From SWOSU Sports Info.
Doug Self, Sports Information Director
WEATHERFORD – Sage Kimzey’s breakout year reached another level earlier this week as the bull rider – who recently finished his second year competing for SWOSU – earned the Championship Bull Riding (CBR) World Championship Title after a runner-up finish at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.
The event in Cheyenne was the final stop on the ‘Road to Cheyenne’ Tour and the top-24 bull riders in the CBR standings entered the two-night, three-round event, which had its own payout of $50,000. Kimzey was one of just two bull riders to ride all five bulls over the course of two days and he needed each point he scored to claim his first CBR World Championship, which was worth $100,000.
With scores from Monday’s first round wiped clean, Kimzey came out and scored a 90.5 in the opening round on Tuesday evening to earn a spot in the semifinal round with 12 cowboys remaining. Another strong ride of 89.5 placed Kimzey third in the semis and earned him a spot in the championship round against Neil Holmes and Corey Meier.
Holmes would win the championship round with a ride of 92.5 points, but Kimzey secured the 2014 CBR World Title with a 91-point ride that earned him a share of second place at the event.
“Whenever you’re surrounded by great bull riders it just brings your riding to that whole next level,” Kimzey said following the event. “You want to compete with them and be the best of whoever you’re around. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, you want to be the best and they definitely raised the bar.”
In addition to his success on the CBR circuit, Kimzey continues to maintain a significant lead in the 2014 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) standings with winnings of more than $96,000 this year to date. Visit this link to view the current PRCA Bull Riding standings.
The world title adds to Kimzey’s list of accomplishments, which includes a fourth-place finish at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in 2013 and a runner-up finish at the event earlier this summer while wearing his SWOSU blue vest.