ProRodeo Sports News - May 29, 2020

Barreling Through Bull rider Hessman aims for Prairie Circuit title RAM CIRCUIT SPOTLIGHT PRAIRIE

BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI T yler Hessman never heard the whistle. The crowd inside the AT&T Arena in San Antonio that night was too loud. Hessman had the biggest round win of his career, posting a 91-point ride on Beutler & Son’s Shootin’ Stars, a bull that routinely makes the trip to the annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Hessman earned $2,500 for winning Round 3 of Bracket 1. He might not have heard the whistle because of the deafening crowd, but he saw the pickup men approaching while he was still on Shooting Star. “I’d never been there,” Hessman said. “I’d always watched it on TV, and it doesn’t do it justice. That is a big stadium. I didn’t even hear the buzzer when it went off. The only reason I got off was because (bullfighters Chuck) Swisher and (Cody) Webster stepped in. I thought, ‘Well, it must be time.’ It was so loud you couldn’t hear anything. It was pretty sweet.” Hessman, who lives in Meade, Kan., is leading the Prairie Circuit standings in bull riding. His wins in the 2020 season have come at the PRCA Xtreme Bull Midwest Challenge in Salina, Kan., in October and that round win in San Antonio in February. “It’s pretty fun,” said Hessman, looking to qualify for his first RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo. “I got a little jump on some guys. I was going to go to more circuit rodeos this year and try and win the circuit. I got a good start, so that’s a good possibility.” Hessman, whose dad was a bull rider in a different organization, picked up the sport as a kid until he broke several ribs in eighth grade when a bull stepped on him. “He was a bigger bull, probably bigger than I should have been on,” Hessman said. “I was 14, I think, and he was 1,600-1,700 pounds. Getting two back feet on your chest kind of scares a kid.” Hessman steered clear of bull riding until his brother put in a good word for him at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. It landed Hessman a partial scholarship, one that grew with Hessman’s success. SHOOTIN’ FOR THE STARS

Photos courtesy Tyler Hessman Tyler Hessman feeds cattle, above, while working at Cattle Health Management. At left, a pair of leather chaps created by Tyler Hessman.

FAST FACTS AGE: 26 RESIDENCE: Meade, Kan. EVENT: Bull riding CIRCUIT: Prairie RECENT SUCCESS: Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo; won PRCA Xtreme Bull Midwest Challenge in Salina, Kan. Won Bracket 1, Round 3 at San

ProRodeo Sports News 5/29/2020

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