ProRodeo Sports News - May 29, 2020

GETTING BACK & STAYING BUSY

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Clay Guradipee Garrett Smith, shown competing at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, cracked his vertebra in his back in Round 3 and battled through it. Finally healthy, Smith won Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days over Memorial Day weekend.

said. “I got hurt at the NFR in Round 3. I got bucked off (Powder River Rodeo’s Air Assault), and it (his back) started bothering me. I just kept competing at the NFR because I couldn’t hurt it any worse and it wasn’t bad enough to have surgery. After that, I took as long as I could off because I felt like I couldn’t miss The American. Now that we have had all this time off, it has been really good for me. My back feels awesome.” After getting plenty of rest, Smith expediated his recovery with a Garrett Smith captures win as rodeo returns in Business BACK

BY TRACY RENCK S haking off rust might have been a problem for some bull riders at Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days. Not Garrett Smith. Despite not competing in a ProRodeo since mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith looked as sharp as ever, winning the event with an 89-point ride on 4L &Diamond S Rodeo’s Rustler’s Roost. “That felt awesome, that’s what I have been waiting to do,” said Smith, 25. “Even finally just getting to rodeo and getting to see the rodeo family was incredible. I had been practicing, and practice is fun, but it was nice to get out here and compete.” The Rexburg, Idaho, cowboy earned $1,805 for his performance. “I had never been on that bull, but I had seen him quite a bit,” Smith said. “He felt really good. They said he’s supposed to usually be around to the left and then maybe go back right, but he had two big ones, and around to the right we went. That bull felt amazing. I was just happy to be back and getting to rodeo, that (shaking off the rust) didn’t matter too much. I was just excited because that was only my third rodeo of the year.” Before Cave Creek, Smith competed at Parada Del Sol in Scottsdale, Ariz., and RFD-TV’s The American, both the first weekend of March. “I missed rodeos because I was hurt, I had a cracked vertebra,” Smith

ProRodeo Sports News 5/29/2020

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