ProRodeo Sports News | March 4, 2022

EDITOR’S LETTER TRACY RENCK San Antonio, Tucson have memorable performances

W hen the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut down the world in March of 2020, rodeo found a way to survive. By the third week of May 2020 the Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days started things back up. The COVID-19 pandemic no doubt played havoc with the PRCA schedule in 2020 and 2021 with rodeos having to hustle to make things work due to crowd restrictions in place. Well, the pandemic seemed like a distant memory on the final night of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Feb. 26 at the AT&T Center. The sellout crowd of 16,000 cheered on the contestants as they vied for their share of the $1 million-plus purse at the NFR Playoff Series presented by PendletonWhisky rodeo. And some of PRCA’s biggest superstars shined. ProRodeo’s Kaycee Feild, PRCA’s record holder with six bareback riding world titles, won San Antonio for the fourth time. He also won in 2011, 2013, 2015. StetsonWright, a five-time world champ, was the saddle bronc winner for the first time to go with his 2021 bull riding crown. Four-time world champion tie-down roper Tuf Cooper was a first-time San Antonio winner. Bull rider Sage Kimzey, the seven-time world champion, added his fourth San Antonio title to go with his 2014-16 victories. Not long after his saddle bronc riding victory lap, Wright gave the crowd a bonus in the bull riding finals. Wright had an 88-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s Wild Onion but was awarded a re-ride when the bull stumbled after a couple of bucks.

The 88-point ride would have givenWright a third-place finish and a $6,000 check, but he was having none of it. Wright elected to take a re-ride and this time he had an 88.5-point trip on Andrews Rodeo’s Alley-Oop, but the bull stumbled late, and the re-ride option was given again. That’s whenWright showed his true championship colors. He told officials “Bring him in,” for another re-ride – and the crowd went wild. Unfortunately, Wright didn’t make the whistle on his third bull in a 15-minute span, but he did show cowboy grit. Opting out was not an option – winning was. His competitive spirit is endearing and that’s why he has legions of fans. Wright wasn’t left empty-handed as he earned a rodeo-best $36,750. A day after San Antonio finished, Feb. 27, the celebration continued at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., a stop on the NFR Playoff Series presented by PendletonWhisky. The 97th Tucson Rodeo, which was canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic, was highlighted by three new rodeo records – two by saddle bronc rider Brody Cress for his 92-point ride in the finals on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Killer Bee and his two-head average score of 178 points and one by bareback rider Jess Pope for his 179.5 points in the average. What was great to see was more people than ever watched the action in Tucson. The rodeo set an all-time attendance record with more than 55,000 spectators over six days. Bull rider Trey Kimzey, Sage’s younger brother, earned a rodeo-best $9,104 in Tucson. Electrifying performances, record crowds are hopefully trends that will continue as the PRCA season shifts into the spring.

Tracy Renck is the editor of the ProRodeo

Sports News . He previously served more than seven years as a media coordinator at the PRCA. He has three decades of experience in sports journalism with the last several consumed by ProRodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 3/4/2022

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