ProRodeo Sports News July 9, 2021

RENO RODEO RENO, NEV. Tilden Hooper back on top Tilden Hooper kept his championship train rolling at the Reno Rodeo. Hooper won the bareback riding average with 254.5 points on three head. “It was 2011 when I won it (Reno) the last time, and just to get to still be riding and competing at this level, I feel so thankful,” Hooper said. “I really feel thankful to get to be doing what I love.” Hooper won RFD-TV’s The American at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, March 7 and earned $55,000 toward the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. He added $14,080 in Reno earnings. “This has been a magical year so far,” Hooper said. “Winning these big rodeos is great, but they pale in comparison to having my new boy. It just puts your life in perspective. I’m just thankful that he’s healthy.” Hooper’s wife, Melissa, gave birth to Tell McClain on Jan. 8. It was the couple’s first child. Hooper, a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier (2008- 09, 2011, 2014, 2018-20), is keeping a simple approach to 2021. “This sport is great,” Hooper said. “It’s not something you have to grow up around or even have been familiar with in the past. It is a sport I truly believe 100% that if you put everything you have into it, it will give it back to you. “I just feel like God has blessed me with the ability to do this and the opportunities he has put in front of me, and I have just tried to take advantage of every opportunity he has given me.”

Jake Link photo Bareback rider Tilden Hooper continued his career-best season by grabbing top honors at the Reno Rodeo.

Smith on rise with saddle bronc win Tegan Smith is quickly making his name known in the world of saddle bronc riding, and winning the Reno Rodeo sure helps. Smith secured his first silver spurs in Reno with an 86-point ride on Rosser Rodeo’s California Dreamin in the finals June 26. That ride locked up the average title for the Winterset, Iowa, cowboy with 254.5 points on three head. “I knew that horse because my traveling partner Jake Finlay was 87 on her earlier this year and he told me she was the best feeling horse,” said Smith, 23. “I waited all week to come back, knowing I needed that draw and it worked like a charm for me.” Smith is aiming to make his Wrangler NFR debut and he’s in a position to make that happen. He’s sitting eighth in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $44,127, after top three finishes in Greeley, Colo., Jordan, Mont., and Reno. “Everybody is working toward qualifying for the NFR right now, I want to be one of them at the end of the season,” Smith said. “When you get a good draw, you have to take advantage of it, because every night I’m going against the best in the world. “This has been an awesome run. When it’s as hot as it is right now, you have to keep it rolling. That’s about all you can do in the sport of rodeo.”

Jake Link photo Tegan Smith has gone from relatively unknown cowboy to right in the mix to make the NFR, especially after capturing the Reno Rodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/9/2021

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