ProRodeo Sports News - September 20, 2019

What has this season been like for you? Parker: It started off slow. I changed out a bull rope and it just seemed to click. I won Odessa (Jan. 12) at the beginning of the year to start things off and I won Redding (Calif., May 18). I’ve just been blessed all year. Why did you decide to stay on your permit for a second year? Parker: I didn’t do as well as I wanted to on my permit (in 2018, earning $19,962), so I stayed on my permit one more year. Staying on my permit a second year taught me a lot about how to enter and it allowed me to learn more about the bulls. There are times when I want to go compete at the (Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) with all my friends this year, but next year I figure I might be ahead of them heading into the Finals. I want to be a world champion, but my next goal is to make the NFR and win rookie of the year next year. What has been your most memorable moment this season? Parker: I would have to say being 90 points (on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hacksaw Ridge) in the short round at Cheyenne (Frontier Days, July 28, to finish second). Is bull riding something you always envisioned doing? Parker: I played baseball and football, and I never really thought about bull riding Parker McCown, a 19-year-old bull rider from Montgomery, Texas, has had an outstanding season in his second year on his PRCA permit. McCown has earned $69,812 to lead his event in the Sept. 16 PRCA | RAM Rodeo Permit Standings. This season, the 5-foot-8, 155-pound McCown has broken several PRCA permit records. He set the record for most money won on a PRCA permit for one year including ground money, breaking the mark of $51,270 set by bull rider Trey Kimzey in 2018. He also shattered the record of most money won on a permit for a career in one event not including ground money with $88,494, previously held by Wyatt Bloom with $65,520 in bareback riding in 2012-16. COWBOY GRILLE WITH TRACY RENCK

PARKER M C COWN

until I was 12. My dad (Shawn) rode bulls, but once I started riding, I never slowed down. The first bull I got on I rode him, that’s probably why I still do it. It just felt normal to me. Are you going to college? Parker: I’m in my second year at Hill College (in Hillsboro, Texas). I went to the College National Finals Rodeo last year and finished fourth overall. What would your life be like without a cell phone? Parker: I would probably be more cowboy-ish, I reckon. I wouldn’t be doing everything on my phone. I would be more face-to-face. What do you enjoy doing outside of bull riding? Parker: I love to hunt, I hunt deer. And my dad and I raise a few bucking bulls.

What bull is on your list that you want to ride? Parker: I would love to get on D&H Cattle’s SweetPro’s Bruiser (the 2017 PRCA Bull of the Year). What’s your favorite restaurant?

Parker: Texas Roadhouse. I get the 6-ounce sirloin with a sweet potato and green beans. I usually get a Dr Pepper to drink. What’s your favorite holiday? Parker: Definitely Christmas. Family draws closer, and it is a happy time. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Parker: I have a little brother, Ryder. He is 6 years old. Do you have a favorite sports team? Parker: The Houston Texans. I have two cousins, one who was an NFL quarterback – Luke McCown – and the other Josh McCown, who is still playing. (Luke McCown played in the NFL from 2004-15, and Josh McCown is in his 18th year in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.) I get to talk to them, especially about football. I guess that’s why I played football my whole life until I started riding bulls.

What is your go-to movie? Parker: 22 Jump Street . That’s probably the funniest movie I have ever seen. Who is your favorite superhero? Parker: I would have to say Superman. What type of music do you listen to?

Parker : Country. I like guys like Alan Jackson and George Strait.

ProRodeo Sports News 9/20/2019

ProRodeo.com

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