Conway Captures RMCFR Tie-Down Roping Average
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Tie-down roping isn’t Nolan Conway’s best event.
However, that may change after Sunday.
The Cut Bank, Mont., cowboy, who acknowledged his best events are steer roping and being a team roping header, won the tie-down roping average at the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo.
Conway captured the title with a 30.1-second time on three head at the Four Seasons Arena.
“This feels so great,” said Conway, 32.
Conway also was crowned the all-around cowboy as he earned $10,359 in tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling. The $8,058 Conway earned in tie-down roping also propelled him to win the Montana Circuit year-end championship in that event for the first time in his career.
“I was down there (in the tie-down roping standings) coming into here and I picked away at them and it ended up being great,” Conway said.
The performance of Conway was improbable since he only won the average one other time at the RMCFR and that was in 2012 in steer wrestling.
Conway kept with a simple plan in tie-down roping at the RMCFR.
“I drew some good calves and my horse worked outstanding, and I caught them and tied them down,” he said. “I just tried to stay consistent. I’m a bulldogger and team roper by trade and then I also tie-down rope. Tie-down roping is my favorite event, but I’m just not as good at it as I am in steer wrestling and team roping.”
Conway was solid in the first and second rounds as he came in second each time with times of 9.8 and 10.5 seconds, respectively. As the last contestant to go in the third round, Conway needed just a 15.5-second run to claim the average, but his nerves were running far too wild for him to have time to be crunching numbers.
“I was nervous as all heck,” Conway said, “I was just trying to make the catch, and then when I looked up and saw my time (9.8 seconds), it was something like I had never felt before. I was so happy. All the hard work I did for years finally paid off.”
Providing the horsepower for Conway was Jose, his 7-year-old horse.
“The way he worked was the key to helping me succeed,” Conway said. “He was outstanding all weekend.”
With his tie-down roping year-end and average titles in hand, Conway qualified to compete at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo April 5-8 in Kissimmee, Fla.
“I’ve never been to Florida,” Conway said. “My wife, Katelin and I have two little girls, Addison, 5, and Deni, 2, and they can’t wait to go to Disney World. I think they are more excited than I am.”
Other winners are the $207,106 rodeo were bareback rider J.R. Vezain (253 points on three head), steer wrestler Bridger Chambers (15.3 seconds on three head), team ropers Dustin Bird/Chase Tryan (14.8 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Ricky Warren (230 points on three head), barrel racer Ashley Day (40.35 seconds on three runs), bull rider Parker Breding (171 points on two head).
Courtesy of PRCA