ProRodeo Sports News - July 12, 2019

BY MATT NABER R ookie saddle bronc rider Tegan Smith set the West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo record with an 88.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hometown Girl for the first major win of his ProRodeo career. “Getting that many points takes a good horse, and Hometown Girl has been good for a lot of years,” Smith said. “I sawWade Sundell on her in San Angelo (Texas), and he told me her little tricks and said to keep your Pecos win nets Smith a record shoulders back and get a good start. Colt Gordon, who I’m also traveling with, had been on her too, and he said I’d really like her.” Hailing fromWinterset, Iowa, birthplace of JohnWayne, Smith scored $3,722 in Pecos to move from fourth to third in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings for saddle bronc riding. “It’s one of those big rodeos you want to prove yourself at, and luckily I had a good horse to do that while everyone is figuring out who I am,” Smith said. “I felt like I proved myself. I know I can do it and hang with the big guys, so I might as well keep going at it, and one of these days it will work out.” Smith ended the 2018 season ranked second in the PRCA | RAMRodeo Permit Standings with $15,503, but he didn’t rest on his laurels. Smith went on to win the North American Championship Rodeo in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 10, and the 2018 Permit Members of the Year Challenge in Las Vegas, Dec. 6. After graduating fromClarendon (Texas) Community College with his welding degree in the spring, he picked up his winning ways at Rodeo Killeen (Texas), May 18, and the Cherokee (Iowa) Chamber PRCA Rodeo, June 1. Smith is keeping conservative with his 2019 season goals. “Hopefully I’ll end up in the top 30 at the end of the year so I can get into the big winter rodeos, so I’ll have a chance to make the (2020) Finals,” Smith said. The 21-year-old cowboy is

$6K Tie-down roper Re- ese Riemer collected $6,353 in

Pecos by tying for second in Round 1 and winning Round 2 and the average outright. From June 25 to July 9, he moved from outside

Riemer

the top 50 up to 17th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. 5 Five sets of cowboys with the same last names won money in Pecos. O’Connell (Shane, Tim, bareback riding), Martin (Tristan, steer wrestling and Cooper, tie-down rop- ing), Johnson (Kellan and Carson, team rop- ing and Trenton, steer roping), Gray (Adam, tie-down roping and Callie, barrel racing), Wright (Ryder, saddle bronc riding and Stet- son, bull riding). 7

Bull rider Day- lon Swearingen moved up eight spots in the PRCA | RAM World Stand- ings, from 23rd to 15th, thanks in part to the $3,504 he won in Pecos.

developing a taste for the big stage, making the short round at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo in June and entering Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days and California Rodeo Salinas. “Like coach (Bret Franks, Clarendon C.C.) always said, ‘Accomplish one goal before setting the next one,’” Smith said. “I figure if I can make it halfway to the Top 15, I’ll get to the next one.”

Swearingen

Robby Freeman photo

ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2019

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