In late February, NFR average title record-breakers Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith were running away with the Lone Star Shootout. Their 9-on-two during the three-head finals of the Open roping in Stephenville, Texas, meant they had all day to win it. Until their final steer took a nose dive before the neck rope came off.
Would you know what to do? By not immediately pulling up—or “declaring” themselves fouled—the pair's snappy finished run (plus the inevitable 10-second penalty) cost them literally $60,000 and victory by two full seconds. But it shouldn't have.
They had a rerun coming, if only they'd pulled up, We've got the skinny on today's rules to help you give yourself a fair chance, no matter what the gate man or the steer or the equipment or the flagger does.
DECLARING A FOUL
Brook Bearden, who was flagging that day in Stephenville, hollered at the pair to pull up when he saw the steer go down. But unfortunately, Tomlinson had listened to the guys sitting on the back of the box, yelling that he was out.
