport’s most dangerous event. But the bulls had a gravitational pull. TOP MONEY EARNER Gus Franzen ($13,499, steer wrestling) TOP SCORES

Franzen

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Mason Stuller.............171.5 pts. on 2 2. Clayton Biglow..............................170 3. Jayco Roper...............................169.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Gus Franzen..................12.5 sec. on 3 2. Don Payne...................................12.6 3. Dirk Tavenner...............................13.5 TEAM ROPING 1. D. Begay/C. Todd .........16.9 sec. on 3 2. L. Brown/H. Koch........................18.5 (Tie) M. Appleton/C. Freeman 18.5 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Kade Bruno....................173 pts. on 2 2. Ira Dickinson.............................169.5 3. Two tied at....................................169 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Shane Hanchey.............25.2 sec. on 3 2. Shad Mayfield..............................25.4 (Tie) Taylor Santos.......................25.4 BARREL RACING 1. Jordon Briggs.............49.76 sec. on 3 2. Carlee Otero...............................49.80 3. Tracy Nowlin..............................50.26 BULL RIDING 1. Cannon Cravens..........174.5 pts. on 2 2. Josh Frost..................................173.5 3. Colton Kelly..................................168

“I loved riding bulls, and I rode them until my sophomore year of college (at Sheridan College in Wyoming). I just had trouble staying healthy,” Bruno said. “I would fall and hit my head and catch a toe. I was just always getting beat up. I think my parents are pretty happy I chose bronc riding.” Can you blame them? Only 22, Bruno is quickly becoming one of the best bronc riders in the world. He finished 11th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings last season after his first Wrangler NFR berth. He is racing back to Las Vegas, his 2023 season spangled with victories and confidence. “For sure. In the beginning of the year, I set my sights on getting back to the Finals. But the way the year has gone, the gold buckle is definitely on my mind,” said Bruno, whose recent victories include Greeley, Lakeside (Calif.) and Mackay (Idaho). “The rest of the summer is about staying healthy, getting on good horses and doing my job and then seeing where it all ends up after those 10 days in December.” Bruno continued sizzling on a wet night at the Greeley Stampede on June 29. He scored 173 points on two head to claim the saddle bronc title. He created momentum with an 88-point ride on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Thunder. He did not have a download of files on the horse, but trusted what his eyes told him from last season. “My traveling partner (saddle bronc rider) Wyatt Casper had an 87 on him in Tucson. I knew he was going to be a really good horse,” Bruno said. “He had a move or two out of there, but it worked out.” Bruno finished strong aboard Beutler & Son Rodeo’s That’s A Wrap, delivering an 85. He watched this horse buck off cowboys at the NFR. “He has so many good moves. I had to stay with him,” Bruno said. It’s hard to believe Bruno didn’t even ride his first bronc until his freshman year of high school. His first exposure was an adventure. However, there was something about it that made sense.

COWBOY CHRISTMAS TOP SCORES “I probably got bucked off my first 10 or 15 rides,” Bruno recalled. “But with the broncs, once I picked up the timing, it was a lot easier to finish the rides. And it was a lot easier for me to stay healthy. That was a big part of it.” Bruno always dreamed of living life on the road, traveling the country and competing. He embraces the competition, even if it is not in an event he imagined. “As a kid, I followed my dad. There were pictures of him on the walls. We were always going to a rodeo every weekend, whether it was a big event or a little county rodeo,” Bruno. “I love to rodeo. And there is a rhythm to bronc riding that sure makes it a lot of fun.” Complete results/Page 85

Tanya Hamner photo Saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno scored 173 points on two head to claim the title at the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede on June 29. Bruno, 22, is in the mix to qualify for his second consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

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