ProRodeo Sports News - October 2, 2020

married sisters Hayli and Tori. “We aren’t a fast team, but we stopped the clock a lot, stuck to our plan and won a lot of $1,000 checks,” said Ward, 30. “You don’t read about us a lot, and we stayed under the radar but it was neat to set a goal and do it.”

PRCA Permit Member Challenge last year. The 20-year-old rookie is 10th in the world standings and No. 2 in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings with $58,408. Getting a jump start on the season before the COVID-19 hiatus was a big help for Fritzlan, who scored large checks in Odessa, Texas, and San Antonio. “I was 16th in the world, and that will fire a guy up,” said Fritzlan, who placed at his first three rodeos after the shutdown. While the 2020 season has been anything but traditional, ProRodeo’s athletes maintained the tradition of cheering for their competition. Fritzlan, Howlett andWard all noted the support their friends and competitors gave as they worked toward their first NFR. “After Evanston (Wyo.), we won $8,500 and I went to like $56,000, and Kollin Von Ahn called and congratulated me for making my first NFR,” Ward said. “I didn’t even realize we got over the top of the rough estimate, and I took a deep sigh – ‘Wow, we did it.’”

Ward

Hawkins

Ward and Hawkins won three rodeos outright and split the win at Utah’s Own Rodeo at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City. Ward is sixth in the world standings with $63,872. “It’s hard to think of yourself as being one of the guys who gets to rope at Globe Life, and I’m so grateful for it,” Ward said.

Ward competed on Biscuit, 9, all season. “This is what wakes me up, and I think that’s most people,” Ward said. “I believe God puts the passion inside us to do something, and I’m just passionate about it.” After five years of ProRodeo competition, Howlett will make his NFR debut at the age of 30. Howlett, who lives in South Dakota, jumped from 74th in 2016 to 44th in 2017, finished 28th in 2018 and 34th in 2019. “My visa screwed up, and I had to miss out on my rookie year,” Howlett said, noting that injuries followed. “Then in 2018, things started to click, and the end of last year is when it really clicked, and I was drawing good. It took a minute, but I finally got there.” While Howlett is heading to the Finals sixth in the world standings, he battles ongoing challenges from past injuries that require frequent massages and acupuncture. “I battle a nerve in my neck,” Howlett said, adding that the pinched nerve causes him to lose control of his free arm. “Keeping that sound is hard.” Rookie bull rider Colten Fritzlan is also heading to his first NFR, despite breaking his jaw after the Fourth of July run. “I had jumped to like eighth in the world at the time, and I’d check it (the standings) every other day or so to see what was going on and I’d be bumped back down, and that lit a fire under me,” Fritzlan said. “I told my doctor that these two months are crucial to make as much money as we can. There are three months where I can heal later, and he was on my side about it.” Fritzlan was back in the chutes less than a month later for the Yuma (Colo.) County Fair & Rodeo, Aug. 4. “I guess I just love it,” Fritzlan said. “I want to be the best bull rider who ever lived, and I guess that’s my motivation, being the best at what I’ve done and worked at my whole life.” ROCKY ROAD

Dale Hirschman photo Colten Fritzlan took Frontier Rodeo’s Trophy Rack for an 87-point ride to place fifth at the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo in August as he worked toward his first trip to the NFR.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Fritzlan won the 2019 RAMRodeo

ProRodeo Sports News 10/2/2020

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