ProRodeo Sports News - June 12, 2020

Toby Collins scores biggest win of career

BY MATT NABER A ustralian bull rider Toby Collins was getting his bearings just as the COVID-19 pandemic put ProRodeo competition on pause. But without missing a beat, Collins made the biggest win of his ProRodeo career at the Super Series Finish in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of May. The multi-event cowboy’s best season since his 2015 rookie year came in 2017 when he won $33,423 combined in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He’s on track to beat his personal best. Collins kicked off the 2020 calendar

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year with his first 90-point ride at one of the best possible places to do it, the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver. “It’d been a long time coming, but I was happy to get it,” Collins said. When asked how he’s doing it, Collins maintained his modesty. “I wish I could figure it out exactly and I would get to doing it,” he laughed. “I don’t know what the magic recipe is for it or I’d start putting it into practice.” Collins’ longtime friend Chet Johnson was by Collins’ side for both milestone events. “I’m starting to think I’m his good luck charm,” Johnson said. “It’s too bad we got shut down because he was hitting his stride, but apparently it didn’t hurt him at all.” Collins’ Fort Worth trip was worthwhile, earning a $10,469 boost in the 2020 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. “I figured I’d get a couple thousand, but not $10,000,” Collins laughed when he heard the news. Collins and Trey Kimzey made the only qualified rides during Round 1 of Bracket 4, and the bulls won in Round 2. Round 3 was the 27-year-old cowboy’s time to shine, as Collins made the only qualified ride, an 86-point trip on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Louisiana Man. Although the stands were empty, the arena erupted with applause from fellow cowboys. “You hate to reiterate what a great guy he is, but he’s one of those guys everyone loves the second they meet him,” Johnson said. “He truly deserves this because he’s turning into a great bull rider. “Australians are usually wilder, but Toby isn’t at all. He stays relaxed the whole time. You can tell he’s excited when he has a big grin on his face.” VALUABLE ENDEAVOR

(2005, 2007-08 and 2013) and believes Collins has what it takes to make it. “I honestly think this is the year he could do it,” Johnson said. Collins grew up competing in Australian rodeos and made his North American debut in 2013. “There are a lot of guys who would come over here, and it was built up like a big deal to come over,” Collins said. “The only way to watch real rodeos back home was NFR tapes since we didn’t have the internet live streams. So, you just watched the Finals and heard stories about others doing good. Once I got the opportunity to do it, I got a ticket, gave it a look and really enjoyed it and kept coming back.” He strategically splits his time between the U.S. and Australia so that he’s home for Christmas and back in North America for Cowboy Christmas. “I’m not really a fan of the cold,” Collins laughed. Although he’s on the other side of the planet, Collins’ parents watched him compete live on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. “They didn’t watch the first two rounds live since it would have been 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., but they went back and watched those and saw my third round as it was happening,” Collins said. “It doesn’t seem that far away now.” Collins is no stranger to ProRodeo success, having won the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Ore., in 2017. “We have a true love for the sport, and when you start getting those wins it’s that much more addictive,” Johnson said. “It snowballs on you and it just becomes part of you, and he is going to want it more.” Collins is more eager than ever to compete but hasn’t made any concrete plans since COVID-19 has made 2020 an unpredictable season. “It’s hard to say since I don’t know what’s ahead and THE WONDER FROM DOWN UNDER

76 The Super Series Finish completed the bracketed competition that was cut short by COVID-19 in mid-March, 76 days before the May 29-31 competition in Fort Worth, Texas. 3 The number of rounds that

ProRodeo athletes in

Bracket 4 and Bracket 5 had to compete in in a single day.

Collins has something new to grin about. Winning Fort Worth launched him from outside the top 50 in the world standings to 33rd with $14,448. “My goal and dream since I was a little kid has been to ride at the NFR, and this is probably the closest I’ve gotten to having a shot at it so far, so I’m pretty keen to keep chasing it,” Collins said. Johnson is a five-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

what’s not,” Collins said. “I’ll just keep going, keep enjoying them and go to as many as I can and do as well as I can – just keep ticking along and see how it goes.”

ProRodeo Sports News 6/12/2020

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