UW Photo Service
University of Wyoming Cowboy Jake Pratt, a sophomore from Ellensburg, Wash., sits third in the national standings after the third round of tie down roping at the 60th College National Finals Rodeo at the Casper Events Center.
Pratt sitting in third in tie down roping
by UW Media Services
CASPER -- There was nothing wrong with Jake Pratt's roping all week. Blame his horse for keeping the University of Wyoming tie-down roper from being in the top three of the competition.
During Tuesday night's opening College National Finals Rodeo performance at the Casper Events Center, the Ellensburg, Wash., sophomore had a decent 12.6 in the event he won during the regular season.
He felt he could have done better, but his horse didn't perform as expected. The same could have happened to teammate TaNaye Carroll later in the performance. But her horse shook off jitters and the La Junta, Colo., junior finished a successful three rounds of breakaway roping to move into the overall top two.
Pratt's performance sent his cumulative time to 34.5 on three head even though he's sitting second in the average early in the third round. The round does not end until Friday, so he will drop to a lower position. Only the top 12 times or scores for each event advance to Saturday's short go.
Overall, the UW Cowgirls and Cowboys are sitting outside the top 10, but all scores are interim, meaning that not every round is completed and the standings will change. The UW women are currently 12th with 123.33 points, while national points leader New Mexico State University has 305 interim points.
The UW men are 11th with 170 points, while Walla Walla Community College heads the men's competition with 350 interim points.
After his first two runs in which he thought he could have done better, Pratt considered changing horses. He decided to stick with his horse again Tuesday night, but was disappointed with his ride.
All week his horse has failed to properly back up after Pratt gets the calf looped, which helps tighten the rope. Too much slack makes it difficult for a competitor to tie the legs because of excessive kicking, the UW Cowboy said.
"I really thought I could have had an eight-second run. I'll probably make it back to the short go, but I won't be where I want to be," Pratt said. "I won't be in the top three or four. I'll probably be either ninth or higher."
After his highest time of the week, Pratt said he'll definitely change horses for Saturday's short go if he makes it.
"I think I roped really well all week," he said despite his horse problems. "I brought my good horse here this week, but he really didn't act like my good horse. I'll just have to wait it out to see where I end up."
Making her third consecutive CNFR appearance, and first for UW, Carroll put together her third straight good breakaway roping run. Her 3.2 gave her an overall time of 9.7, which all but guarantees Carroll a shot at Saturday's short go-round. She's now sitting second early in the third round. Even though her horse gave her trouble before entering the arena, Carroll managed to coax her to their second-best time of the week.
"She was pretty naughty out there. This is her first national competition in an indoor pen with this many people. She was a little nervous every time the crowd made some noise and she was fidgety," a breathless Carroll said outside the arena. "It's been a good week. I'm just glad to get three of them down and now I'll wait and see where it puts me in the average."
The third UW competitor up during Tuesday's performance was team roper T.J. Teague, a Loveland, Colo., junior. He and partner Quincy Opela of Eastern Wyoming College had their highest time of the week.
As the header, Teague did his job, but Opela missed the heels. He rebuilt his loop and had a successful throw on his second attempt, but the pair ended with a 15.7 second time. They ended three rounds of competition with an overall time of 34.5, which will drop them lower in the average. They'll have to play the waiting game to see if they reach the short go.
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