Tyler Wade secured his first career PRCA Team Roping World Title on the head side after he and his partner Wesley Thorp won two rounds and placed in four total.
The pair ended with $308,057 in total earnings and made over $153,000 at the NFR alone.
Wade and Thorp failed to place in the opening two rounds before placing in Rounds 3 and 4, but the Gold Buckle aspirations became more realistic after Rounds 8 and 9.
In Round 8, they took the round with a time of 3.3 seconds, which not only tied the arena record but also the world record. Round 9 was more of the same with Wade and Thorp taking the round after a 3.5-second run.
After the dust settled, Wade reflected back on a season that had plenty of highs and lows, but the one thing that remained steady was the support from his partner.
“The winter was okay, I actually roped really bad in the summer,” Wade said. “What’s funny about Wesley is he ropes so good he makes up for all my mistakes... This guy never batted an eye, never even looked down never threw his head back.”
For Wade, that composure throughout the regular season was also evident at the NFR. Even after the thrill of Round 8.
“We set the record the other night and the only steer I was worried about was the next one,” he said.
Wade and Thorp entered Round 10 needing to maintain their spot in the Average to secure the World Title. While they didn’t place in the final round, their 5.40-second time kept them in third place in the Average, which added $50,516 to their season earnings.
“I never thought I’d make (the NFR) once, never one time considered myself a World Champion header, but God’s plan is way greater than mine,” Wade said.
He ended the season $25,018 clear of second-place header Clint Summers who finished the rodeo eighth in the RAM Top Gun Award race after winning over $180,000.
