ProRodeo Sports News - Nov. 22, 2019

Lots of new faces among bull riders DECEMBER 5-14 LAS VEGAS BY MATT NABER F ive of the 15 bull riders at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo are there for the first time, including three rookies. Those five first-timers and nine others will be chasing season leader and reigning five-time world champ Sage Kimzey when they enter theThomas &Mack Center in Las Vegas, Dec. 5.

“This being my sixth qualification, it’s crazy that I’m one of the veterans in my young career,” said Kimzey, 25. “It’ll be interesting to see the locker room demographic since we usually have more perennial powerhouses, but this year it’s more new guys.” Rookies StetsonWright, Daylon Swearingen and Trey Kimzey, Sage’s younger brother, will be battling to follow in Sage’s footsteps and win the world title their rookie year. Meanwhile, Clayton Sellars and Josh Frost are also making their Las Vegas debuts. “It speaks volumes that they are ready to compete at a high level,” Sage Kimzey said. “Vegas affects people differently, and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle it. There’s a lot more pressure at the Finals than anywhere else, and it causes some people to break and others to break records.” Trey and Sage are of the same mindset – they don’t view the Wrangler NFR as a high-dollar sibling rivalry. “It’s not a battle between him and me, it’s just the bulls,” said Trey, who comes in at No. 15. “The whole level of PRCA bull riders has risen tremendously, and the amount of talent there is outrageous. To have five newcomers come in shows how guys getting on their feet can really go and make a name for themselves, and that is really cool.” Trey Benton III is the only bull rider at this year’s Wrangler NFR with as many qualifications as Sage. Sage enters the Wrangler NFR with $245,438 and a $93,000 lead over No. 2 StetsonWright. “I like my chances in the fact that I have the most experience,” Sage said. “It’s one thing to go and do well at the NFR, but it’s another to go and have a good Finals and block out the other stuff and stay on your bulls.” Focusing on the bulls, not the riders, is Wright’s approach. “I’mmore worried about doing what I’m supposed to and not worrying about what Sage is doing,” Wright said. “I’m just going to hang out with my family and friends and keep doing what I did all year and not worry about anything since I can’t control much other than staying on and not letting the big show get to me.” ProRodeo success requires a combination of mental and physical fitness, particularly at the Wrangler NFR where bull riders have 10 chances to collect nearly $85,000 in a single round because ground money counts toward the world standings. Despite his rookie status, Swearingen, 14th in the standings, is already on the ball. “I’m still getting on bulls and work out every day that I don’t get on bulls,” Swearingen said. “It’s just hanging out with the right group of people and reading books and staying close to God and reading the Bible every day and believing you can do it. I mostly listen to books while driving, like ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ and ‘Blessed and Unstoppable,’ and motivational videos on YouTube.” For some, theThomas &Mack Center is familiar territory, but on Dec. 5 they’ll enter the iconic yellow bucking chutes for the first time. “I don’t have the butterflies most have, but I bet I will when I get there,” said Trey, adding that he’s been to the Wrangler NFR many times for different reasons. “Right now, I feel good and confident about it.”

The 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo features five first-timers in bull riding, three of whom are rookies. Daylon Swearingen (top), Trey Kimzey (middle) and Stetson Wright (bottom) are battling for the PRCA | Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year and trying to wrest the world title from reigning five-time world champion Sage Kimzey.

Matt Cohen photos

ProRodeo Sports News 11/22/2019

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