ProRodeo Sports News - July 8, 2022

Rodeo three times, and he also received an associate degree in ag business from Sheridan and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary fromCSC in December of 2020. “Going to Sheridan and Chadron I was able to grow with guys on my rodeo teams as we evolved into the sport,” Bloomquist said.

knows how to get there, they can help you push to levels you didn’t even think you had. “I know I heard Tanner say a couple of times that younger guys like me help him remember why he loves this so much. It makes it so much fun to go down the road.” Long nights and traveling across the country from rodeo to

“Obviously getting on bucking horses is my favorite part, but oddly my second favorite part is driving the graveyard shift. I love it. Give me some coffee and we will go until the sun comes up.” – KYLE BLOOMQUIST

Bloomquist knew if he had any hope of competing on the PRCA circuit he would have to save up some money for the travel. He landed a job as a cook at The Ridge, a popular restaurant in Chadron. “In the COVID-19 year in 2020, we didn’t get to rodeo a lot,” Bloomquist said. “I knew I had to make some money to pay the bills, have some extra spending money and have some money to be able to rodeo in 2021 when they opened things up. No regrets. I was going to do whatever I needed to in order to rodeo.” In February 2020, Bloomquist had huge win, capturing the title at Rodeo Rapid City (S.D.) with an 88-point ride on Burch Rodeo’s Fire Fly to earn $4,547. Fast-forward to June of 2022, and Bloomquist is making a push to make his Wrangler NFR debut. He entered the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo in the top 35 in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with nearly $20,000 earned. “I have always wanted to be at the Reno Rodeo since I was a little kid and I’m excited to kick off the summer run here,” he said. What’s even cooler for Bloomquist is one of the cowboys he’s traveling with is his boyhood idol, bareback rider Tanner Aus, a five-time qualifier for the Wrangler NFR (2015-17, 2019-2020). Aus is fromGranite Falls, Minn., 30 minutes from Bloomquist’s hometown in Raymond. “This is awesome,” Bloomquist said. “The first time I met Tanner I was in fourth grade, and he was getting on bareback horses in high school. I’ve looked up to Tanner my whole life. It is cool to be traveling with guys like him because you learn a lot and when you have someone right there in front of you who has been there and done that and

rodeo is something Bloomquist relishes. “Obviously getting on bucking horses is my favorite part, but oddly my second favorite part is driving the graveyard shift,” Bloomquist said. “I love it. Give me some coffee and we will go until the sun comes up.” Bareback rider Cole Reiner, who qualified for the Wrangler NFR in 2020-21, was full of praise for Bloomquist. “When I first met Kyle it was at Sheridan College,” said Reiner, 23. “He had just come off some high school wins and decent college accomplishments. My first year in college he won the region and rode great. Things didn’t play out how he wanted that summer, and he came back to school in Sheridan and got in shape. Ever since he got out in the pro ranks, he has been doing good. “Last year he came down to Texas with me for the wintertime and he went to a bunch of fall Texas rodeos and won a little bit of money. While he was in Texas, he spent a lot of time on spur boards and in the gym. He has put a lot of work into it. He definitely has a bright future in rodeo.” The Western way of life is something Bloomquist loves. “We are pretty old school and work hard and help people when they are in need and do anything for anybody,” he said. As Bloomquist chases his NFR dream he always tuning and trying to get better. “It’s exhilarating,” said Bloomquist said about the rush of a great ride. “You can feel everybody in that crowd and in your blood. It is feeling I would like to have a lot more. You have to go into this with all of your heart and at 110 percent. You have to go into it that way or this sport will eat you up.”

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