ProRodeo Sports News - June 15, 2018

In their first year of roping together, Max Kuttler and Brandon Bates are having their best season to date. Their most recent win came at the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo, which placed Kuttler 21st and Bates 27th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings as of June 12. Kent Soule photo

BY MATT NABER A newly formed team roping duo is experiencing a high level of success thanks to winning the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo. Max Kuttler and Brandon Bates have been competing in the PRCA for several years and winning Sisters has given themmore momentum going into the summer run than ever before. “It’s always a really good rodeo and there’s good talent there, the best in the world,” Bates said. The duo didn’t know anything about their steer beforehand, but they knew the steers were fresh. “The steers were really trying, and I made up my mind that I was going to get out really good and make a fast run or break the barrier,” Kuttler said. Kuttler and Bates topped their competition by one-third of a second with their 5.5-second run and earned $3,594 each. “He got a good start over there and it let me throw fast, and it felt faster than it was,” Bates said. “We were smiling afterward. I’ve gone there I don’t know how many times. It’s a beautiful buckle and I’ve never had the SistersAct

Kuttler, Bates nab Oregon rodeo team roping title

opportunity to win it, and now we got it. It’s one of those buckles that’s pretty unique and says, ‘Sisters Rodeo’ on it, it’s just very, very cool.” Kuttler and Bates were the last ones out June 8, but the rodeo wasn’t over until June 10. “I didn’t think it (their time) would hold,” Kuttler said. Kuttler, 26, competed at Sisters a few years ago as a heeler and has had his eye on the Sisters Rodeo buckle ever since. “I don’t care if the rodeo paid $500, that buckle is cool,” Kuttler said. “We were so jacked after we made that run.” Kuttler was riding Folsom, a 9- or 10-year-old American Quarter Horse he trained after buying him from Ike Folsom. “He (Ike Folsom) never had a steer roped on him in an arena,” Kuttler said. “He had cowboyed on him, but I trained himmyself only the year before last, so it’s pretty special to me. He scores good and could work a bit on his pacing, but he’s a good horse.” Bates, 36, competed on Hippy, his 14-year-old American Quarter Horse bought fromNick Coats. “He’s (Hippy) just a cool dude, he doesn’t do too much – just enough to

TOPS AT SISTERS — June 8-10

ALL-AROUND COWBOY Shane Erickson $1,487

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Trenten Montero .................... 81.5 pts. 2. Grant Denny .................................... 81 3. (tie) Clayton Biglow ...................... 80.5 Buck Lunak ................................... 80.5

STEER WRESTLING 1. Josh Garner ............... 10.1 sec. on two 2. Cody Cabral .................................. 10.2 3. Sean Santucci ............................... 10.5 4. Travis Taruscio ............................. 10.6

TEAM ROPING 1. M. Kuttler/B. Bates ................. 5.5 sec. 2. B. Reay/T. Duby .............................. 5.8 3. (tie) N. Wyatt/T. Porter ................... 5.9 B. Beers/C. Robinson ..................... 5.9

Tie-down roping and team roping

ProRodeo Sports News 6/15/2018

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