College champ takes bronc riding lead at Reno Rodeo
RENO, NEV., June 24, 2015 — There probably wasn’t a happier contestant at the Reno Rodeo on Wednesday night than Nanton, Alberta’s Clay Elliott.
Elliott, took command of the overall standings in saddle bronc riding after scoring 83 points on Western Rodeo’s Jet Liner. That put him at the top of the leaderboard in the overall standings with a total of 169 points on two rides. He scored 87 on Big Bend Rodeo’s Kool Toddy on Tuesday night.
The reigning college champion is planning on going back to school this fall at Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla. If all goes right, he will be in Las Vegas in December to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December and will have to coordinate taking finals with his professors.
Elliott is currently 13th in the world standings. With just 12 more competitors on the roster here, he is likely to earn checks in both preliminary rounds of competition and will be riding for Reno Rodeo championship spurs on Saturday night.
He has momentum on his side after getting the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association just last week. He has a 12 point advantage here so far in the overall standings. Cort Scheer and Heith DeMoss, NFR qualifiers from Nebraska and Louisiana respectively are tied for second with 157 points on two.
“I’ve gotten on some great horses here,” Elliott said. “Winning a pair of Reno Rodeo spurs is something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. I love what I’m doing and can’t get enough of it.”
The seventh performance begins at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are available at www.renorodeo.com or by calling 800-325-7328.
