SITUATION:
Winning run from Stephenville, Texas

TIME:

3.9 seconds

OUTCOME:

Tied for first, winning $3,532 a man.

Horse

That bay, Fonzie, is bigger and long-strided. This used to not be his setup. He used to be more of a long-score horse. He’s kind of converted and lets you do whatever you want to now. I think he’s pretty much good in all setups now. He’s easy to rope on, and he doesn’t usually hurt me. He always helps me in every scenario. In the fast setups, he reads my throw–if you’re reaching he’ll keep running for you.

Start

I think the barrier might have been even there. It pulled fast. Austin Robertson had a good set of steers over there. They all started good and left good. Everybody, for the most part, had to throw pretty fast. It was set up to be fast, and it was fast.

Steer

Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp were 4.5 on this steer and made a pretty good run on him. I got to see the video and kind of knew what was up. It’s getting more and more crucial rodeoing to get a rerun and be at the end just because team roping has gotten so fast. That steer was good, but it’s crucial knowing them too, especially when you’re trying to be that fast.

Handle

I got the neck. When you’re getting that fast you kind of have to step out in front of them and go. Luckily, that steer hit good and handled good. I barely got him turned before Knightrider (Tyler McKnight) got him heeled. I don’t necessarily think I headed him faster than anybody else, I just think he heeled him that fast, and we had a good finish, too.

Heeler

He’s a pretty clutch player. He heeled the crap out of him fast, and it got tight fast. I think I headed him to be about 4.5 and he heeled him to be 3.9.

Left Hand

Normally, you want to push forward when you get the neck to kind of round the steer out and then come back and open his feet up. In a scenario when you need to go that fast, when I get it on him, I need to get him legal as fast as possible. He hit good and as soon as he was turned, Knightrider had him heeled.

Mindset 

I’ve actually missed those steers at that rodeo three times now–twice for me to make it to the National Finals and once to get Kinney [Harrell] there for sure. I think getting older and putting yourself in that position so many times all the pressure goes out the window and you just do your job. I think you just have to know how to lose and know how to win. I’ve lost in that spot so many times that you just don’t put too much pressure on yourself–just take it for what it is and hope it’s good enough. You can’t try to make something happen and you can’t try to be 3. You just have to try and make the best run you can and hopefully it works.