Team wins individual awards at Pratt rodeo

Blown down south by the Kansas wind, the Fort Hays State University Rodeo Team rolled into Pratt, ready to build on its success from Colby.

The Pratt Community College Rodeo took place Oct. 2-4. With 132 entries in the barrel racing, 120 in the breakaway roping, 114 in the team roping, 85 in the calf roping, 66 in both the goat tying and the bull riding, 64 in the steer wrestling, 35 in the saddle bronc riding and 29 in the bareback riding, the competition was tough, but not unbeatable.

Two FHSU cowboys proved they were forces to be reckoned with in the steer wrestling.

Freshman Blair Jones, who was the 2009 Colorado State High School Rodeo Association steer wrestling champion, nearly won the long round with a 4.6 in the event this weekend, but came up short by one tenth of a second.

Senior Cody Pratt, Jones’ roommate and traveling partner, also found success in the steer wrestling with a 5.1 in the long-go, sitting him in 7th going into the finals.

On Sunday, Jones had a run of 5.8, while Pratt improved his time with a 4.5. Jones ended up seventh in the average, while Pratt finished fifth.

Both boys had no-times in the steer wrestling at the region’s previous rodeo, so this weekend’s results were a huge improvement.

“I would have liked to have placed better, but I was happy with how it turned out,” Pratt said.

Jones, being a freshman, felt pretty good about his Pratt showing; however, being a competitor, he still felt there was room for improvement.

“I feel like I did good at Pratt,” Jones said. “I could have done better, but as a freshman, I feel like I have started my year off alright. I could have gotten a better start in the short round. That’s the only thing that hurt me.”

The two bulldoggin’ powerhouses didn’t just meet this year. Both Monte Vista, Colo., natives, they say they’ve known each other forever.

“We used to kick it together when we were in diapers,” Pratt said with a grin.

The two really became good friends when they started roping together. Pratt, Jones says, is really the one who got him started in rodeo.

“I knew he wanted to rope and be a cowboy, and I was fortunate enough to grow up around it, so I figured he should get the same opportunity,” Pratt said.

Jones knew from the start that Pratt was the kind of guy he wanted to learn from.

“Cody is one of those guys that has a very good head on his shoulders and has done a lot with his life already,” Jones said. “By doing that, he shows me the right path to go down. He has been a really good influence on me. He has done a lot for me and has helped me out a lot.”

Pratt thinks just as highly of Jones.

“He is a great kid. He has a lot of ability and things going for him. I love him like a brother and would do anything for him,” Pratt said.

Jones now sits 11th in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Central Plains Region standings in the steer wrestling, while Pratt is splitting 13th.

FHSU also had 26 other team members competing for them in Pratt.

Bret Daly, junior, nearly qualified for the short-go in the steer wrestling, but broke the barrier in the long round, resulting in a 10-second penalty.

“I really wish I would have made the short-go. You got to push the barrier to win. I pushed it a little too hard this weekend,” Daly said.

The team travels next to Durant, Okla., for the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Rodeo, Oct. 8-10.