ProRodeo Sports News - July 12, 2019

Rookie Wright rakes in $35,757

BY MATT NABER T he youngest of the actively reason to party early after winning more money than anyone else during Cowboy Christmas. Thanks to his Cowboy Christmas haul of $35,757, Wright is leading in three rookie races. The Utah cowboy also jumped in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings from third to first in the all-around, 30th to 26th in saddle bronc riding and fifth to second in bull riding. “I’ve been trying to do it for four years, and he gets it his first year, that’s awesome,” joked his brother and 2018 world champion Ryder Wright. Stetson’s biggest win over Cowboy Christmas in 2019 was the same one in 2018, the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo. As a permit holder competing Wright family, Stetson Wright won’t celebrate his 20th birthday until July 30, but he had

prepared me for it, and it helped me more than anything.” As serious as Cowboy Christmas is, the easiest part for Stetson was having fun. “Everything is fun when you’re doing what you love,” Stetson said. “If you rodeo with me you’ll see I have fun with everything, even going to McDonald’s or a small rodeo – big, small, medium, whatever. I love everything about rodeo, the driving, the late nights, hanging out with family and friends and getting on good stock. “The only thing I don’t love about rodeo is that I can’t ride every day.” Competing against more experienced cowboys doesn’t faze the rookie. “I don’t think he thought about it at all,” Ryder said. “He had people tell him, ‘You’re a rookie.’ But he doesn’t care, he is here to win first place. You have to know what you’re there for, and he knows what he’s there for and not taking no for an answer.”

TOP ROUGHSTOCK 1. Stetson Wright, SB, BR............. $35,757 2. Caleb Bennett, BB.................... $29,794 3. Clayton Biglow, BB....................$26,183 4. Zeke Thurston, SB ...................$25,949 5. Cort Scheer, SB. .......................$19,950 6. Jake Finlay, SB.......................... $19,435 7. Dawson Hay, SB........................ $18,620 8. Ryder Wright, SB. ......................$18,437 9. Boudreaux Campbell, BR.......... $17,105 10. Sterling Crawley, SB............... $16,569 11. Orin Larsen, BB........................ $16,355 12. Tyler Bingham, BR....................$15,414 13. Pascal Isabelle, BB................. $15,382 14. Garrett Smith, BR.....................$15,321 15. Parker McCown, BR.................$14,215

Stetson is aiming high with his rookie-year goals. “I want to win the average in bull riding and saddle bronc riding at the NFR, and win the all-around world title, saddle bronc world title and bull riding world title,” Stetson said. “I hope to be the first to do it and win the rookie of the year titles, too. One of my bull riding buddies won the Top Gun award last year, and I wouldn’t be mad if I won that too.” Ryder supports Stetson’s big goals. “If you set your goals high you will achieve high things,” Ryder said. “When you have the right mindset, you can do anything, and he knows he can do it.”

in 2018, he won St. Paul’s bull riding. This year, he placed second in saddle bronc riding and bull riding to win the all-around with $16,806. “I’ve had so much success in St. Paul that I didn’t want to leave,” Stetson laughed. Stetson attributed his success and his family’s success in ProRodeo, to two things: family and positivity. “My mom, dad, brothers and little sister have always helped me and kind of tuned me in before I got to the PRCA,” Stetson said. “My mom and dad told me and my brothers to just go at it like it’s any other rodeo, like it’s a high school or amateur rodeo and just have fun – no different than the practice pen. You’ve been on bulls and broncs that bucked this hard, and they mentally

$9.5K Rookie Stetson Wright won $9,574 more than the next closest rough- stock rider dur- ing the annual Cowboy Christ- mas run.

Stetson Wright’s biggest win came at the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo where he placed second in saddle bronc riding and bull riding to win the all-around title with $16,806. As a permit holder, he won the bull riding at St. Paul in 2018. Bob Click photo

ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2019

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