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*2009 NFR Blog*
Chad's Blog for the 2009
Wrangler National Finals
Stay up to date on what's happening with Chad's game plan and thoughts while he competes at the at the 2009 WNFR!
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Chads NFR Blog
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
Last night I rode Handsome again because I didn't really feel confident on any of my horses. I felt like in order to get by him on that steer, the best thing to do would be to swing in the box and have some power on my rope because I knew he was going to duck. I scored how I wanted, had some power on my rope, and still didn't get it thrown before Handsome started out. I got real wide, and since we were in a position where we needed to win day moneys, I took a really tough shot at the steer and missed him. Even though he was not the best steer in the pen, he was still catchable. There is always a loop that can catch any kind of steer, so I don't have any excuses for missing.
Looking back, I think that if I would have stayed on Frank after the second round, he would have settled in and worked really well for me. I think he would have been more honest and given me shots that allowed me to stay in the average and win some day money through the course of the week and given us a better chance.
It's pretty easy to look back on the week and say "Well maybe if I'd have done this... ," but at the time, it feels like the right decisions were being made. A lot of people question the decisions we make, talk about a guy having a bad week, and try to give their opinion as to what we should do to fix the problems we're having. No two styles are exactly the same though, so what works for them won't necessarily work for us. Sometimes when you get so many people questioning what you're doing and giving you their opinion, you get to fighting your head more, and it can get a bit aggravating because we are constantly working to get better and compete to the best of our ability. These are the same decions we make all year, and we just try to continue to do what got us to the Finals to start with, and even though a guy might have a rough week at the Finals, he's had an outstanding year up to that point, did what he needed to, made the right decisions thoughout the year, taken the advice to help him get better, and worked hard to get there. I feel really bad for Luke Brown because Luke works as hard as anybody at his roping. He's had a great year, and the work he puts into his roping is really paying off. And congratulations to Nick and Kollin, they roped well and definitely deserved everything they got this year.
This WNFR has really made me excited to rope here again next year. I came into this one wondering how I was going to rope because I hadn't roped very well at the Finals last year. This one seems to have really lit a fire within me to work hard at my roping and look forward to roping at the Finals instead of wonder how it'll all work out. You can't achieve your goals from the bench, you have to be in the game, and I'm ready to get to work, continue to work at getting better, and sharpen my game to be back at the Finals next year. Thanks for following me throughout the week. Take care, and God bless.
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
Jade and I won the 9th Round last night. We set the new world record in team roping with a 3.3. I rode a gray horse last night named Handsome. I owned him several years ago, then I sold him. Shain Sproul owns him now. Shain is a great friend to let me call him up and borrow his horse on such short notice. I really appreciate the opportunity to get back on Handsome.
I
feel really confident on Handsome and am going to ride him again tonight. We'll run at this steer tonight like we have each of them and try to make the best run we can on whatever we draw. Thank you for all the comments left in my Guest Book, and thanks for following. Have a great day.
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Last night I broke out to be 3.9. That would have been 2nd in the round. I thought I gave the steer enough. So I couldn't have broke it by much. Cody worked really well for me last night too. Switching from using the Mini Mag to the Explosion has seemed to work pretty well for me as well. We really needed that run to keep our chance alive though.
I'm going to ride Cody again
tonight, and we're going to keep running at the steers we draw. Making the best run on whatever we draw is about all we can do.
Make sure to stop by Ariat and Cactus today and say hello.
Thanks for following me, and have a great day.
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
I rode Cody again last night. We made a pretty good run and placed on a steer that tried a little harder than some in that pen. Cody didn't face very well, and that cost us placing a little better. I was happy to get him down though and am looking forward to tonight.
I am going to ride Cody again tonight. I've been catching on him, and we are needing to keep running at every steer. Hopefully we draw one that gives us a chance to be fast. Either way, we'll try and make the best run on whatever we draw even if he's not one to win first on. Thanks for following my daily blog. Have a great day.
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Well, we put one together last night and won 2nd in the round. It felt really good to catch one because that run allowed us to still be in the hunt. I rode Cody. He got a little wide on me again. I roped a neck on that steer, and with having that much rope out and Cody getting wide, it made it tough to dally because my rope was getting away so fast. I'm going to ride Cody again tonight though. Hopefully things will keep rolling. Thanks for following, and have a great day.
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Well, I missed another one last night. Magic has worked really well the last couple nights. I just haven't caught. I may switch back to Cody tonight. I'm going to go practice today if the arena is dry enough. I'm also going to swing through some ropes and possibly switch to something a little softer.
I'm looking forward to tonight. We're roping the steers from the 3rd Round, and there are some really good steers in that pen that give you an opportunity to be fast. We're just going to keep running at 'em and see what happens. Thanks for following, and take care.
Monday, December 7th, 2009
I split the horns last night and ended up missing my steer. I'm going to ride Magic again tonight and try to get in a flow. We're going to just try and keep running at each steer. Tonight we are roping the same steers that we roped in the 2nd Round. Hopefully things work out a little better tonight. Be sure to stop by and say hello at one of my autograph signings. Thanks for following, and check back tomorrow for more.
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Well, I'm really ready for Round 4 tonight. Last night, I got back on Cody. He got real wide again last night, and I almost missed my dally. I didn't give Jade a very good handle because of it. I'm going to get on Magic tonight. The steers we're roping tonight are the same steers as the first round. It'll be nice to kind of know what you're running at tonight since they have been out earlier this week. Thanks for following, and have a great day.
Saturday, December 5th, 2009
Last night, I rode my horse, Frank. Frank was a little too fast for the setup. He ran a little too hard to the steer, which didn't allow me to rope as fast as I wanted. I'm still happy with the run and glad to be in the average though.
Jade and I are going to go practice today and decide which horse I'm going to ride tonight. The cattle are supposed to be a bit slower tonight, and we're going to try and speed things up a bit. I'll probably either ride my bay horse, Cody, or my other sorrel, Magic.
Check back tomorrow for more updates. Thanks for following.
Friday, December 4, 2009
My steer last night ran a little harder than I remembered him running when we broke them in. I took what I thought was my first good throw at him. My horse was starting to widen when I threw though, and I was pretty lucky to get dallied. I felt pretty fortunate to even get a time last night. I think I might get off of Cody tonight and ride one of my other horses. If I do decide to change horses, I'm not sure if I'll get on Frank or Magic though. Thanks for following my blog. Check back tomorrow for another update.
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