Cowboys brave muck, mud, cold and snow at Tucson Rodeo

Bullrider Trey Kimzey caught a ride with fellow cowboys Clayton Sellars and a few others from Stephenville, Texas, to La Fiesta de los Vaqueros.

The cowboys made it to Tucson by noon Friday, as it continued to snow on the rodeo grounds. Kimzey said the group wasn’t aware of how bad the weather had gotten Friday morning until they got to the Tucson Rodeo grounds.

But that wasn’t going to stop them from riding.

“Riding bulls in the mud isn’t too much fun,” he said. “You just kind of got to go through it. It’s more of a mind game than anything. You just have to set your mind to it and go do your job.”

Kimzey is currently competing as a rookie. The 20-year-old spent two years on his PRCA permit and in 2018 broke the PRCA permit member record for one-year earnings in one event with $51,270. The record had previously been set at $47,726 in 2013 — by older brother Sage.

But even though Kimzey is currently winning Rookie of the Year and qualifies for the NFR — something he hopes to keep up — he didn’t have the best ride in Tucson.

With extra muddy conditions in the arena and on top of a bull by the name of The Gambler, Kimzey wasn’t able to make a qualified ride.

The Gambler got out of the shoot slower than Kimzey expected and then kicked really hard. Kimzey’s ride ended at 1.9 seconds, when his free hand touched the bull, well short of the eight-second mark.

But because Kimzey hadn’t been bucked off, he continued riding The Gambler until the required time.

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“Instead of having him hit me in the face, I just kind of put my hand down and slapped him,” Kimzey said. “I knew it was over at that point, so I just went on and had a little bit of practice.”

Because of the success older brother Sage has had in the PRCA, Trey Kimzey said there has been a little more pressure than usual.

And people are constantly asking him where Sage is.

“I just kind of let it roll off and he goes does his job and I do mine,” Kimzey said. “So, there it is. We try to help each other out and get down the road.”

As of Friday, Trey Kimzey is listed No. 14 in the 2019 PRCA Ram World Standings with $14,424.16 in earnings, while older brother Sage is two spots behind with earnings of $12,468.77.

After failing to qualify for Sunday’s final, Kimzey is set to leave for Raleigh, N.C. Saturday to continue his rodeo season. And to continue his attempt to beat Sage in the standings.

“I’ll catch a bird in the morning and then get over there,” Kimzey said.

Notable

• Hunter Carlson won Friday’s bareback riding event with a score of 81.
• Dalton Massey, of Hermiston, Ore., took the lead for the week in steer wrestling with Friday’s best time of 6.2 seconds.
• In team roping, Tanner Baldwin and Seth Hall finish with the day’s best time, 5.7 seconds.
• Isaac Diaz finished the fourth performance in saddle bronc riding with the best score, 80.5.
• Only three of the scheduled 12 contestants in women’s barrel racing showed up to brave the course after a winter storm left the arena muddy. Ashley Haller had the best ride of the day, 19.13 seconds.
• Rorey Maier won the fourth performance in bull riding with an 81-point score.