ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 21, 2018

TIE-DOWN ROPING WORLD CHAMPION Smidt uses consistency to snare second championship

BY TRACY RENCK W hen the race for the tie-down roping world championship began at the 2018Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, there was plenty of talk of who might win. Names like Shane Hanchey, Tuf Cooper, Tyson Durfey and Trevor Brazile were prominent in the conversation. Caleb Smidt, the 2015 PRCA Tie-down Roping World Champion, flew under the radar. But on the night of Dec. 15, following Round 10, the Bellville, Texas, cowboy was basking in the spotlight as the world champion. “This is awesome,” Smidt said. Smidt earned $232,817 to finish atop the 2018 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. Cooper placed second with $205,268, while Brazile, Cooper’s brother-in-law, was third with $194,297. Smidt entered the Wrangler NFR eighth in the world standings but zoomed past all his fellow competitors, thanks to winning $142,846 in Las Vegas, the most of any tie- down roper. A large chunk of Smidt’s Vegas winnings – $67,269 – came from winning the average, which he also won in 2015. “It has been a few

That’s what had him celebrating a gold rush. He placed in six rounds and won Round 1 outright with a 7.6-second run. This was Smidt’s fifth trip to the Wrangler NFR – 2013, 2015-18 – since he joined the PRCA in 2012. All the pressure to win a world championship was on Smidt in Round 10. A no-time would cost him both buckles. If he stopped the clock in 12.8 seconds or better, he could win the average, and he did it with an 8.1-second effort, splitting sixth place in the final round. “I wanted to do the same thing I’ve been doing all week,” Smidt said about his thought process before Round 10. “I got good starts and drew some really good calves, and (Dec. 15) I had one that was an OK calf, and the horse was good. I’m just glad to be right here right now.” Smidt was quick to credit his horse, Pockets, for fueling his success. “Pockets is 11 years old, and I have had him for four years,” he said. “I won the world on him in 2015. He’s awesome. I didn’t ride him all summer. I roped a couple calves on him before I came out here (to the NFR). He made it easy enough for me, and now we’ve got two gold buckles.”

years, but this one means a lot more to me than the first one,” he said. “The first one I was young, and I was just roping. I came out here to rope and do it for my family. To have another world championship and average championship is awesome.” Smidt won the average with an 83.7-second time on 10-head. He did that with consistent performances night in and night out. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

Cooper praised Smidt for his ability. “Caleb is an amazing roper, and he did such a great job,” Cooper said. “It has been a rough year for him. He’s overcome adversity, and he and his family have known what to focus on, which is the Lord.”

ProRodeo Sports News 12/21/2018

ProRodeo.com

49

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker