The “Daddy of ’em All’ has been cut down to 24 cowboys in each event. The semifinals are set for competitors to try and take home the prestigious Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days title.
One of the cowboys left in the hunt for the championship is two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Ty Harris. The San Angelo, Texas, tie-down roper is one of 12 who will compete in the second semifinal on Saturday afternoon. He knows he’ll have to be at the top of his game to advance.
“Everywhere we go in this sport the competition is tough, and Cheyenne is definitely no different,” said Harris, 23. “You have to be at your best to win in Cheyenne, and I’m excited to go rope against the best guys in the world and try my best.”
Advancing to the finals would provide Harris with a huge opportunity. Heading into this weekend he sits on the outside looking in at the Top 15 – he’s 16th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $46,236.
“It provides me with a huge opportunity, there’s for sure extra pressure being 16th in the world, but I don’t try to let it bother me,” said Harris, who made the NFR in 2019-20. “I enjoy the process and let the results take care of themselves, but it would make my job a lot easier the rest of the year if I can make it into the finals.”Harris isn’t the only returning NFR qualifier that’s looking for his first win in Cheyenne. Bareback rider Tilden Hooper advanced to Friday’s semifinal with an 80.5-point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Face in the fourth performance. He says this year’s event has been one to remember.
“After a year of not very many large crowds it truly is awesome this year in Cheyenne,” said Hooper, a seven-time NFR qualifier. “These are the rodeos that really get my motor running. You look out there at the crowd and feel that electricity. It’s really special in a place like Cheyenne with all the history.”
Hooper has won many rodeos over his 15-year ProRodeo career but has yet to get his buckle at the “Daddy of em’ All.” He has the chance to take the next step in accomplishing that goal in Friday afternoon’s first semifinal.
“It’s a great field of guys, and there are some really good horses in there,” Hooper said. “I mean it’s going to take what it always takes, I’m going to have to go out there and do my job. It would be a dream come true for me to win there. I promise you there’s not a kid or a guy with a cowboy hat that doesn’t have the dream of winning Cheyenne. It’s at the top of the bucket list, for sure.”
You can watch Hooper’s semifinal ride and the rest of Cheyenne Frontier Days on The Cowboy Channel and the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App at 2:45 p.m. (ET).
Source: ProRodeo
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