ProRodeo Sports News - Sept.15, 2023

FILER, IDAHO

MAGIC VALLEY STAMPEDE Steiner wins Filer, eyes his second NFR Rock ‘n’ Roll

BY BRADY RENCK Special to ProRodeo Sports News R ocker Steiner delivered last season. He won the Resistol Rookie of the Year Award in bareback riding. He placed 10th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings and won Round 6 at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The achievements hardly left him satisfied. More like motivated. “I had a lot of fun last year. But I didn’t do as good as I wanted to,” said Steiner, who earned $185,367 in 2022. “I am just looking forward to going back this year and getting a world (championship) buckle.” Steiner is gaining traction over the season’s final few months, putting himself in a good position to improve on the sport’s biggest stage in Las Vegas. Steiner captured the top prize at the Magic Valley Stampede recently, posting an 88.5-point score to eclipse Richmond Champion and Nick Pelke (87) at Shouse Arena in Filer, Idaho. Steiner, 19, knew this rodeo represented a chance to gain momentum as soon as he saw who he was riding. He drew Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Sozo. Sozo made an appearance at the 2022 NFR, and multiple cowboys scored in the mid 80s on the stock over the last few months. But no one produced a ride like Steiner. “It’s a horse I have been looking to get on for a while. I finally got my chance at it, and it really paid off,” Steiner said. “It’s a just a good feeling horse. Nothing too hard. It’s not super easy, but not hard. It was a lot of fun.” For Steiner, the performance in Filer fit in nicely with his season that has seen him move into the top 10 of the rankings. He boasts double-figure wins, including the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, the Flagstaff (Ariz.) Pro Rodeo and the San Luis Valley Ski-Hi Stampede in Monte Vista, Colo. But there are no guarantees in this sport. Steiner was not immune to a mini slump leading up to the Magic Valley Stampede, at one point failing to earn money in six of seven events. His trip on Sozo changed that. He followed that victory with a win at the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison, Iowa, scoring 90.5 points on The Cervi Brothers Dream Machine. “Yeah, I had a couple of weeks where I didn’t draw good at all, and I wasn’t winning. I wasn’t even really cashing any checks, but things started to turn around as soon as I drew that horse (Sozo) and got on it and got that win. Then, I went to Fort Madison the other day and did really good over there,” Steiner said. “Things are really starting to turn around and I am looking to keep it going.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Cash Hooper ($4,434, tie down roping) BAREBACK RIDING

Hooper

1. Rocker Steiner .................... 88.5 pts. 2. Richmond Champion .................... 87 (Tie) Nick Pelke ............................. 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Nick Guy ............................... 3.6 sec. (Tie) Clayton Hass ....................... 3.6 3. Cameron Morman ........................ 3.8 TEAM ROPING 1. D. Begay/C.Todd ................... 3.9 sec. (Tie) L. Brown/H. Koch ................ 3.9 3. J7 Bland/T. Thompson ................. 4.1 (Tie) C. Proctor/L. Medlin ............ 4.1 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Kade Bruno ............................ 91 pts. 2. Wyatt Casper ............................. 87.5 (Tie) Ryder Wright ..................... 87.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Cash Hooper ......................... 7.9 sec. 2. Dylan Hancock ............................. 8.6 (Tie) Lane Livingston ....................... 8.6 BARREL RACING 1. Wenda Johnson ................ 16.94 sec. (Tie) Marcie Wilson ................. 16.94 3. Molly Otto ................................ 17.13 BULL RIDING 1. Josh Frost .............................. 90 pts. 2. JB Mauney ................................. 89.5 3. Ky Hamilton .................................. 89

Complete results/Page 62

Amanda Dilworth photo

Rocker Steiner was back to his winning ways at the Magic Valley Stampede. Steiner’s 88.5-point trip on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Sozo earned him $4,265.

ProRodeo Sports News 9/15/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 9/15/2023

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