ProRodeo Sports News - Nov. 1, 2019

Kent Soule photo Steer roper Cole Patterson competes during the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo, which ended Sept. 2. Patterson is riding Dunny, owned by his dad. Dunny was chosen the Purina Horse of the Year presented by AQHA for steer roping on Oct. 4.

legendary Guy Allen, who has competed at the NFSR 33 times and won 18 steer roping world championships. Patterson is tied with Scott Snedecor with four steer roping world titles. Only Allen, Everett Shaw (6) and Trevor Brazile (6) have more steer roping gold buckles than the elder Patterson and Snedecor. Cole also wrapped up the 2019 PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year in steer roping. Rocky was the steer roping rookie of the year in 1992. “We really haven’t talked about what to expect for him (at the NFSR),” Rocky said. “It was kind of close to whether he was going to get into (the NFSR). We were just focused on him getting there.” The atmosphere of the NFSR will be nothing new to Cole. He’s been to most of the NFSRs his father has competed in. “I hope the set-up at the Kansas Star will be a good set-up for me, and any set-up is a good set-up if you can win,” Cole said. “I’m just going to try and enjoy it and not let it go by too fast because they say that weekend is a blur. It seems like the guys who get off to a good start there, they just keep winning, and guys who get off to a bad start, they can’t get it turned around. Hopefully, I will get off to a good start and not have time to think about things.” Cole’s march to his inaugural NFSR was fueled by his horsepower. His primary horse this season was Mr. Blackburn Chex 113 “Dunny;” owned by his dad. Dunny was chosen the Purina Horse of the Year presented by AQHA for steer roping on Oct. 4. “That horse doesn’t ever do anything to just drop your jaw but just always stays out of your way, and he never hurts you,” Cole said.

Cole clinched his spot in the NFSR, thanks to earning $1,876 in Stephenville, Texas, Sept. 27. “I was sweating a little bit,” Cole said. “Stephenville was super tough, and in the third round I was 9.4 seconds and placed in a tie for second in the round and placed fifth in the average. When they untied that steer, that was a relief. I rode over there and was uncinching my horse, and I told Rocky, that’s a sigh of relief, I’ve been looking for 30 days, and he said, me too.” Cole did his best to keep things in perspective as he chased the coveted NFSR bid. “You just can’t ever worry about the long-term picture,” Cole said. “If you just take it one steer at a time and make the best run you can every time you nod, eventually it will take care of itself. You may have some bad days, but if you do your job every time, eventually they will run the right steer in there for you.” Rocky earned $35,333 at last year’s NFSR to finish fourth in the world standings with $97,559. His biggest payday of the 2019 season came at the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping in Torrington, Wyo., April 27-28, where he earned $5,213 after winning the event. Cole’s top performance money-wise came when he earned $6,978 at Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, July 28. “October for steer ropers is still fairly busy, and then we will have three full weeks in November to practice,” Cole said. “I will probably try and get as many runs as I can. He (Rocky) may take a little bit more of a veteran approach.”

ProRodeo Sports News 11/1/2019

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