ProRodeo Sports News - October 19, 2018

BY MATT NABER C limbing to the top of the standings is tough, no matter if it’s the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings, the PRCA | Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Standings or any of the circuit standings. But unlike the rest, cowboys only have one chance to make it to the top of the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings. As they learned how to compete at the professional level and navigated the dizzying logistics of choosing which of the 650 competitions to enter across the Western Hemisphere, a handful of first-year cowboys rose to the top of their class in 2018 to claim coveted Rookie of the Year honors. Here’s what they said about winning the prestigious award. TANNER GREEN AGE: 20 EVENT: All-around (team roping, tie-down roping) HOMETOWN: Cotulla, Texas EARNINGS: $52,394 What does this award mean to you? so it’s cool to follow in his steps and win the rookie All-Around. How does winning this award impact your future ProRodeo plans? I’m not really going to dwell on what I did in the past. I’m going to go after my main goal, and that’s to make the NFR. It does boost my confidence a little bit, but not a lot because there aren’t a lot of rookies who do a lot of events. ZACH HIBLER AGE: 21 EVENT: Bareback riding HOMETOWN: Wheeler, Texas EARNINGS: $42,877 What’s the most important lesson you learned during your rookie year? the best horses. It pushed me to be a better bareback rider. I wish I would have had the confidence going into my rookie year like I do now and believed in myself and the ability that I have. BRENDAN LAYE AGE: 28 EVENT: Steer wrestling HOMETOWN: Consort, Alberta EARNINGS: $30,767 What does this award mean to you? TOP ROOKIES Hot Rockets This wasn’t my main goal for the year, but it means a lot because my granddad (Phil Lyne) won the world title in All-Around, and it’s a big accomplishment. He taught me everything I know, I went to a lot of the bigger rodeos this year, and it was a great experience to learn how they work and compete with the best guys in the PRCA and

2018 PRCA | Resistol Rookies of the Year named

How does winning this award impact your future ProRodeo plans? It definitely makes me more excited to go to more rodeos next year and go to more down in the States. It makes me excited about years to come on going to more rodeos. JEFF FLENNIKEN AGE: 22

EVENT: Team roping header HOMETOWN: Caldwell, Idaho EARNINGS: $61,826 What does this award mean to you?

It’s been one of my main goals this year, and it’s super exciting. I feel super blessed about it. To go all year and accomplish that is big to me, you only get one shot at it. It was back and forth all year with Brenten Hall, but he roped great too.

What’s the most important lesson you learned during your rookie year? Probably to have a short-term memory about the ups and downs. Don’t get too down when you’re not doing good, you just have to think about the next steer. You need to stay level the whole time. As a rookie, it was hard

to understand that. ROSS ASHFORD AGE: 20

EVENT: Team roping heeler HOMETOWN: Lott, Texas EARNINGS: $26,917 What does this award mean to you?

It’s really exciting, and it’s a pretty special one because you only have one shot at it. I will never get to try to be rookie of the year again. I think it’s given me confidence to know I can compete with some of these guys.

How does winning this award impact your future ProRodeo plans? My plans didn’t change much for next year, but now I have confidence to rope with these guys. I definitely want to make the Finals and win the world championship. DAWSON HAY AGE: 20 EVENT: Saddle bronc riding HOMETOWN: Wildwood, Alberta EARNINGS: $39,605 What does this award mean to you? It means a lot for sure. That was definitely my goal because my dad (Rob Hay) was the Rookie of the Year in 1989. I thought it would be cool to share that same award. It was a fight all year, and to get it wrapped up was pretty cool. He was kind of keeping track all year, rooting for me. What’s the most important lesson you learned during your rookie year? I’d say the most important lesson I learned was finding a good crew of guys to travel with. Rodeoing can be hard enough as it is, but if you surround yourself with good people you feed off each other. It was crazy because sometimes I traveled with guys my dad traveled with, like Taos

It was really special for me to win the rookie title this year. I’d rodeoed in Canada for a few years before I got my PRCA card, so to finally go down there and have some success is a pretty cool experience for me.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/19/2018

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