Author: Kendra Santos

Team roping fans who attended the 45th annual Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic at the world-famous Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma were treated to the tightest short round in BFI history. And it was Sooner State cowboys Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens who came out kings of the 126-team BFI from third high callback to take the sweet $150,000 victory lap after roping six steers in 47.11 seconds.

“The BFI is the most prestigious roping there is, in my book,” said Clay, 23, who calls Sapulpa home. “I’ve watched the BFI forever. You can’t look away from the money, and there are so many people watching. Even people who don’t team rope know what the BFI is. What means the most to me is to look at the list of all the guys who’ve done good at this roping, and now I’m on that list.”

“The money’s good, but the confidence that comes with a win like this one might be even better,” said Saebens, 33, who lives in Nowata with his fellow Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier wife, Ivy. “I know I work hard at it, and have good horses. But you go to ropings, and you drive— I live dang near in Kansas, and I drive to Texas every week—and sometimes it feels like you get your butt kicked over and over. Capitalizing at a roping like this helps a guy forget about all the losing, all the driving and roping in the cold in Nowata.”

On top of the $152,000 payday, which also included $2,000 for fourth in the first round, Clay and Saebens were awarded Coats Saddles, Gist Buckles, YETI Luggage, Resistol Black Gold Hats, Best Ever Pads, Justin Full-Quill Ostrich Boots, HATPACS and B&W Trailer Hitches.

Finishing just one-tenth of a second behind Clay and Saebens’s 47.11 were James Arviso of Seba Dalkai, Arizona, and Josh Patton of Shallowater, Texas, who stopped the clock six times in 47.21. The team earned $103,000, including $100,000 for second in the average and $3,000 for second in the short round. Arviso and Patton also took home Lazy L Saddles, Best Ever Pads, Justin Smooth Ostrich Boots and B&W Trailer Hitches.

Cowboy Curveballs

The twists and turns at the 2022 BFI were wild. Arviso’s the 18-year-old nephew of Derrick Begay, and won the Hooey Jr BFI Open earlier this BFI Week with Oklahoma’s Landen Glenn, who’s also 18. Fast forward to BFI Day, and Glenn won the Rickey Green Award for the Overall Fast Time at the BFI behind Aaron Tsinigine with a 5.47-second winner in Round 3. Tyler Wade and Saebens won the inaugural RG award in 2019, by the way.

The Wrangler and Priefert Short Round winners were Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison with a 6.95-second run, which was good for $4,000. That put them fifth in the average for another $30,000 after roping six in 48.33. The third-place team of Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler were 47.35 on six for $70,000. Chad Masters and Cory Petska finished fourth in 47.92 for $50,000.

Sound Familiar?

If Jake Cooper Clay rings a bell, yes—Julana and Dwayne Clay DID name their son after roping legends and 1988 BFI Champs Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper (who also won the 1982 BFI behind Bret Beach). “They’re Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper, and I look up to them so much,” Jake Cooper Clay said. “They’re awesome.”

If the head horse Clay just won BFI ’22 on looks familiar, there’s good reason for that, too. Zac Small won the 2016 BFI with Wesley Thorp riding Streakin Sun Dew, who’s Sun for short, and also qualified for and rode him at the 2016 NFR before leaving the rodeo trail to become a veterinarian.

Sun was named the Head Horse of the BFI, which came with the coveted Montana Silversmiths bronze and a $500 bonus check.

“Kaleb Driggers bought Sun from Zac Small; then Jake Cooper bought him from Driggers; then Driggers bought him back; then I bought him from Driggers about a month ago,” Clay said. “Sun’s 17 now, and still going strong.

“Horsepower’s the biggest thing, because the score’s so long and the steers run so hard. Good horses make all the difference here.”

Clay also rode the 2021 Head Horse of the BFI. Kevin Williams let him ride RC Shining Freckles, aka Leroy, and he, too, caught the judges’ eyes.

The Other Horse Hero

Harrison was deeply touched to take Heel Horse of the BFI honors with his horse The Governor, who like Sun is a sorrel. The Governor is 10, and his registered name is Freckles Instant Coffee.

“This award is a bucket-list thing for me,” Joseph said. “I’m a horse trainer, and this is a very prestigious roping. We don’t get very many horses like this one in a lifetime.”

BFI Best 

Back to Clay and Saebens, Clay placed 10th at last year’s BFI with Rance Doyal, and has cashed a few go-round checks on the heeling side since he first entered in 2017. Clay’s planning to put his $76,000 half of the big BFI win toward horsepower and rodeoing.

“This money is going to help out so much, especially now that everything’s costing so much,” he said of fuel prices, which are pushing $5 a gallon, even in Oklahoma.

Saebens thinks BFI ’22 was his seventh, and he’s made the short round five times and placed fifth twice. He often wears the reserve BFI buckle he won in 2017 with Coleman Proctor.

“I think my success at the BFI has a lot to do with the fact that I’ve had two Heel Horses of the BFI,” said Saebens, who plans to reinvest his half of the windfall win into more horses and the house he and Ivy built a couple years back. “My black horse Kevin was Heel Horse of the BFI in 2017 when we won second. Kevin got hurt a couple years later, so I borrowed a bay horse I trained named Hank back from Mark Fenton in Missouri and he was the Heel Horse of the 2019 BFI.”

Team Clay and Saebens is full steam ahead on the rodeo trail. They joined forces right after the Fourth of July run last summer, and are rolling again in 2022. When the two teams behind them failed to pass them, Clay and Saebens were sitting side-by-side at the back end. Brenten Hall—who shared in a memorable $150,000 day heading for Jake in the #15 roping at the 2016 World Series of Team Roping Finale in Vegas when they were both 17—tackled Clay to kick-start the celebration.

“When we won fourth in the first round, I thought, ‘This is going to be a good day,’” Clay said. “We weren’t in the top six in the average going into the fifth round, then we were third high call. You never know at the BFI. I just wanted to catch that last steer, and let the rest take care of itself.

“The BFI is the most prestigious event I’ve ever won. I think the Lazy E is an awesome spot for this roping, because the arena’s big, the score’s longer and it really tests us. My next goal is to make the NFR, and try to win a gold buckle.”

Buckle Swap

Clay wore his Ellensburg Rodeo buckle on BFI Day. Saebens wore one from the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Both plan to wear their shiny new Gist Silversmiths BFI buckles.

“I hate to mess up such a beautiful buckle, but I don’t think I can keep myself from wearing this one, especially after they put my name on it,” Clay said.

“I wouldn’t normally wear a second-place buckle, but I do wear the one I won with Coleman in 2017,” Billie Jack said. “It’s hard to win second at the BFI, let alone first. I will absolutely wear this one for winning it.”

“You’re not going to get through this roping without a good horse,” Saebens said. “Milo’s a great horse. I rodeoed on him last summer, and he’s been my #1 all winter. I feel like Jake and I roped pretty good today, and we drew decent. Everybody ropes good, but I think our horses were what made the difference for our team. Jake never reached one time, and I never took a crazy shot.”

Strategic Wisdom

Tackling the tightest short round in BFI history—less than a second separated the top seven teams, and there were only 2.78 seconds between 15th and first—took hard-earned self-discipline for Saebens.

“I paid zero attention to the times,” he said. “Whenever they would start announcing times, I would think about something else. I was thinking, ‘If I draw a steer that makes me win fifth, I’ll win fifth.’ I rope for a living. If I try to press too hard, I mess up. I’ve done that enough that I know better.

“The way I think of it now is that I just let the roping come to me. When the shot presents itself, I take it. I wasn’t planning on throwing fast on that last steer. Things just opened up, and it happened. I used to have a bad habit of thinking I had to be fast when somebody made a good run in front of me. I’d throw whether I was ready or not. It’s taken a lot of work to get out of that, but it’s coming together now.”

Sweat Equity

Clay and Saebens live about an hour apart, and rope together a lot. Work ethic is this team’s heartbeat.

“We put in the hours,” Billie Jack said. “I know everybody works hard at it, and we do, too. When we aren’t practicing together, I can guarantee you Jake Clay is scoring and roping. It’s what we do.”

It seems unanimous that the 440-foot-long Lazy E Arena is the perfect place for this roping.

“I love it here,” Saebens said. “I like that they can put the barrier out there longer. The ground’s really good, and that makes my horses feel better and work better. It’s two hours from my house, and the fans who come here to watch love roping. That’s awesome. The payout and long score set this roping apart. And there are no other arenas where you can have a scoreline like this one that’s climate-controlled and comfortable year-round.”

Best Ever

Saebens set his alarm for 5 a.m. on BFI Day. He woke up at 3:50, and was so excited that he jumped up and left early.

“This win is #1 in my career for sure,” he said. “We just beat 125 of the best teams in the world over six head. I’ve made the Finals a couple times, and have had some success rodeoing. But I’ve never had another win like this one.

“I grew up in Eastern Missouri, and when I was a little kid, rodeoing and roping for a living was the pipe dream. I told myself, ‘I just want to make a living roping and riding horses.’ Everybody says they want to be a world champion. I would love to say that, and that’s what I want to be. But I’m not going to say that’s my goal, because my goal has never changed. I want to make a living roping and make good horses. What a day.”

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45^TH BFI RESULTS:

Aggregate: 1. Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens, 47.11 seconds on six, $150,000; 2. James Arviso and Josh Patton, 47.21 seconds on six, $100,000; 3. Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler, 47.35 seconds on six, $70,000; 4. Chad Masters and Cory Petska, 47.92 on six, $50,000; 5. Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison, 48.33 seconds on six, $30,000; 6. Blake Hughes and Brady Norman, 48.54 seconds on six, $20,000; 7. Wyatt Bray and Cutter Thomison, 48.83 on six, $15,000; 8. Kaden Richard and Brady Ramone, 49.23 seconds on six, $12,000; 9. Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham, 49.24 seconds on six, $10,000; 10. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 38.92 seconds on five, $9,000; 11. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 39.37 seconds on five, $8,000; 12. Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan, 39.68 seconds on five, $7,500; 13. JC Yeahquo and LJ Yeahquo, 40.56 seconds on five, $6,500; 14. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, 40.82 seconds on five, $6,500; 15. Casey Hicks and Steve Orth, 41.13 seconds on five, $6,500

First Round: 1. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, 6.92 seconds, $8,000; 2. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 6.99 seconds, $6,000; 3. Keven Daniel and Adam Plyler, 7.55 seconds, $4,000; 4. Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens, 7.56 seconds, $2,000.

Second Round: 1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 6.45 seconds, $8,000; 2. Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith, 6.74 seconds, $6,000; 3. Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan, 7.03 seconds, $4,000; 4. Hayes Smith and Cullen Teller, 7.06 seconds, $2,000.

Third Round: 1. Aaron Tsinigine and Landen Glenn, 5.47 seconds, $8,000; 2. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 5.79 seconds, $6,000; 3. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 5.97 seconds, $4,000; 4. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 6.39 seconds, $2,000.

Fourth Round: 1. Britt Smith and Jake SMith, 5.58 seconds, $8,000; 2. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 5.59 seconds, $6,000; 3. Clint Summers and Ross Ashford, 5.66 seconds, $4,000; 4. Kolton Schmidt and Wyatt Cox, 5.73 seconds, $2,000

Fifth Round: 1. Chad Masters and Cory Petska, 5.68 seconds, $8,000; 2. (tie) Braden Pirrung and Lane Siggins, 5.70 seconds, $5,000; 2. (tie) Marcus Theriot and Jim Ross Cooper, 5.70 seconds, $5,000; 3. JC Yeahquo and LJ Yeahquo, 5.89 seconds, $2,000.

Short Round: 1. Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison, 6.95 seconds, $4,000; 2. James Arviso and Josh Patton, 7.32 seconds, $3,000; 3. Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham, 7.54 seconds, $2,000; 4. Kaden Richard and Brady Ramone, 7.71 seconds, $1,000

Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood win first-ever BFI Legends roping

It took 10 gold heading buckles to win the inaugural BFI Legends Roping, and Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood were the over-40 guys who brought their best game to the world-famous Lazy E Arena on April 1 to get it done. Eight-time champ of the world Williams, 54, headed for two-time world heading titlist Sherwood, 52, as one of 34 teams entered that treated the crowd to a sweet real-time walk down memory lane.

“Are you kidding me, I won $20,000 for roping with Speed Williams?” Sherwood grinned at roping’s end. “I’ve never run a steer with the best header in the world ever to live. To be able to keep my composure and do my job is very rewarding to me personally. What a fun situation to find myself in.”

Speed’s first-round draft picks for the BFI Legends Roping were his partner in eight-gold-buckle crime, Rich Skelton, and seven-time champ, Clay Cooper.

“I called Clay and asked him if he was coming to rope with me,” said Williams, who lives in Comanche, Texas. “He said he wasn’t coming. I said, ‘What? It’s the Legends Roping. They can’t have it without you and Jake (Barnes). That’s just not right.’ But they’d already booked a roping school.”

Then came the timely text.

“I texted Speed and said, ‘Hey, do you want to rope at the BFI and the Legends Roping?’ Sherwood said. “He texted me back and said, ‘Clay’s not coming, so I’ll rope with you in the Legends. But I’ve already got one in the BFI.”

Williams doesn’t just “have one” in today’s BFI—he’s heading for Speed and Jennifer’s baby boy and 15-year-old son, Gabe, thanks to the Legends Roping luring him to the Lazy E.

“There was no way around it if I came and roped in this Legends roping,” Speed smiled. “So at dinner that night, I said, ‘Buddy, they’re having an over-40 Legends Roping at the BFI this year.’ His eyes lit up. He said, ‘Does that mean we’re going to rope in the BFI, Dad?’ I said, ‘It sounds like it, buddy.’

“What I was really concerned about was whether or not my body was going to stay healthy for all the practice getting ready to come here, because my son is worse than Rich. Back in the day, I could go to Rich’s house, run 40 or 50 and leave. I’m all day doing lessons, and my son wants to rope all day and all night. About a month ago, I got some big, stout, hard-running steers, so we could prepare. My son is truly excited to rope in the BFI. I’m about worn out.”

What a wonderful reunion the BFI Legends roping was. Rounding out the top four teams were Jeff Hilton and Zane Bruce, Tyler Magnus and double-dipping Bruce, and Tee Woolman and Walt Woodard.

“I’ve seen guys here that I haven’t seen in a long time,” Speed said. “We got to visit and shake a lot of hands with a lot of guys we haven’t gotten to see. Getting to see peers you haven’t seen in a lot of years is pretty cool. And it’s been a long time since I’ve stood on stage for winning something. So that’s kind of special.”

“I love the concept of the BFI Legends Roping,” added Sherwood, who’s heading for Utah’s Kycen Winn in the 2022 BFI. “I got to see a lot of people here that I haven’t seen in quite a while, like Kevin Stewart, Chris Lawson and George Aros. It was so great to see so many of these people I haven’t seen rope in a long time.”

Speed rode a 9-year-old he calls Green Light that he bought from Dustin Egusquiza, in part because he was a little bit green to be going out on the rodeo road.

“He’s kind of special, and has some personality to him,” said Williams, who noted that his name is because daughter Hali has a horse they call Red Light, who has some similar traits. “He’s a little bit like Viper (Speed’s rodeo-career signature horse), because he’s so broke. I’m kind of excited about him.”

Sherwood rode a 7-year-old mare he raised that his family calls Cory.

“She’s out of a mare that went blind as a baby,” Sherwood said. “I gave the mare to a buddy of mine in Utah, and Cory is her first colt. Cory got her name because whenever we were breaking her, my boy was riding her around without a tie-down. And it was right after Cory Petska won the world (in 2017) with no tie-down.”

Williams has won the BFI with Skelton three times, in 1998, 2001 and 2002. His favorite memory is winning it the first time. The worst was the year he was sick as three dogs on BFI day.

What sets the BFI apart from all the rest of the ropings in the world?

“Horsemanship,” Speed said. “There are a lot of guys who can rope now. This roping separates the guys who can ride and control a horse, and set the run up for their heelers.

“My best advice to headers at their first BFI is when you think you’ve seen ’em enough, hold your horse in there just a little longer. And the bottom line is, the BFI is a marathon.”

“The BFI has just gotten bigger and bigger,” Sherwood said. “BFI Week now has something for everybody—the youth, the old guys, the best guys in the world, the girls—and it pays so good.

“I think the Lazy E is a great place to have BFI Week. Reno’s so far for the guys in the Southeast, but almost everyone can get here in 20 hours or less. This facility is amazing, and with this big arena, the BFI is back to a longer barrier. I think this is a phenomenal place for this phenomenal event.”

BFI Legends Results:

Aggregate: 1. Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood, 40.9 seconds, $40,000; 2. Jeff Hilton and Zane Bruce, 44.0 seconds, $10,000; 3. Tyler Magnus and Zane Bruce, 45.38 seconds, $5,000. First Round: 1. Manny Egusquiza and Monty Joe Petska, 6.64 seconds, $2,000. Second Round: 1. Chris Francis and Josh Patton, 5.41 seconds, $2,000.

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About Ullman-Peterson Events

The Phoenix-based production company helmed by Daren Peterson and Corky Ullman has owned and produced the Bob Feist Invitational since 2012 and purchased the Reno Rodeo Invitational team ropings in 2015. Founded by notable rodeo announcer and publisher Bob Feist in 1977, the BFI is the richest team roping event for professionals and one of the most prestigious, due to its limited roster and long head-start for steers. The high-stakes amateur, female and youth roping events surrounding the BFI comprise Wrangler BFI Week – the most lucrative one-day events of their kind.

The Cinch Timed Event Championship is in the books, and Mississippi’s Marcus Theriot rode the roller coaster to the end of the tracks for the biggest win of his young career. With 25 runs—five each in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping—done in 322.4 seconds, Theriot won $100,000 and is just the 17th Ironman in the tradition-rich TEC’s 37-year history.

This 9.2-second tie-down roping run in Round 5 moved Theriot to #1 in the average. Lazy E Photo James Phifer

“I love this event,” said the five-year Timed Event veteran, who made his first appearance at 18 and is still just 23. “It’s not easy, and I’ve had my ups and downs this week, like everyone else. It’s finally over, and I’m finally where I want to be when it’s finished. I’ve been working harder than I ever have, and it paid off.”

Theriot earned eight national titles—four in junior high, two in high school and two in college—on his climb up the rodeo ranks. But this Timed Event title trumps them all.

“This is definitely #1—100 percent,” said Theriot, who enlisted heading and heeling help from Shay Carroll, and had Tyler Pearson on the hazing side. “I’m not sure if this is a tougher physical or mental test, but as sore as I am right now, I might be leaning toward physical.

“The Lazy E is so historic, and every time we come here, it’s for a big event. I’ve been coming to this arena since I was a little kid, and it’s still as big as it’s always been. I love the Lazy E.”

Tyler Pearson is one of many unsung heroes that helped this week. Lazy E Photo James Phifer

Theriot will celebrate tonight, then turn right around and head for cousin Cole Curry in tomorrow’s BFI here at the E.

Rounding out the overall top five finishers at this year’s Ironman were South Dakota’s Paul David Tierney, New Mexico’s Seth Hall, California’s Lane Karney and Oklahoma native Clay Smith. Arizona’s Erich Rogers won Round 5 tonight in 51 seconds flat.

Tonight’s opening included the unveiling of the Timed Event Championship of the World Ring of Honor, which now includes the late Leo Camarillo, Trevor Brazile, K.C. Jones, Paul Tierney, Jess Tierney, Paul David Tierney, Daniel Green, Mike Beers, Jimmie Cooper, Bobby Harris, Olie Smith, Kyle Lockett, Josh Peek, Jordan Ketscher, Justin Thigpen and Taylor Santos, and included a touching tribute to the late Leo “The Lion.” Jones and Paul Tierney are now tied at 29 for the most Timed Event appearances ever.

Tonight, we honored 16 Ironman Legends, including the one who started it all and the first to leave us, Leo “The Lion” Camarillo. Lazy E Photo James Phifer

See complete 2021 Cinch Timed Event coverage and results at LazyE.com.

Briar Teague closed the deal on the 2021 Jr Ironman the hard way here at the Lazy E today. The Rattan, Oklahoma, teenager won Rounds 1 and 2, and it was a good thing, as Round 3 was a bit rocky and he ended up needing that buffer. Teague opened the third and final round with a 7-second heading run and a 13-second tie-down roping run. It was all about stopping the clock after that. Then he had to rebuild in the heeling, and missed his bulldogging steer. But Teague did not quit. He ran the length of the 400-foot Lazy E Arena to try and get that last steer thrown. The buzzer beat him, but he got it done anyway. And the crowd went crazy. With 200.4 seconds on 12 runs, Teague was able to hold off reserve champ Jaylyn Hash, who finished with a close 201.2 on 12.

“I thought a 60 (no time) was second,” managed an exhausted Teague at event’s end. “I just had to knock that last steer down is all that was going through my head. Then I missed him. It’s a big relief that it worked out the way it did. This is winning it the hard way.”

The Ironman comes down to horsepower. Teague rode his own horses in 3 out of 4 events. Lazy E Photo James Phifer

Teague won $11,500 for first in the average and the Round 1 and 2 wins.

“I’ll rodeo with this money,” he said. “To be recognized at this level is amazing. That I was able to do my job good enough to win it is the main thing. For the Lazy E to put an event of this caliber on for young guys who might be future Timed Event contestants is outstanding.”

Teague rode his own horses—Rolex, Cat and Vegas—in the heading, tie-down and heeling, respectively. World Champion Header Erich Rogers headed for him in the heeling, and Briar’s best buddy, Jessen James, heeled for him in the heading. Teague rode World Champion Steer Wrestler Tyler Pearson’s bay bulldogging horse Tubby, and Pearson hazed for him.

The Lone Star Ropes Jr Ironman Top Horse Award went to Hash’s steer wrestling horse, Cooper.

Another Round 3 highlight was Guthrie, Oklahoma’s own Dawson Price setting a new 3.9-second Jr Ironman record in his hometown here today.

See complete Jr Ironman and Cinch Timed Event Championship results and coverage at LazyE.com.

Kimzey Rewrites Record Books with Million-Dollar Regular Season

Neil Armstrong will always be the first astronaut ever to walk on the moon. Sage Kimzey will always be the first cowboy ever to win a million dollars in a regular season. Armstrong took his permanent place in world history in 1969. Kimzey made his magical mark in Western-world record books in 2017.

This is not Kimzey’s first phenomenal feat. In 2013, Sage set a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association record for most money won on a permit with $47,726. In 2014, the Strong City, Okla., sensation became only the second rookie bull rider ever to win a world title (the other being Bill Kornell in 1963), after winning the 10-head Wrangler National Finals Rodeo average and the RAM Top Gun Award for most money won at the NFR.

That same 2014 season, Kimzey set both the all-time rookie earnings and all-time bull riding season earnings records with $318,631. To be clear up front, bareback rider Richmond Champion won $1.1 million that same year at the 2014 American at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the largest lump-sum check in cowboy history, and saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell followed suit with a $1.1 million check of his own there in 2016.

In 2015, Kimzey rewrote his own bull riding earnings record with $327,178, which set the mark for most annual PRCA earnings ever in any event. Kimzey won his third-straight PRCA gold buckle in 2016, the year he also became the youngest millionaire in professional rodeo history at 22. But those achievements were chump change compared to this kid’s latest and greatest accomplishment in 2017.

Just when the Western world was starting to wonder what this bad-cat kid could possibly do to outdo himself, he’s put together a dream season like none other—ever—with over $1 million won riding into the NFR. Rodeo’s Super Bowl will serve as a colossal cowboy bonus on a dream season never before experienced by any of the greats before him.

At 23, Kimzey has pieced together a page of cowboy history that was beyond even his own wildest dreams. He delivered a dominant list of hits on this record run, with the final chapter of his 2017 bestseller yet to play out at the Dec. 7-16 Wrangler NFR at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas.

Kimzey’s gold-paved 2017 regular season reads like a never-ending highlights reel, and includes the W at two of the richest rodeos on the planet—The American, where he won $433,333.33 in February, and the Calgary Stampede, where he earned $108,000 up in Canada in July. For those into bantering about whether or not Kimzey could cut it against PBR cowboys, there was a PBR contingent at both of those rodeos, and you’ll get nothing but mutual respect out of the bull riders themselves on that subject.

“I’m kind of bridging the gap,” Kimzey said. “And I think that’s good for every part of the sport. You have PRCA fans watching the PBR now, and vice-versa. The division is starting to go away, and I think that’s a good thing.”

Yes, the unity of one cowboy nation is the ticket to extending our borders into mainstream mode, and is the fuel needed for the cowboy sport to not only survive, but thrive. Kimzey’s 2017 is, in fact, a non-denominational cowboy success story.

His “going where no cowboy has ever gone before” campaign also included $186,913 won on the 2017 Championship Bull Riding (CBR) tour, including the $100,000 bonus that goes to the year-end champ.

Kimzey threw a one-two punch on Monday and Tuesday, July 24-25, that took some swagger to even attempt. The CBR regular-season leader skipped opening night at the CBR World Finals, which is held in conjunction with the Daddy of ’em All in Cheyenne, to fly to Salt Lake City and win $52,667 and a gold medal at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo that evening.

It was a huge gamble, as returning to Cheyenne only for closing night on Tuesday left Kimzey’s back—and that hefty $100,000 bonus that could easily have ended up in another pocket—exposed. Kimzey doubled down, and won both.

“That was a nerve-wracking decision, and a tough one to make,” he said. “In hindsight, I made the right one. I went into the CBR Finals with a three-bull lead, but I turned out two of five possible Finals bulls on opening night. My thinking was that that $50,000 at Salt Lake counts for the (PRCA) standings, and that’s almost an insurmountable amount of money not to try to win it. But not being there that first night at Cheyenne left me vulnerable and definitely opened the door to not win the $100,000 CBR bonus.”

Many an event producer would have cussed Kimzey for cutting out on the first half of his finals. I was there, and Tuff Hedeman clearly saw the situation through his own set of cowboy eyes.

“I admire Sage, because he has the guts and the independence to do what he thinks is best for him,” said three-time PRCA world champion bull rider, PBR world champion bull rider and founder, and CBR kingpin Hedeman. “He does exactly what I would have done, and that’s go at the best opportunities in front of him.

“I’ve always said Jim Sharp was the best I’ve ever seen. Sage is a right-handed Jim Sharp the way he rides rank bulls ridiculously easy. He does it by being so fundamentally correct and sound. He’s legit. He’s a badass.”

Yes, Kimzey is coming as close to having it all as any cowboy ever has. Perhaps this personable young cowboy is the one who will prove you don’t have to pick just one path if you’re good enough to win wherever you want to go.

“My ultimate is to be remembered as the best bull rider ever,” Kimzey said. “To do that I think I need as many gold buckles as Donnie Gay, if not more. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid to win more than eight gold buckles in the PRCA. Nine is definitely my goal. There’s no question that Donnie Gay is the best bull rider of all time. He has the most gold buckles, and none of the bull riders were split in different associations back then.

“Because Donnie won the most gold buckles, he still has a voice in the world of bull riding. He’s a recognizable figure for multiple generations in the sport of rodeo and beyond.”

Kimzey wants those nine titles, but his bottom line does not end with buckles.

“I want to be remembered as the best bull rider ever,” he said. “It’s pretty plain and simple for me. But I don’t just want to win gold buckles. I want to have a positive impact on people. And the gold buckles are what’s going to give me the platform to do that.

“I want to reach out past what happens in the arena. The rodeo arena is so small in the big game of life. I want to help people—kids, old people, everybody. It doesn’t take any time or effort to brighten up someone’s day.”

The sport’s elders say Sage’s lofty goals are reasonable and within his reach.

“Right now, I don’t think even Sage knows how good he is,” Gay said. “He rides rank bulls as easy as anybody I’ve ever seen. He’s got his sights set on my record, and that’s in the PRCA. If anything gets in the way of the big goal, he’ll have trouble doing it. But if he stays focused on the big goal, he can do it—and do it with consecutive championships.

“There are great bulls and great cowboys in every organization. (D&H Cattle Company’s) Bruiser is the bull of the year in both the PRCA and the PBR this year. My advice to Sage is that he not let ego and all the chatter get in the way of his bank account. In the end, when you ride bulls for a living you’re just a piece of meat for the grinder. You better do it your way, because when the grinder gets you, you’re done.”

Sage is smart enough to realize that a bull rider’s prime is basically a blink. He gets that his is the most dangerous event, and that there’s a reason for the old saying that when you ride bulls “it’s not a matter of if you get hurt, but when and how bad.”

“You don’t see very many really successful bull riders past the age of 30,” he said. “That’s just how it is. Bull riding is life or death. On the financial side, the money I win now needs to last me 60 years, not 10. So it’s a financial planning thing for me, not a dream planning thing. Hopefully, if I’m smart with my money and stay on the right road now, I’ll be financially stable my whole life.”

The PBR again invited the reigning PRCA world champion to its Velocity Tour Finals at the South Point in Las Vegas the end of October. Winning that not only netted Kimzey $26,300, but also advanced him to the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals the first week of November across town at T-Mobile Arena. There, Kimzey added about $8,000 more to his 2017 cause, and got a “Sage Kimzey is the real deal” out of nine-time PRCA world champ, and PBR founder and commentator Ty Murray on the telecast.

In addition to winning a laundry list of PRCA rodeos this year, Kimzey also bagged a $20,000 bonus in a July 1 match against PBR Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger’s notorious Pearl Harbor at the Mandan (N.D.) Rodeo Days Celebration in Berger’s hometown. Judges marked the ride 92 points, and Kimzey became just the fifth bull rider ever to make the whistle on Pearl Harbor.

“The money I won at the Velocity Tour Finals got me to $1 million for 2017,” Kimzey said. “As awesome as it is, the money is secondary to living this lifestyle and getting to do what I love. I never set out to get rich riding bulls. I’ve always done it because I love it. But there are only 230,000 Americans who make a million dollars a year, so there’s definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment that goes with it.

“I’m not sure it’s really sunk in how much money I’ve made this year. It doesn’t seem real, and it’s hard for me to wrap my head around it. After the CBR Finals is when I stopped and said, ‘Holy smokes.’ Between Calgary, Salt Lake City and the CBR Finals, that put me at $270,000 in nine days. July was an extremely good month for me.”

Kimzey grew up competing in all of the events. “The summer of my junior year in high school is when I started having a bunch of success in the bull riding,” he said. “That’s when I knew I was going to be a bull rider. I started winning at amateur and open rodeos, and won $40,000 as a 16-year-old kid that summer.”

Sage has been wise beyond his years all his life, and has always had a knack for getting things done early. He started preschool at 3, and graduated from Cheyenne (Okla.) High School at 17 in 2012. Cheyenne’s about 10 miles from Kimzey’s actual hometown of Strong City, which sports a total population of 30 people, including five Kimzeys.

In addition to Sage, the Kimzey family includes longtime PRCA clown and NFR barrelman dad Ted and mom Jennifer, Sage’s big sister, Dusta, and little brother, Trey. Kimzey’s girlfriend, Alexis Bloomer, often travels with him and is also part of the family.

“I’m very passionate about all my goals,” Kimzey said. “Now, more than anything, I want to inspire the next generation and all the young kids coming up. Today’s world is full of a bunch of stuff kids shouldn’t be looking up to and idolizing. If I can be a positive role model for kids, that’s probably the most rewarding thing I can do now.

“I’m a firm believer in karma and the fact that God takes care of people who are doing things the right way. It’s not something you can see, taste, touch or smell. We all work hard. I have prepared myself to be in these situations, but this year is a supernatural thing. I hope I can use any influence I have to make the world a better place. Bull riding is never going to be my God. It’s not where it ends for me. I’m going to keep fighting the good fight and following my heart. There’s a much bigger picture in all of this. Rodeo’s given me so much, and being a part of something bigger than yourself is cool.”

Kimzey is questioned constantly about his future plans, but will be taking it one bull at a time for now.

“This year is coming to a close, and yet 2018 still seems so far into the future when it comes to answering all the questions about which way I’m going to go, and especially the big question about how much I’ll ride in the PBR,” he said. “The social-media debates, the naysayers and armchair quarterbacks don’t get to me anymore. None of that is important. In today’s world, I think I also need a PBR world title to be the best ever. I’ve openly said that, and I believe it. But the timeline on my career will be my own. The way I see it, if I follow my heart I really can’t lose.”

Sage wisdom for such a young man. He’ll take on each new challenge with a strong and stable body and soul. The rigors of the rodeo road keep Kimzey tuned up and in tip-top physical shape. His fitness regimen when he’s home includes a lot of stretching and plyometrics (AKA jump training, with the goal of increasing power in terms of both speed and strength).

But experience has taught Kimzey—whose 5’7”, 145-pound build is basically textbook for a bull rider—that the mind is mightier than muscle in his demanding, dangerous line of work.

“Almost all of it is mental,” is his strong opinion. “You see guys in various physical shape have big success. On the physical side, you need to prepare yourself to where when you show up you feel like you’re ready to win, and capable and worthy of winning. But I’d say winning in my event is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.”

If you watch him, you’ll notice he’s never too high or low. Kimzey’s natural, even-keel calm is serving him well.

“I’m a very grounded person,” he said. “I don’t hit rock bottom, and I don’t get caught up. I’ve gotten better about that every year. I watch and read a lot of sports psychology, and none of the greatest athletes do peaks and valleys. They stay level. I never go up or down a whole lot. I’m a huge believer in working hard, then trusting the process.”

Kimzey’s 2017 season has been crazy cool. But when you break it down, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. It’s easy to be a gracious winner. It’s those tough times that test you.

“There was a time this winter when I hurt my shoulder, I had the flu and I was way down in the standings,” Sage said. “It was a tough time for me. But even at that time I was OK. I credit that to my foundation, the people around me and the way I look at the world.

“I grew up dreaming about what I’m getting to do now. Every part of it is romantic, in my eyes—even the late-night drives, and when my body’s beat up and sore. I enjoy it all—the struggles and the good times. My dreams included all of it, so I really am living my dream.”

The cowboy community is standing at full attention.

“Here’s the deal: The money’s going to get spent, no matter where you make it,” Gay said. “All the money I won got spent, too. Guess what’s still talked about? My eight world titles. Everybody has a decision to make on what his ultimate goal is, including Sage. Sage has his sights set on my record, so he should stay on track and complete that goal. That should take him six more years.

“It’s up to Sage, but my best suggestion would be to stick to the plan, get the goal, then go do whatever else he wants when he’s 30. If he gets it done and becomes the most recognizable name in all of the Western world, nobody else will have his credentials and he can go do whatever else he wants to do. Sage might really be superman.”

The living legends among us are typically the toughest to impress.

“It’s always difficult to compare one generation to another, because times, conditions, bulls and everything else change,” Hedeman said. “It was different in Jim Shoulders’ and Freckles Brown’s day than it was in my day, and it was different in my day than it is today. If Sage stays as driven as he is now and stays healthy, he’ll be in the conversation when they talk about the best ever. The numbers don’t lie.

“Sage Kimzey is an amazing talent. And he’s very versatile. He can ride all kinds of bulls, and make it look easy. He’s that good. I hope he continues down his chosen path and doesn’t get baited in by all the talk. It appears to me he’s made pretty good decisions so far, based on the success he’s had. This is Sage’s show, and he gets to call the shots.”

That’s exactly Kimzey’s plan for 2017 and beyond.

“When it’s all said and done I want to be remembered as the best ever,” Kimzey said. “Inside the arena that’s exactly what I want. Outside the arena, I want them to say I was a good and honest man who worked hard. I want the mothers to be able to look at their kids and say, ‘Be like Sage.’ And not only for being able to stay on bulls for eight seconds, but for the way I live my life.”