Guy moves up in the (steer wrestling) world by staying close to home
Courtesy PRCA

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For steer wrestler Nick Guy, the days following Cowboy Christmas always seem to turn out better than the actual “holiday.” He’s becoming a big fan of the cowboy equivalent of Boxing Day.

While other top bulldoggers were up in Alberta, Canada, for the non-PRCA sanctioned Calgary Stampede, Guy, of Sparta, Wis., stayed close to home and made up ground on the leaders in his bid to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

A pair of repeat wins at Hamel, Minn., and Decorah, Iowa, July 8-11, plus a third- place finish at Spooner, Wis., added $5,409 to Guy’s ledger and moved him from ninth place in the world standings to fifth with a total of $44,301.

“I had a good week before Cowboy Christmas with checks at Pecos (Texas) and Santa Fe (N.M.) and a good week after it,” Guy said. “When you count Cowboy Christmas (when he won $4,870), I’ve really had three pretty good weeks in a row.

“I’d hardly won any money in the Great Lakes Circuit this year, so this was a great week to come home. I made up some ground in the world standings and probably assured myself of a spot in the circuit finals rodeo all at the same time.”

The biggest boost to his weekend came at the Hamel (Minn.) Rodeo & Bull Riding Bonanza, where he won a round and the two-head average in 8.2 seconds for $2,886. He also successfully defended his title at the Winnieshiek County Fair Pro Rodeo in Decorah, Iowa, with a time of 4.5 seconds.

He had a run of 5.3 seconds at the Heart of the North Rodeo in Spooner, Wis., and just missed the pay window at the Isanti (Minn.) Firefighters Rodeo; his 5.5-second run was a tenth-of-a-second shy of placing.

This is the first time Guy – a four-year member of the PRCA – has really rodeoed hard. He graduated from National American University in 2008 and spent part of last year working on his Master’s degree in business administration at Chadron State (Chadron, Neb.), while also helping coach the rodeo team.

Guy nonetheless did well enough to earn $25,470 and finish 47^th in the world standings. When he qualified for the field at RodeoHouston and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – the two regular-season PRCA rodeos with the most prize money – he decided to go all out for a Wrangler NFR slot.

“Most of the credit for my success goes to my horse, Tucker,” Guy said. “I’ve had him for about 4-5 years now, and he has really changed my outlook about what is possible. He gives me a chance to do well every time.”

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