Sterling Smith breaks Cheyenne Record
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Tie-down roper Sterling Smith broke a 21-year-old Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days record by half a second July 23.
“It’s a pretty good feeling,” the 34-year-old Arizonan said after making the run. “It didn’t sink in at first, and now it’s sinking in.”
Smith’s 9.4-second run shattered the previous record of 9.9 seconds, which was shared by Chad Johnson (1997), Cade Swor (2014) and Scott Kormos (2017).
“I owe a lot to my horse, that’s for sure, that and Dan Mundorf – he had the calves the last two years (at Cheyenne) and he’s done a really good job,” Smith said.
Smith was riding the same horse he’s ridden since winning the RAM Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo in January, Pepto, a 10-year-old American Quarter Horse owned by his girlfriend, Cassidy Boggs.
“Pepto is just a really honest horse, scores really good, gives me a shot every time and is real easy to rope on,” Smith said. “He did really good today. It’s a really long score here, and he went in there and gave me the best shot I could have.”
Smith didn’t know a lot about how his calf would run, but he knew she would be easy to tie down.
“I just had a really good calf that wanted to participate,” Smith said. “That’s a big thing at Cheyenne, having a calf that’s fresh.”
Smith is ranked 12th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings for tie-down roping with $53,793 and 26th in the PRCA | Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Standings with 215 points. Cheyenne is among the 22 rodeos in the Tour. (Thirteen Tour rodeos have been completed so far). The Top 24 competitors in the Tour standings in each event will earn a spot at the Justin Finale in Puyallup, Wash., Sept. 6-9.
Smith is a mere five points away from breaking into the Top 24 in the Tour Standings, which could give him the boost he needs for his third qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Smith qualified for the Wrangler NFR in 2013 and 2015.
“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Smith said. “My horse gives me a lot of confidence because he is real easy to rope on.”
Courtesy of PRCA