ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 21, 2018

BAREBACK RIDING AVERAGE WINNER O’Connell, Dent split bareback riding aggregate

BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI W ith as much experience as Tim O’Connell and Steven Dent have, the two bareback riders knew winning the average at the 60thWrangler National Finals Rodeo would likely make a difference in the final PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. Then the two went out and split the aggregate, each cashing in for $60,923, finishing first and second, respectively. O’Connell and Dent each rode for 849.5 points on 10 head over the 10 days of rodeo at theThomas &Mack Center in Las Vegas, Dec. 6-15. O’Connell won his third consecutive world championship, while Dent jumped from eighth in the world standings before the Finals to finishing second only to O’Connell. “I tell you what, these are the best guys leaving it all out there day in and day out,” said O’Connell, who finished the season with $319,801. “And it took a split to win it against a guy that’s been here nine times, that’s been in title races for years and years. How can you explain what that means?” Dent won the second most money among bareback riders thanks to splitting the aggregate. He finished with $254,734 on the season, $145,314 of that coming at the Finals. “That was a great week, unbelievable,” Dent said. “I came in a longshot to win the world, then found myself with a chance to win the world. Tim fought back and ended up splitting with me in the average and winning the world.” Dent placed second in Round 2, third in Round 3, tied for third in Round 5, split for second in Round 6 and tied for fourth in Round 7. “I’ve had some rough Finals,” said Dent, 32, a nine-time Finals qualifier. “To have this one go that way it’s pretty cool.” O’Connell won Round 3 with an 88.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s

Bareback rider Tim O’Connell, above, won Round 9 on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Ain’t No Angel.He split the average with Steven Dent, seen below on Flying U Rodeo’s Lil’ Red Hawk. PRCA ProRodeo photos by James Phifer

Craig at Midnight. But he had to rally for the world title after dropping to second following Round 7. So he went out and won Round 9 with a 90-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Ain’t No Angel, tying the round record. Then, to cap it off, he rode for 87 points on J Bar J’s All Pink to split fifth in the 10th round and ultimately tie Dent for the aggregate. “I’m in a world of emotion, to be honest with you,” said O’Connell, 27, who also split fifth in Round 4. “I feel like I just got out of the heavyweight world title race. I feel beat up, I feel battered, I feel bruised and I feel so blessed.”

Dent finished ninth a season ago. He equaled his best by finishing second in 2018. He was equally gracious. “It was the greatest horses in the world and the best guys in the world at the best rodeo in the world,” he said. “If you can’t win a world title, this is the next best buckle. This is the most prestigious rodeo in the world. A lot of times you don’t think of it as another rodeo, but it is. There is a level with Cheyenne and Pendleton and all those. And then there’s this one. This is hands down the best rodeo in the world, and I feel honored to have won it.”

ProRodeo Sports News 12/21/2018

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