ProRodeo Sports News May 3, 2019

TORRINGTON, WYO.

Double Winner

Patterson wins NCFSR; first two-time champion BY MATT NABER S teer roper Rocky Patterson was thinking about slowing down on the rodeo trail. But becoming the first two-time winner of the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping changed his tune. And now, he’s looking forward to competing alongside his son, Cole, and working toward a 25th qualification to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. “This is huge, it’s not just that it’s two of them (NCFSR wins),” Patterson said. “After the (2018 NFSR) Finals I thought I was about done. It takes motivation to win, and I had lost some of that. But last spring, my oldest son (Cole) graduated college, and he started steer roping and that re-energized me. …He’s motivated and focused, and that keeps me from getting lazy. When we’re at rodeos, I’mmore concerned with how he is doing than how I’m doing.” After 27 years of ProRodeo should have done it twice before now,” laughed Patterson, who also won in 2012. “It’s not every day you win a national title.” Seeing his son compete, combined with winning the NCFSR, breathed new life into Patterson’s 2019 season. “I’m going to work my butt off and try to make the Finals (NFSR) one more time,” Patterson said. Patterson was competing on his 11-year-old horse, Michael Jordan. But if you ask Patterson’s friend and fellow NCFSR competitor Chet Herren, the horse is actually named LeBron James. “Chet and I have an argument over who would win in a game of one on one,” Patterson laughed. “I think Michael has all the rings, so you can’t argue with the hardheaded jerk.” Before winning the NCFSR, Patterson was 38th in the 2019 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $3,891. His Torrington, Wyo., efforts were worth $5,213, launching him to 21st in the world standings with $11,085, as of April 29. “This is really good because I was 38th in the standings, but I didn’t know it until my wife (Shelly) informed me of it this morning,” Patterson laughed. “I’ve won a lot of rodeos, but this one is special because you have the best ropers in the country here, but the committee also makes it special. Nobody bends over backwards and works as hard as them.” Patterson competition, the 53-year-old, Kansas cowboy competed at the NFSR in 1994-95 and has returned every year since 1997. Now, he’s going down in ProRodeo history as the first two-time winner of the NCFSR. “That’s always good, but I probably

SEMIFINAL ROUND 1. Tuf Cooper ........... 9.0 sec. 2. J. Tom Fisher .............. 9.3 3. Rocky Patterson ......... 9.5 4. Ora Taton .................... 9.9 FINAL ROUND 1. Rocky Patterson .. 9.2 sec. 2. Ora Taton .................... 9.8 3. J. Tom Fisher ............ 12.4 4. Tuf Cooper ................ 20.6 NCFSR SCORES

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Record Setter Reo Lohse set an NCFSR record with

his 8.4-second run in Round 6. The previous record was 9.1 seconds in Round 5, set by Bryce Davis in the 2011 event. Fast and Furious Making the cut to the final round required making a run in under 10 seconds, a feat that was accomplished only seven times during the first six rounds of the 2019 NCFSR.

ProRodeo Sports News 5/3/2019

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