ProRodeo Sports News July 9, 2021

Star bull rider J.B. Mauney gets first career Reno win Statement win TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER

BY TRACY RENCK J .B. Mauney has established himself as one of the top bull riders of all time. Now, the superstar has decided to make his mark in the PRCA. Mauney made his presence felt in ProRodeo by capturing the Reno Rodeo for the first time in his career June 26. He won the two-head average with 176 points. “This is a big accomplishment,” said Mauney, 34. “I grew up watching Reno and the NFR and Cheyenne, and when I decided the first of this year I was just going to strictly rodeo, I wanted to come to the big ones and do well. This feels really good.” Mauney, who was making his first appearance at the Reno Rodeo since 2009, had an 87-point ride on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s C smoke in the short round before a sellout crowd of 9,000. “I had never seen that bull before and I didn’t know anything about him,” Mauney said. “They said he was good. That is all I knew. I do way better shooting from the hip. When I crawl up in that bucking chute there’s nothing else that matters than making the whistle.” Mauney earned $20,920 for his Reno performance. He entered Reno 14th in the world standings with $35,713 and moved up to sixth in the world standings with $57,283 after this effort. Mauney put his victory in motion when he won the long round at the Reno Rodeo with an 89-point ride on Flying 5 Rodeo’s 516. “I didn’t think about anything,” said Mauney, who earned $9,430 for that ride. “I nodded my head and kept my hand shut.” Mauney turned heads when he changed his season plans this year. “The first of the year I was going to those (other) bull ridings and the original plan was to try and make the Finals in both this year,” Mauney said. “We started hitting the road. I bought an RV and my wife (Samantha) and Jagger, 2 – our little boy is with me all the time – and we started going, and I told my wife I think I’m just going to try for the NFR and just it because I’m having way more fun doing this.” Mauney, who has been riding bulls for 16 years, has nothing left to prove in his event – except in the PRCA. “I love riding bulls,” Mauney said. “Growing up I watched the NFR, and I watched rodeos. I started rodeoing in high school and worked multiple events, so I was used to going to rodeos. “When I hit 18, I started going to bull ridings. There is always one thing I felt like I had not accomplished in my career and that was to make the NFR. “People always ask when I’m going to retire because I have been doing it so long, and I tell them I will retire when I feel like it. As long as I feel like I can show up and I can still ride,and I can compete and have a shot at winning, I will be coming.”

J.B. Mauney (bull riding, $20,920) BAREBACK RIDING

Mauney

Hooper

SUPER HOOPER Bareback rider Tilden Hooper is still chasing that elusive gold buckle and he’s making his best push ever to reach the top of the PRCA mountain this season. Hooper leads the PRCA | RAM World Standings and dollar victories. Hooper earned $55,000 that counted toward the world standings by winning RFD-TV’s The American in March and added another $14,080 for his second career Reno win. That $69,080 two rodeo haul has Hooper seeing gold. his year has been fueled by two big-

1. Tilden Hooper ............254.5 pts. on 3 2. Caleb Bennett ........................... 253.5 3. Kaycee Feild ................................ 251 STEER WRESTLING 1. Hunter Cure ................ 13.1 sec. on 2 2. Tyler Pearson ............................. 13.3 3. Jacob Talley ................................ 13.9 TEAM ROPING 1. D. Begay/C. Petska ...... 16.5 sec. on 3 2. R. Richard/J. Buhler ................... 17.8 3. Two tied at .................................. 18.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Tegan Smith ................. 251 pts. on 3 2. CoBurn Bradshaw .................... 250.5 3. Chase Brooks .............................. 247 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Justin Smith ............... 26.7 sec. on 3 2. Trenton Smith ............................ 27.9 3. Michael Otero ............................. 28.1 BARREL RACING 1. Wenda Johnson ........ 50.92 sec. on 3 2. Hailey Kinsel ............................. 50.94 3. Shelley Morgan ........................ 51.70 BULL RIDING 1. J.B. Mauney ............... 176.5 pts on 2 2. Stetson Wright ............................ 168 3. Lon Danley ............................... 165.5

Complete results/Page 70

ProRodeo Sports News 7/9/2021

ProRodeo.com

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