ProRodeo Sports News - Nov. 22, 2019

WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

Rallying Cry

Leads can disappear quickly at Wrangler NFR BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI F our-time world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild knows what it’s like to head into the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in second place and come out on top. Team roping heeler Ryan Motes has helped his header go from fifth to a gold buckle. And despite his youth, rookie Haven Meged knows there’s enough cash out west in Las Vegas that he’s not worried about a deficit of more than $12,000 between him and leader Caleb Smidt in the tie-down roping. Feild, Motes and Meged are among plenty of competitors chasing leaders of their respective events in hopes of claiming that coveted gold buckle. While five-time defending world champion bull rider Sage Kimzey leads the pack by $93,016, the widest margin in any event, Feild, Motes and Meged are in second place in their events by the slimmest of margins, none of them trailing a leader by more than $13,000. With one go-round victory paying $26,231 and first place in the average shelling out $67,269, each of them knows that deficit can vanish quickly. After back-to-back world titles in 2011- 12, Feild entered the Wrangler NFR in 2013 in second place, trailing leader Bobby Mote by $5,812. Feild won Rounds 7 and 8 and placed in five others to erase that deficit and win the world title by more than $41,000. “It is important to win money, but realistically it is all about putting points on the board for Vegas and showing up there with no bumps or bruises, feeling 110% where the 10 days is not a strenuous thing on your body as a bareback rider,” Feild said. “There’s not really ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?

TIGHT RACES

Bareback rider Kaycee Feild won four consecutive world titles in 2011-14.

PRCA ProRodeo file photo

pays so well, it doesn’t matter what number you are when you get there, if you have an amazing time, you do have a chance to be a world champion and to win everything. The average pays so well, you never know what can happen.” Motes is the one immediately behind Nogueira. And he agrees with the Brazilian. In 2015, Motes and then-team roping partner Aaron Tsinigine vaulted from fifth place to a world title for Tsinigine and a second-

much difference between first and second, especially as tight as it is.” Junior Nogueira is looking for his first gold buckle in team roping heeling but heads to Las Vegas with a lead of just $6,609. The 2016 all-around champion is in the pole position in heeling for the fourth consecutive time. “Just to be at the NFR again is an opportunity,” Nogueira said. “It

ProRodeo Sports News 11/22/2019

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