ProRodeo Sports News - May 18, 2018

GUYMON PIONEER DAYS RODEO

Raelee Self, Melancon’s girlfriend and a barrel racer, could see that things were certainly out of sorts for him. “I knew something wasn’t right,” Self said. “When he first mentioned it, you could see it a little bit, and in the way that he walked, he started to kind of limp a little bit. We knew something wasn’t right, and as stubborn as he is, once we finally got him to go to the doctor, they told us what it was and that we needed to find a time to do the surgery. “No time is a good time because all year is rodeo season. The hardest part was watching him struggle through the pain.” Melancon did as most cowboys do, toughing it out. His fortitude speaks volumes, and according to him, you can’t quit on your goals, especially when they’re well within reach. “I think it shows that if you want it bad enough, you’ll do whatever it takes to get there,” Melancon said. Things haven’t been all bad for Melancon, however. In January, he and Self welcomed their daughter Lariat into the world, and Melancon has taken to fatherhood. “She’s definitely a blessing,” Melancon said. “She makes it fun. She makes it a lot harder to leave to go to rodeos, but I know that I’m doing it for them, so it makes it that much better.” Melancon and Self met while they were rodeoing at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. Now, with a baby in tow, Self said life is as exciting as ever. “It really hasn’t slowed us down any,” she said. “He goes, and I still go, as well. We make it work. She’s as tough as her daddy is. She just goes along with whatever we decide to do that day.” Healthy, confident and fueled by family, Melancon is prepared to make up lost ground during the summer run. If Melancon’s success at Guymon is any indication, it would be unwise to bet against him. “I’m excited to get out there and do what I did last year,” Melancon said. “Making it back to the Finals in December, I’m excited about that. I know I’m getting a late start and I feel like I’m behind, but I’m excited to get back out there and get back into the Top 15.”

cowboy had eyes on Pete Carr’s bucking bull at the Wharton County (Texas) Youth Fair Xtreme Bulls event the weekend before Guymon. Even so, he was unable to get much of a sense as to what kind of ride Chigger would present. After taking the bull for 89 points, Melancon said Chigger didn’t do him any favors. “I never felt comfortable,” Melancon said. “When I came off, I wasn’t expecting to be 89. If you’re out of position just an inch, you feel like you’re out of position by a mile. I felt like I was a little bit out and it made me feel like I was way out of position. I just kind of had to grit my teeth and hustle the whole time, but I was able to get it done.” Pain is often in the job description for cowboys. For bull riders, perhaps more so. Melancon said that a year of absorbing the agony of a herniated disk became too much to bear. “It was a pain, for sure,” he said. “I got to where I could deal with it, and at rodeos, it got to the point where it hurt so bad, that it never got any worse. I dealt with it for about eight months, and it ended up being a mental thing. I put it in the back of my head and didn’t worry about it. “At the Finals, I had injections done to help the pain, and it helped for about the first five or six nights, but then it started coming back. It wasn’t too bad, but I was glad to have it fixed.”

After winning the average at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Roundup, Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp maintained their momentum to take the average title at Guymon. Their 24.1-second three-head average netted the 2017 NFR qualifiers $4,336 each. Dale Hirschman photo

Complete results on Page 43

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Jake Wright ........................... 84.5 pts. 2. Ross Griffin ..................................... 84 3. Tyrell Smith ..................................... 83 4. Chase Brooks ............................... 82.5

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Reese Riemer ......... 30.2 sec. on three 2. Tim Pharr ..................................... 33.4 3. Timber Moore ............................... 35.1 4. Jerome Schneeberger .................. 35.3

STEER ROPING 1. (tie) Tony Reina ........ 49.6 sec. on four Rocky Patterson ....... 49.6 sec. on four 3. Trenton Johnson ........................... 50.5 4. Jim Locke ..................................... 51.6

BULL RIDING 1. Cole Melancon .......................... 89 pts. 2. Denton Fugate .............................. 87.5 3. (tie) Trey Benton III ....................... 86.5 Laramie Mosley ............................ 86.5

ProRodeo Sports News 5/18/2018

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