ProRodeo Sports News - September 2, 2022

GOODING PRO RODEO GOODING, IDAHO

W.T. Bruce photo Patrick Smith, left, and Tanner Tomlinson captured the team roping title at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo with a 4.0-second run. The duo earned $3,685 each.

Team ropers Tomlinson/Smith eye NFR bids Back Together BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News P atrick Smith didn’t team rope in 2015 in the PRCA. Had he never come back, his legacy as a heeler was safe as a former world champion. After a one-year hiatus, Smith returned. His passion remained the same, but the results did not match his lofty 42, he teams with 22-year-old header Tanner Tomlinson. In their second year together, the pair is making a push for the NFR. It would represent Smith’s 13th qualification and Tomlinson’s first. “When I came back, I struggled some and the years didn’t go the way we wanted. Now with Tanner, the plan has worked so far. We both are always working hard and trying to get better at our jobs. It’s made it fun, and, of course, it’s more fun when you are winning,” Smith said. “We are starting to reap some of the rewards. The plan is keep doing what we are doing and get to Vegas. It would mean a lot.” standards. Everything appears to be aligning again, his career experiencing a rebirth at an age when most are riding off into sunsets not into arenas. At

Tomlinson has become like family to Smith. He is closer to the age of Smith’s kids and gets along well with them. It injects energy into the partnership, and Tomlinson benefits from Smith’s experience. Smith worked for years with Trevor Brazile, someone he calls the “greatest horseman ever.” He passes those lessons along to Tomlinson, a Texas native. “It’s a blessing and an honor. I really appreciate everything he does for me and everything he has shown me,” said Tomlinson of Smith, who won PRCA Rookie of the Year honors in 2003. “It’s kind of why I started roping with him, to learn the ropes and be with someone who has been there and done that, to be with one of the greatest.” Tomlinson and Smith are finding their groove at the right time with six weeks left in the season. They were a blur at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo, clocking a 4.0-second run to win $3,685 apiece. Tomlinson, riding Freightliner, tracked down the steer straight down

the middle and Smith, aboard Turbo, finished it off. It provided a snapshot of what the duo is capable of down the stretch. “I have always known how talented Tanner is. The best thing is that he is teachable and wants to learn. These last six weeks, it’s about sticking to our game. We have a run that works,” Smith said. “We have to make sure we focus on us and not worry about what everybody else is doing. If we do our job, we know it will work.” For Tomlinson, this season represents a chance to do something special. Not just qualify for the NFR – of course that’s the goal. But to bring this partnership full circle. “It would be a dream come true to make the NFR. You have to have a strong mental game. You can’t get caught up in this and that,” Tomlinson said. “We knew it was going to be a two-year deal to get our run together and get everything clicking. And it’s starting to click. These next couple of years are about getting my career started, but more importantly, finishing out Patrick’s the right way.”

TOP MONEY EARNER Matt Shiozawa ($5,393, tie-down roping)

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Caleb Bennett ........... 89.5 pts. 2. Bronc Marriott ................ 86.5 3. Tim O’Connell ................. 85.5

STEER WRESTLING 1. Stan Branco ...................... 3.2 2. Bridger Anderson .............. 3.5 3. Four tied at ........................ 3.7

TEAM ROPING 1. Tomlinson/Smith ....... 4.0 sec. 2. Driggers/Nogueira ............ 4.4 3. L. Brown/H. Koch ............. 4.6

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Stetson Wright .......... 88 pts. 2. Kolby Wanchuk ............. 87.5 3. Isaac Diaz ......................... 84

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Matt Shiozawa ......... 7.6 sec. (Tie) Three at ................... 8.1

BARREL RACING 1. Michelle Darling ... 16.88 sec. 2. Ivy Saebens ................. 16.89 3. Stevi Hillman ............... 16.93

BULL RIDING 1. Gavin Michel .............. 89 pts. 2. Garrett Smith .................... 86 3. Josh Frost ..................... 84.5

TOP

SCORES

Complete results/Page 54

ProRodeo Sports News 9/2/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 9/2/2022

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