ProRodeo Sports News - August 6, 2021

BY TANNER BARTH Smith and Corkill take Cheyenne crown Clay Smith and Jade Corkill have a

championship pedigree that’s nearly unmatched in the sport of team roping. The dangerous duo has five world championships between them, and they showed why in Cheyenne. In the finals, they came out and clocked a 10.2-second run to win the title by almost a full second. Two-time world champion Smith said receiving the buckle and saddle in Cheyenne is truly an honor. “It’s always good to win, but when you win Cheyenne it’s always a pretty special moment,” said Smith, 30. “The draw always comes into effect when we’re competing in Cheyenne, you have to draw pretty good steers to have a chance to win. The head horse has to be able to get out there

Tanya Hamner photo World champions Clay Smith, right, and Jade Corkill added another win to their résumés at the “Daddy of ’em All.” The duo captured the win with a 10.2-second run in the finals.

Corkill is sitting fifth in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings, while Smith is third. “Anytime you can win over $10,000 at a time like we did here in Cheyenne it helps to get closer to the leaders for sure,” Smith said. “You want to try to get as close as you possibly can come December and then just see how it goes in Las Vegas.”

fast in a place like this. The horse I was riding runs pretty hard, so I think it makes it pretty easy to get out in front, and my partner (Corkill) did a great job to catch.” The victory in Cheyenne has the team roping duo in position to make a run at yet another world title.

Cole Patterson stays on hot streak Cole Patterson is no stranger to winning big time steer roping events in 2021, but none have been quite as big as his most recent accomplishment. He was the last cowboy to go run in the steer roping finals in Cheyenne and he did not disappoint. Patterson clocked a 12.2-second run to win the rodeo in walk-off fashion. “It was far from a perfect run, but out here rodeoing there’s not many that are actually perfect,” said Patterson, 25. “Slade (Wood) made a heck of a run in front of me there and put all the pressure on me and it just worked out.” It was the first time Patterson qualified for the short round in Cheyenne, which this year was a sudden-death format. “Going last in the performance was something I’ve never done here in Cheyenne before,” Patterson said. “I may have been less nervous if I had been first, but I knew what I had to do when I backed in there, so that was definitely an advantage for me.” Patterson is closing in on the most money ever won by a steer roper in the regular season with $80,415. Tuf Cooper holds that record with $89,427, which he set in 2018. Patterson said his sights aren’t set on the record books but continuing to do his job. “I’ve felt like my momentum’s been running out all this time, but it just keeps on rolling,” Patterson said. “I’m glad it didn’t end here in Cheyenne, I’m glad it’s still going now, and I’ll just see where it takes me from here on out.”

Jackie Jensen photo

In the final run of the steer roping in Cheyenne, Wyo., Cole Patterson locked up the title with a time of 12.2 seconds.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/6/2021

ProRodeo.com

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