ProRodeo veterans Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett won the 2022 Reno Rodeo with a time of 18.8 seconds on three head, earning the coveted Silver Spurs and receiving a total of $12,857 each, before splitting ways for the Cowboy Christmas run, where Tsinigine will partner up with young gun Landen Glenn.
Tsinigine and Lockett, long-time friends who’ve roped together on and off since 2019, gained an early lead in the average after finishing fifth in the first round with a 5.7-second run worth $2,939 each, and finishing tenth in the second round with a 5.5-second run, just one spot out of the money. They held on to their lead after they finished fourth in the short round on a strong steer with a 7.6-second run for $700 each. They won the average by just a tenth of a second with an aggregate time of 18.8 seconds on three head worth $9,218 each putting their overall earnings for the week at $12,857 each.
In a tie for second place with an aggregate time of 18.9 seconds on three were both Wyatt Imus and Caleb Anderson, and Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill earning $7,414 each. In third place was the brother team of Brady and Riley Minor with an aggregate time of 19.6 seconds earning $5,611 each.
KEEP READING: Wild, Wonderful, Winning Times for Team Lockett & Tsinigine
Reno Rodeo Horsepower
For the win, Tsinigine rode Chief, an 11-year-old sorrel gelding he purchased just a year ago and still considers green.
“I wasn’t trying to score that steer that far out there,” Tsinigine said of their short round run. “He [Chief] kind of fell asleep on me. In his defense, I’ve been trying new things on him. He’s got a little hop in the corner, so instead of pulling on him and scoring him, we went back to a loose rein. Half of it is me just not trusting him in what he was going to do. Half the problem is me.”
On the heel side, Lockett rode Stinky, a 17-year-old sorrel gelding that he bought as a yearling at a horse sale in El Paso, Texas and has won several titles with despite only starting him at 5 and entering him in his first rodeo at 13.
“He’s full contact, which is probably my fault, because I’ve always roped on him that way,” Lockett said.
This marks Tsinigine and Lockett’s first Reno Rodeo win together, though Tsinigine was champion in 2018 with Trey Yates and Lockett co-champion in 2006 with Wade Wheatley.
“When it’s time to go to Reno, you’re done jacking around, done taking it easy,” Tsinigine said. “It’s time to go win. I’ve been lucky going to Reno, doing good at the Feist and Reno Rodeo. I’ve got myself convinced I’m going to do good every time I go to Reno.”
2022 Rodeo Road Plans
Tsinigine is ranked 18th in the PRCA headers standings with $30,234 earned thus far, while Lockett is ranked 24th in the PRCA heelers standings with $25,888 earned on the year.
“I don’t know if I have a chance, but I’m not really worried about it,” Tsinigine said of qualifying for the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I’m kind of just easing around. That’s about it.”
On the other hand, Tsinigine is hammering down on qualifying for the 2022 Indian National Finals Rodeo in October.
“I don’t have the Indian Finals made yet, so I still have to win and I want to get those made,” Tsinigine, who won the INFR title heeling behind Erich Rogers last year, said. “I’ve been heading and heeling at them.”
During Cowboy Christmas, Tsinigine and Lockett will go separate ways. Lockett is headed home to spend time with his family, while Tsinigine will stay on the ProRodeo trail with Glenn, 18, of McAlester, Oklahoma.
“I couldn’t find a partner,” Tsinigine said. “My guy, Landen, is fixing to go finish his junior rodeo career the last three weeks of July. And Lockett has to go be a dad. So I’m just going to go to Calgary and stay in Canada and go to a couple Indian rodeos up there, and the first of August Landen should be done junior rodeoing, and we’ll enter from there.”
Glenn just won the 2022 Hooey Jr BFI Open last week with Derrick Begay’s nephew James Arviso, and also finished seventh with Arviso at the Resistol Reno Open.
READ MORE: Begay’s Nephew Hits $55k Gold Buckle Beer Jackpot After Loaning Horse to Uncle Derrick for NFR
The Fourth of July run will not be Tsingine’s and Glenn’s first campaign together as they have spent the last month entering with one another at the Ute Mountain Round-Up, the Pony Express Rodeo, The Kingsmen Andy Devine PRCA Rodeo, Rodeo de Sante Fe and the Flagstaff Pro Rodeo where they finished first for $1,266 each.
“I always roped with veterans because I wanted to rope with guys who knew how to win,” Tsinigine said. “I always put myself around guys that were successful. Those guys helped me evolve into my success as what it is. But a lot of them were on their way out, and I didn’t realize it. I’ve been to Reno 16 times I believe. That’s a lot. I guess I’m a veteran now. I’ve always rodeoed off of my partner’s schedules—where they wanted to go, with a few Indian rodeos here and there. This is the first time I kind of sat back. I’ve missed the Finals by $5,000-$10,000. I could have went different places. But I figured if I could fit in smaller rodeos and do good, I wouldn’t have so many dry spells. If find a young kid who wants to learn and go on my schedule, that would be better than getting a top guy and going to all the big rodeos and battling it out. I could be wrong, but I think there’s an easier way to go about it.”
Tsinigine and Glenn will rope together Thursday night at the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona.
Reno Rodeo Team Roping Results:
First round:
1. Lightning Aguilera and Coleby Payne, 4.9 seconds, $6,145 each
2/3. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira
2/3. Garrett Tonozzi and T.J. Watts, 5.3, $4,943 each
4. Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison, 5.5, $3,740
5. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 5.7, $2,939
6/7. Brooks Dahozy and Seth Hall
6/7. Wyatt Imus and Caleb Anderson, 6.0, $1,737 each
8/9. Luke Brown and Hunter Koch
8/9. D.J. Parker and Chance Machado, 6.1, $267 each
Second round:
1. Coy Rahlmann and Douglas Rich, 4.1 seconds, $6,145 each
2. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, 4.6, $5,344
3. Tyler Wade and Trey Yates, 4.7, $4,542
4. Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler, 4.9, $3,740
5/6. Garrett Rogers and Justin Davis
5/6. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, 5.1, $2,538 each
7. Manny Egusquiza Jr. and Walt Woodard, 5.2, $1,336
8/9. Shay Dixon Carroll and Evan Arnold
8/9. Jeff Flenniken and Jake Minor, 5.3, $267 each
Finals:
1. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 6.6 seconds, $1,450 each
2. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, 7.0, $1,200
3. Wyatt Imus and Caleb Anderson, 7.2, $950
4. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 7.6, $700
5. Blake Hirdes and Wyatt Hansen, 7.7, $450
6. Shay Dixon Carroll and Evan Arnold, 8.0, $250
Average:
1. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 18.8 seconds on three head, $9,218 each
2/3. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill
2/3. Wyatt Imus and Caleb Anderson, 18.9, $7,414 each
4. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 19.6, $5,611
5. Shay Dixon Carroll and Evan Arnold, 19.7, $4,408
6. Blake Hirdes and Wyatt Hansen, 20.8, $3,206
7. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 22.4, $2,004
8. Dalton Turner and Blaine Turner, 24.5, $802
