ProRodeo Sports News - May 29, 2020

COWBOYS & PARTNERS

Trading Places

Cody Snow, Junior Nogueira now teaming up PRCA ProRodeo file photo Junior Nogueira reacts to the crowd after a run at the 2016 Wrangler NFR where he won his first world title as the all-around champion.

BY TRACY RENCK T eam roping heeler Junior Nogueira, who has placed second in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings the last four seasons, has decided on a new partner. Nogueira is joining forces with header Cody Snow, who has qualified for the last four Wrangler National Finals Rodeos and won the team roping average in 2019. Nogueira lives in Lipan, Texas, and Snow lives in Stephenville, 25 minutes away. “Cody is a great header, and he has some great horses,”

15 and make the NFR,” Nogueira said.

Nogueira is going to rope one steer with Driggers at the Super Series Finish in Fort Worth, Texas, May 29. Then, he is hopeful he and Snow will be able to compete at the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo, June 10-13. In 2016, Nogueira became the first Brazilian world champion in PRCA history when he won the all-around title after earning $231,728. He finished second in heeling that season with $230,284. “This is going to be really cool,” Nogueira said. “Cody is a younger header, and he’s just getting better every year. I’m

Snow

excited to rope with him.” A year ago, Snow teamed with heeler WesleyThorp to win the average at the NFR. The duo won Round 7 and placed in six rounds to finish with 43.8 seconds on nine head. Thorp won the team roping heeling world title. Nogueira, who was the PRCA | Resistol Team Roping Heeler Rookie of the Year in 2014, said he and Driggers are still good friends and occasionally rope together. Driggers and Nogueira tied the team roping world record with a 3.3-second run in Round 9 of the 2017 NFR. They also won a total of six rounds at the Finals since 2017 – Rounds 1 and 9 in 2017, Round 8 in 2018, and Rounds 8 (split the win), 9 and 10 in 2019. The three horses Nogueira will be riding the remainder of the season are Timon, Green Card and Hali. Snow will be roping on Annie, 12, and Burt, 17. With PRCA rodeos on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nogueira has been spending time with his wife, Jaqueline, and their daughter, Isabella GasparimNogueira, who was born Feb. 13.

said Nogueira, 29. “He lives close to my house, and your partner has to be close to you so you can practice at least two or three times a week. That way we can get to run together and get to know each other and our horses. Cody and I have roped a little bit before this. One time in California we did well at some jackpots ... around here in Texas.” ProRodeo Sports News reported in April that Nogueira’s former partner Kaleb Driggers was teaming up with Cory Petska, the 2017 PRCA world champion heeler. Snow had been roping with Paul Eaves. “This is great getting to rope with Junior, and I’m super happy that I have this opportunity,” said Snow, 23. “I just know if I do my job, he’s going to rope them. He ropes great and I won’t have anything to worry about as long as I turn them. I’m ready to start going, and I know we’re ready to go.” Driggers and Nogueira are 23rd and 27th, respectively, in the 2020 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $9,796 each. Snow and Eaves are eighth and 10th in their respective world standings. “He (Cody) is in the Top 15, and I didn’t have a good winter, so I need to try and find some rodeos where we can go so I can try and get in the Top

ProRodeo Sports News 5/29/2020

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