What a difference a year makes.
With appearances in the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) and National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2013, Cochrane steer wrestler Straws Milan is looking up at the competition in this year’s standings.
He’s 16th in Canada and has yet to crack the top 50 in Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) standings.
At $7,388.32 in Canadian Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) cash, the 28-year-old Cochranite is one payday away from moving into a CFR qualifying spot in the top 15 for November’s show in Edmonton.
But he hasn’t been nearly as dominant this year. Last season he went to the NFR show in Vegas for the first time and was at the CFR show with brother Tanner.
Such is the nature of steer wrestling. When you’re in the groove, everything goes your way. When you aren’t, it gets tough.
Riding his new horse, Jimmy, Straws was at Strathmore Stampede for the Aug. 1 steer wrestling slack performance. He shot out of the gate well and got to his steer, but just missed for no time.
“Didn’t have a great one,” he said following his run in Strathmore. “It was still all right. Stuff didn’t go the way I wanted. It’s going to be a tough road now.”
Another weekend without any cash in the back half of rodeo season didn’t help. He came up empty in Strathmore, Grimshaw and Abbotsford, B.C., over the long weekend.
He knows he’s up against it.
“I’m way behind. If you win $15,000 you’re pretty much safe,” he said. “I have $7,400 right now. I’m half way there.”
With 12 events left on the CPRA calendar, he’s still very much in the running for a CFR spot.
“I need to definitely do some winning,” he surmised.
