 Consistency wins the team roping average at the 50th WNFR
Every contestant who qualifies for the Wrangler National Finals is Las Vegas each December has their eye on winning the average. True, the rounds pay $16,766 to win first, but the average pays substantially more at $42,998. Normally the goal is to win or place in as many rounds as possible and ultimately win the average. Much easier said than done.
At arguably the toughest team roping seen at any WNFR, Patrick Smith and partner Trevor Brazile gave a performance in 2008 that defines the word consistent. The pair placed in six of the ten rounds to win the team roping average by roping ten steers in 60.1 seconds, one second behind the record set in 1994 by Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper. The 60.1-second total included a ten second penalty for a barrier and five second penalty for a leg.
“We agreed beforehand that we were going to enjoy the finals and try to make the best run possible without making any mistake,” explains Smith. “It’s
never as easy as you think it will be, but it’s sure nice to have a plan come together.”
Brazile and Smith were under five seconds on six of their ten runs; they were exactly 4.50 seconds on three of those. That consistency make the pair the highest earning team at the finals with earnings of $90,144 each, in addition to the WNFR Champion title.
Adhering to the old adage, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” you can look for a repeat performance as Brazile and Smith partner for the 2009 season.
Photo credit: Dan Hubbell photo
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