TORRINGTON – Cole Patterson is back in Torrington to try and make it a hat trick at the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping.
Patterson won the NCFSR in 2021 and 2022 and earned $18,971 in the process at the Goshen County Pavilion.
“I’m stoked (to be coming back),” said Patterson, 27. “They take good care of you, and you usually rope good steers.”
The 2023 NCFSR is April 29-30. The competition begins at noon each day.
The Pratt, Kansas, native representing the RAM Prairie Circuit had a fabulous final day of the 2022 NCFSR to walk away as the champion.
Patterson accomplished the feat with an electric 8.4-second run in the four-man, sudden-death finals to capture the win. Patterson’s time tied the NCFSR record with Reo Lohse, who had an 8.4-second run in Round 6 of the 2019 NCFSR.
Patterson said he’s leaning on doing the same thing he did in 2022 at the NCFSR and ride Dunny, 11 on the first day and then ride his award-winning horse, Tigger, 18 on day two.
“Both times I have been up there (in 2021 and 2022) I had terrible first days,” Patterson said. “I don’t even know if I won a check on the two first days. But then somehow, I snuck into the semifinals both years and when you get back in the semifinals and finals, they have narrowed it down to the best eight steers in the semifinals and the best four steers in the finals. That setup there really fits Tigger and on good steers I feel like we can go about as fast as anybody. It is also kind of rare in steer roping how they have that shootout deal there.”
Patterson left Torrington after earning $8,185. In 2021, in his NCFSR debut, he earned an event record $10,786.
Patterson, who was 2021 PRCA Steer Roping World Champion, joins his father Rocky, a four-time world champion, as the only two ropers to win the NCFSR twice. Rocky won the NCFSR in 2012 and 2019.
Cole, who leads the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $42,961, finished second in the 2022 world standings with $117,036.
The format of the NCFSR is a six-head average with the top eight advancing to the semifinal round. The top four finishers in the semis will move on to the final four, sudden-death round.
Jess Tierney has finished second to Patterson two years in a row.
“The biggest thing about Torrington is you have to go tie them first six down,” Tierney said. “You want to stay in that average as best as you can. My mindset is go tie some cattle down at first and win what they will let me win and hopefully it is something. Then come back and try and use your horse and tie some steers down fast there towards the end.
“There are a lot of good guys who come there, and it is a great committee. You’re going to have rope good to win something. It is a really fun place to go rope and one of my favorite places to go the whole year.”
This is the 14th time Torrington is hosting the NCFSR and something J. Tom Fisher is trying to win for the first time. Fisher won his first career PRCA Steer Roping World Championship in 2022.
“I definitely would love to win Torrington,” Fisher said. “Torrington is great. It as good as a roping as we go to all year with a great committee. It’s certainly one you look forward to all year and something you hopefully can qualify for because it is such a big deal.”
