Proctor and Long Rebound in Sheridan
SHERIDAN, Wyo. – Coleman Proctor and Jake Long didn’t quite find the amount of presents they were looking for during Cowboy Christmas, but none of that mattered after Saturday night.
The team roping duo won the Sheridan WYO Rodeo – a silver stop on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour – average with a time of 9.5 seconds on two head – the first time either man has won the rodeo.
“Sheridan is such a great rodeo, and it’s always a fun time and the crowd up there is amazing and takes good care of us,” Proctor said. “We’ve always liked Sheridan, and it seems like we’ve had a little luck there. It’s pretty special to have our names in the record book there.”
Proctor and Long had a respectable Fourth of July run, earning $6,976. However, they felt like they left some money on the table during Cowboy Christmas, and made up for it in a big way in Sheridan.
They placed second in the first round with a time of 4.8 seconds, then won the second round with a time of 4.7. In total, each man earned more than $8,000 in Sheridan, which should move them from 13th into the top 10 of the Windham Weaponry High Performance PRCA World Standings.
“It was huge, because we didn’t have as many opportunities this week as we did last week,” Long said. “It was nice to go up to Sheridan and capitalize on drawing two great steers, and I thought Coleman did a great job and we made some good runs.”
The pair made their runs on the second day of the July 8-11 rodeo, and then played the waiting game. Proctor says he doesn’t check the results when he and Long are leading a rodeo.
“I try to forget about it and not worry about it until it’s over – that way you don’t get disappointed,” he said. “Any time you win any money out here against the best ropers in the world it’s an accomplishment, and you have to be grateful.”
Long was pleased with the outcome, and hopes the big check in Sheridan leads to more.
“It’s always nice to get some momentum – especially this time of year – and we’re hoping after having a slower Fourth than we wanted that this will get us back on track,” Long said.
“Sheridan is a neat rodeo that’s been around for a long time, and they have a great culture. It’s a fun rodeo to take the family to and it’s nice to soak up the unique atmosphere it has.”
After a successful 2014 season which saw Proctor and Long finish fourth and third in the world respectively, the pair is hoping for another run at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
“You have to keep putting good runs on the board and making money and climbing up the ranks,” Proctor said. “We want to be in the top 15, but we also want to be a top-five contender with a chance to win the world title.”
Courtesy of PRCA