Snedecor Captures Third Steer Roping Gold Buckle
MULVANE, Kan. – Consistency paid ultimate dividends for veteran steer roper Scott Snedecor.
The Fredericksburg, Texas, cowboy won the average with 104.1-second time on nine head which vaulted him to his third world championship at the 2017 Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping at the Kansas Star Arena.
Snedecor, who won world titles in 2005 and 2008, finished with $136,419 in the WEATHER GUARD® PRCA World Standings to edge six-time steer roping world champ Trevor Brazile, who placed second with $126,538.
“This is a great feeling,” said Snedecor, 42. “Anytime you can get one of them gold buckles added to your list again, that’s awesome. I’m toward the end of my career, I guess, and man it’s good to know I still got it. It’s good to see a shiny gold buckle again.”
Snedecor clinched the world championship and the average title when JoJo LeMond, the 10th roper in Round 10, clocked a 14.2-second time. LeMond finished second in the average with a 109.5-second time on nine head. Snedecor and LeMond were the only contestants to rope nine steers. Brazile placed third in the average with an 85.0-second time on eight head.
“I heard everybody congratulating me after JoJo roped, and you want to know what’s going on in the back of your head, but I tried to just worry about roping (in Round 10),” Snedecor said.
With both the world and average titles in hand, Snedecor, the last roper out in the final round, recorded his only no-time of the NFSR.
“It didn’t matter if I got a time in Round 10, but I sure wanted to tie that last one down,” he said. “But, I felt like I roped good (both days) and my horse worked outstanding.”
This also is Snedecor’s third NFSR average crown, as he won the average in 2005 and 2011.
“That average title is the second-best thing in the world,” said Snedecor, who earned $27,347 for his latest average victory. “Now, I have three gold buckles and three average championships and that’s a great feeling.”
Snedecor came to his 16th NFSR in fourth place, but was able to move to the top of the standings, thanks to earning $68,336, the most of any contestant this year’s NFSR. Brazile was second to Snedecor in NFSR earnings with $63,273.
“I practiced a little more for it (the NFSR) this time,” Snedecor said. “The last few years I had not worked on it liked I used to and you get out of it what you put into it.”
Snedecor’s NFSR money total was second all-time behind Cody Lee’s $70,651 in earnings a year ago.
During the entire 2017 NFSR, Snedecor rode Possum, a 9-year-old horse that is owned by Stephen Stransky. Possum was making his NFSR debut.
“That horse has been good since Day 1,” Snedecor said. “Stephen brought him to my house and he (Possum) couldn’t hardly back out of the trailer. Stephen has raised a bunch of horses and he and I have been good friends all of our lives. I was fortunate to have Stephen in my corner and for him let me take that horse and ride him when I need him.”
For complete coverage of the NFSR, check out the Nov. 24 issue of the ProRodeo Sports News.
Courtesy of PRCA