ProRodeo Sports News - October 30, 2020

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

Cole Reiner kept the ball rolling after winning the 2020 PRCA | Resistol

Rookie of the Year title for bareback riding by competing at the RAM Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo where he took Vold Rodeo’s Angel Face for

an 89-point ride during Round 2.

Amanda Dilworth photo

Rookies of the Year faced unusual challenges Rookie Rockets BY MATT NABER L earning the ropes as a rookie in ProRodeo is hard enough with hundreds of competitions and thousands of competitors all vying for a spot at the top. But the 2020 class of rookies had the additional challenge of navigating rodeo’s highest level of competition during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a way, everyone was a rookie this season. Although a lot of things were different in 2020, one thing that remains the same is recognizing the top rookies in each event for rising to the top as this year’s PRCA | Resistol Rookies of the Year. The bull riding rookie of the year title will be determined during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December as Ky Hamilton, Colten Fritzlan and Parker McCown qualified for the Finals by finishing among the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings.

BRITT SMITH AGE: 19 EVENTS: All-Around (Team roping heading, tie- down roping) HOMETOWN: Broken Bow, Okla. EARNINGS: $21,778 What does this award mean to you? Well, it’s for sure something I wanted when I was hoping to win the Team Roping Heading Rookie

COLE REINER AGE : 22 EVENT: Bareback riding HOMETOWN: Kaycee, Wyo. EARNINGS: $45,043

When did you first realize winning the rookie title and making the Wrangler NFR were likely to happen? Right after my interview withThe Cowboy

Channel in San Antonio (in February). I hadn’t realized how much I won and that I was in the top 10 in the world standings right there, and she (journalist Amy Wilson) started talking about possibly the NFR, and that was the first time it was a real thought. How are you feeling about the upcoming Wrangler NFR? I think it’s a big opportunity for us to go to Texas, since who knows if it will be there again. It’s a fun deal since everyone will be a rookie this year, and if I’m lucky enough to make the NFR again next year and it’s in Vegas it’d be cool to say I have two first NFRs, since everything was new this year and everything will be new again.

of the Year, but I missed out on that one. I know you get one shot at that, but the bigger picture is the NFR, and I’m glad that I did get to win the all-around rookie title. How does winning this award impact your future ProRodeo plans? To be honest, I’m glad to win it, but I don’t want to be remembered as winning the rookie deal. I would like to make it to the NFR and that’s the main goal, but it definitely makes me feel good. I’ll probably not enter tie-down roping during the summer, but I might for the rodeos near home. My main goal is to have a better year team roping. If that’s all I’m remembered for then it’s not much since there’s quite a few years left in me.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/30/2020

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