ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 4, 2020

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GUYMON PIONEER DAYS RODEO GUYMON, OKLA.

Victory could be key to wrestler’s NFR return nowles nows BY MATT NABER S teer wrestler Blake Knowles is a four-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo with 18 years of ProRodeo experience, so he knows what it takes to make the Finals. Winning the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo on Aug. 23 could be the turning point the Oregon cowboy needed to make the 2020 season a hit, but it’s hard to predict anything this season. “It’s really tough,” said Knowles, 37. “This year has different schedules and added money so there’s not a lot of rhythm to it where you can forecast it very well. I can see scenarios where it can take $40,000, but I can also see it taking quite a bit more. The best thing to do, it’s cliché, but worry less about what that number will be and instead make good runs and win money and it’ll play out.” Knowles moved from 14th to ninth in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings thanks to winning $4,779 at Guymon and $1,054 after tying for fifth at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo in Kalispell that weekend. Knowles, who made the Finals in 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2018, was part of a seven-way tie for third place in the first round in Guymon with a 4.1-second run. “It seems like slack creates opportunities for guys to get on a rhythm and gain momentum from other contestants,” Knowles said, adding that Guymon’s slack had about 100 steer wrestlers. “If your group is going good and making good runs then that momentum can transition into your own run. You see that in slack a lot because of the number of guys going.” He returned with a 3.5-second run to win the second round and claim the average with 7.6 seconds on two head. Knowles credited his Guymon success to Tanner Brunner’s horse, Miss Kitty, and Cole Edge hazing. “That was the first time I’d ever ridden that horse,” Knowles said. “I’ve seen that horse for years, and they consistently win big money on that horse. If you go back five years, she consistently sends talent to the NFR. So much of our event is horsepower related.” Knowles broke into the Top 15 of the world standings on July 26 and spent most of August near the bubble. Typically, the final rush is mostly felt in September, but Knowles said the pressure’s been on since July. He also pointed out a silver lining. “On the flip side, the competition is as pure as ever,” Knowles said. “We are going head to head with guys every week and the talent isn’t spread out. You have to fight it out for every dollar, and it’s been like that since we got going again (after the COVID-19 shutdown). “You have to max out all aspects of your run. I don’t really remember many times where I thought I had a good chance and could just back off and try to win something. You have immense pressure to max it all out. It looks good when it works, but the problem is that if there are 100 guys and you have to push that hard it can create situations where you mess up.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Tie-down roper Justin Smith took home $7,449 BAREBACK RIDING

Smith

1. Jake Brown ............................ 89 pts. 2. Kaycee Feild ............................... 87.5 3. Three tied at .................................. 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Blake Knowles ............... 7.6 sec. on 2 2. Trell Etbauer ................................. 8.3 3. Two tied at .................................... 8.6 TEAM ROPING 1. E. Rogers/P. Bray .......... 9.9 sec. on 2 2. C. Snow/J. Nogueira .................. 10.5 3. P. Tierney/T. Smith ..................... 10.8 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Chase Brooks ...................... 89.5 pts. 2. Isaac Diaz ...................................... 89 3. Rusty Wright .............................. 88.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. (Tie) Justin Smith ....... 16.8 sec. on 2 Hunter Herrin ............................. 16.8 3. Tuf Cooper ................................. 17.0 BULL RIDING 1. (Tie) Koby Radley ................... 90 pts. Ty Wallace ..................................... 90 3. Josh Frost .................................. 88.5 ALL-AROUND Tuf Cooper, $6,388, tie-down roping and steer roping

Complete results/Page 53

Fly Thomas photo

ProRodeo Sports News 9/4/2020

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