ProRodeo Sports News - March 3, 2023

TUCSON, ARIZ.

Ky Hamilton finds his groove with win Got Rhythm BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T he way athletes work out and eat are nearly unrecognizable from 10 years ago. Personal trainers wring out every last calorie. Nutritionists and chefs make sure when athletes chew the fat, its limited to conversation. But there is still a place for old LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS

TOP MONEY EARNER TOP SCORES

conventions in competition. Ky Hamilton, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, does not live in the gray area of trying hard. He jumps aboard bulls for one simple reason. “It’s definitely to win the world title. I show up every weekend to win. If you are not in it to win the world, you might as well stay at home,” said Hamilton, who has finished fourth twice in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings, including last season. “The NFR, in my mind, is a given. That doesn’t motivate me.” The singular focus drives Hamilton to succeed and employ brutally honest self-awareness. He struggled some this winter, and recently made two significant adjustments to steer his season back into the fast lane. “I got on some practice bulls. I have been having a hard time with bulls that turn into my hand. It was time to get on some bulls and get it straightened out,” Hamilton explained. “And I also decided to take my helmet off. I could see what was going on a lot clearer, so I could fix it a lot quicker. At this point, we all know how to ride bulls. It just comes down to a head game and maintaining confidence.” The repetition and corrections paid dividends. Hamilton won the bull riding competition at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., posting 174.5 points on two head. Hamilton led after the first round with an 85-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s RedThunder, then clinched the event by delivering an 89.5-point trip on the same contractor’s Greeley Hat Works Viper. “That was a really good time. It was definitely one of my favorites,” said the Australian native, who calls Utah home after training in Texas for several years. “I got on that bull in Loveland, Colorado and didn’t make it to the first corner. He has really weird timing and cranks around, and it threw me off. This time was different. I was ready for a dog fight. And it worked out.” Hamilton’s run of success is not limited to Tucson. He also showed out well at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, reaching the finals and finishing fourth on Feb. 25. Though only 23 years old, Hamilton has been competing since he was 11, beginning his training on barrels in his parent’s backyard. He became so good, so young, he gravitated to the United States. “I liked the fact that you can rodeo for a living here. That beats working for anyone else,” Hamilton said. “You can go to so many events. Back home, you can only go on the weekend. You have to have a day job in Australia.” Hamilton grew up watching and studying the greats of the sport. He draws on those early days for inspiration. “Just the fact that you can take something that is so hard to do for so many people and make it look easy is cool,” Hamilton said. “The goal is to make it look easy and effortless.” So, does he have a favorite memory? The long pause said everything about his singular goal. “Going to the Finals, that’s awesome,” Hamilton said. “But a lot of guys make it to the Finals. I am not doing this to make it. I want to win it.”

Hagen Houck ($11,243, tie down roping) BAREBACK RIDING

Houck

1. Tim O’Connell................ 165 pts. on 2 2. Clay Jorgensen..........................164.5 3. Luke Thrash..................................164 STEER WRESTLING 1. Dalton Massey..............16.5 sec. on 3 2. Blake Knowles. ............................16.7 3. Ty Erickson..................................17.5 TEAM ROPING 1. J. Torres/D. Ahlstrom. ....9.6 sec. on 2 2. C. Duty/S. Sporer.........................10.5 3. R. Minor/B. Minor........................10.7 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Zeke Thurston............. 176.5 pts. on 2 2. Wyatt Casper.............................171.5 3. Kole Ashbacher..........................166.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Hagen Houck................17.9 sec. on 2 2. Michael Otero. .............................18.9 3. Hunter Herrin...............................19.0 BARREL RACING 1. Jimmie Smith-Tew......34.55 sec. on 2 2. Nicole Driggers..........................34.79 3. Amberleigh Moore.....................34.92 BULL RIDING 1. Ky Hamilton................ 174.5 pts. on 2 2. Jestyn Woodward.........................174 3. Shawn Bennett Jr.......................170.5

Complete results/Page 53

Kent Soule photo

Ky Hamilton got his season on track with an 89.5-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Greeley Hat Works Viper to win average in Tucson, Ariz.

ProRodeo Sports News 3/3/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 3/3/2023

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