Saddle Bronc Rider Sage Newman Wins in Palmer, Alaska
It is not often a professional cowboy can jump on an ornery horse with the crowd at full throat and say that wasn’t the most nerve-wracking thing he did over the weekend. But there are not many rodeos like 49th State PRCA Xtreme Broncs in Palmer, Alaska.
Sage Newman arrived a few days earlier to this first-time saddle bronc event, and what happened next left an indelible photo collage in his memory bank.
“We got to fly around in the bush plane and check out some glaciers, moose, and goats, just a lot of different stuff. Then the next day we went fishing on the ocean and caught some halibut. It was pretty wild out there on the ocean. It was kind of storming, kind of scary as heck out there,” said Newman, who had the fish packed and sent to his home base in Montana.
“It was definitely worth it. I will remember that for a long time.”
Same goes for the competition. Newman delivered an 89-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Borderline Untimely, claiming the title and the $6,200 top prize. He had been on the horse before, and believed he knew what was in store given how Saturday was playing out.
“I actually got on him last year and was like 84 points at Calgary Stampede. It was a good score, but there were still about eight guys to go after me,” Newman said.
“Borderline Untimely had a really good day. Everything bucked well up there. We just teamed up really well together and it worked out like I felt it should. It was just a good bronc match with the way all the horses were bucking. It was anybody’s game. Everybody rode well. It was a fun bronc match for sure.”
Newman boasts a career that is ascending. At age 25, he is hitting his stride. He finished fifth in the world last season and 11th at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The latter has motivated him this year. He has won the lucrative RodeoHouston, New Year’s Even Buck & Ball in Gillette, Wyo. and the 94th Annual Acradia All-Florida Championship when he jumped a last-minute flight that he turned into profit.
“That’s the end of goal, the NFR. I want to be in the gold bucking chute. And I keep my goals high. I want to be in top 5 when that rolls around,” Newman said.
That is several months on the horizon. For now, Newman is regrouping after his Alaska adventure and a quick stop in Deadwood, S.D., for the Back When They Bucked rodeo.
“I got a flight at 11:45 and arrived in Denver at 7 o’clock in the morning and we had probably 12 guys there and we hopped 6 each in two different rigs. I didn’t win, but got an 82,” Newman said. “It’s been crazy few days for sure. I haven’t gotten much sleep. I will get a few days off to get situated again and get back out there. It’s been hectic and fun. And winning in Alaska, that was the cherry on top. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Courtesy of PRCA