ProRodeo Sports News - May 28, 2021

the restroom (at the gas station) off the exit,” Smith said. “I turned my blinker on and got off on the exit ramp and my brake pedal just fell straight to the floor. I was like, ‘Boys, we are not going anywhere tonight because I do not have any brakes.’ I downshifted and got us stopped, and as soon as I turned to go left into the gas station my front left tire fell off. “I was halfway out in the intersection and the tire was under my axle, luckily, and we were able to get to the side of the road. My tire popped. It ruined the rim, and we called a tow truck. The tow truck came and picked up my truck, but it wasn’t easy because I had a Capri camper on the back.” With no transportation, Selz and Mize improvised and rented a U-Haul to get to Spanish Fork because they were competing that night. “Trevor, Casey and I get to the tow-truck place, and at that time Winnemucca didn’t have taxi cabs,” Smith said. “Casey was nice enough to get a hotel. We loaded up all the stuff we could because this tow-truck place looked sketchy and walked to the hotel – with my dog – which was like four blocks away.” Harp remembers the journey well. “When we started walking, I saw a homeless guy smoking a cigarette and I asked him if I could bum a smoke,” Harp said. “I remember Cain telling me, ‘You don’t smoke,’ and I told him, ‘I’m so over this, so I do now.’” The three frazzled cowboys made it to the hotel and had to make a quick judgement call. “We didn’t want to pay the pet deposit, so we put Dory through the

window,” Smith said. “We spent two nights inWinnemucca, Nevada. We couldn’t really go anywhere, but there was a good little diner next door where we could go eat. I would say Dory was like a year or two at the time and she loved the trip. She was a little crazy in the room jumping on the beds, but she had a lot of fun.” Smith’s truck got fixed and the cowboys got back on the road. “The guy at the shop was super nice, and he cut me a little bit of a deal since we were rodeo guys,” Smith said. “He told me he was friends with bronc riders Joe and SamHarper, and their dad saw us getting towed. He came up and offered us to stay at his place, but they were a little way out of town, and I wanted to be close to my truck if they fixed it quick, so we could get on the road.” The timing of Smith’s truck breaking down was in line with how he was riding. “I wasn’t riding good that particular week, so I was already upset,” Smith said. “Between Salinas and Cheyenne, I think we had like three days off. We were just going to ease on up there and hang out a little bit because it was Cheyenne. We made it in time to ride in Cheyenne, but I didn’t win any money, which was par for the course for the trip.” The story did have a silver lining though. Smith is still driving the truck and Dory is happy and healthy. “I’ve never had any more problems with it, and Dory is doing great,” he said.

Yoko Kobayashi photo Cain Smith failed to make the whistle on Flying U Rodeo’s Bringin Trouble at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo in Hayward, Calif., in July 2018. Smith lives in Florida and competes primarily in the Southeastern Circuit.

ProRodeo Sports News 5/28/2021

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