Cody Snow will head for Junior Nogueira for what remains of the 2020 ProRodeo season, while Nogueira’s former partner Kaleb Driggers will spin steers for 2017 World Champion heeler Cory Petska.
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“Kaleb and I were still roping at the jackpots, but he was going to rope with Cory Petska starting in Logandale before it got canceled,” Nogueira, who in just six years in the PRCA has amassed $1.3 million in career earnings, explained. “Cody asked what I thought I’d do, and I really didn’t know. I thought maybe I’d just stay home from California and work on my place and spend time with my daughter Isabella, who was born February 13.”
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But Nogueira got to thinking about how close Snow lived to him, and how nice jackpotting with someone nearby would be.
“So I told him to talk to Paul (Eaves), because even though it’s business, we don’t want any hard feelings,” Nogueira said. “So Cody talked to Paul, and we decided to rope.”
Nogueira has $9,795.73 at 27th in the PRCA world standings, while Snow, at number eight in the heading, has $21,230.82 in earnings, including a win with Eaves at Denver’s National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.
[READ MORE: Snow and Eaves Ignite Partnership with Denver Win]
“Cody is young, and his roping is just getting better and better,” Nogueira said. “He’s got great horses, and he and Wesley roped so great.”
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Eaves, for his part, hasn’t yet figured out who he’ll rope with. But the 2018 gold buckle heeler is not too concerned, as he’s been spending time with his family recovering from a horse accident at the 2020 HorkDog that damaged his shoulder.
[READ: Eliminate Wasted Motion with Cody Snow]
[READ: Inner Strength with Paul Eaves]
“They wanted to do surgery, but I didn’t want to,” Eaves said. “They just didn’t want me to tear it worse, so I’ve just been rehabbing it is all. I’m just focusing on getting healthy, and not really worrying about the partner deal, especially right now.”
Eaves has $15,971.70 won to sit 10th in the PRCA world standings as of April 27.
Rodeos are on an indefinite hold because of the COVID-19 crisis, with ropers guessing at when and where their next event will be. TRJ
