McClain and Stapleton compete at National College Finals Rodeo
By Mike Pilosof
Casper, WY-Going into Tuesday afternoon's performance, Garden City's Tucker McClain and Gunnar Stapleton had already made history.
The duo was the first team ropers from Garden City to qualify for the College Finals since the late 1970's.
"Tucker and Gunnar can team rope with the best of them," Broncbuster Rodeo Coach Jim Boy Hash said.
The tandem proved that all season long. They also showed their resiliency, bouncing back after not recording a time on Monday to post a 20.7 average in the slack on Tuesday.
"The steers here this year are a little stronger than normal," Hash said. "The steers slowed down a little bit on the second day, which helped the guys figure some things out."
During their second go, McClain and Stapleton had a steer that they could not really get into the front of the shoot. He wanted to stay towards the back. In the end, it definitely slowed the two down and resulted in a score that wasn't favorable.
"You want those steers towards the front, so you're not late on the start," Hash explained.
Overall they finished 34th. 28 ropers did not post a time on Tuesday.