LAS VEGAS – The pressure that builds during the National Finals Rodeo is like no other event in the sport.
There’s an incredible purse, family cheering, friends cheering, fans with expectations. There’s also the dream of owning a Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, and for those in contention, that just adds to it all. Coleman Proctor is figuring out how to control his pressure valve when he is in Las Vegas, but there’s one aspect of it he can’t deny.
“I’m just excited that I finally got a go-round win out here, because this Stella Proctor has gotten so mad each and every night,” he said of his 7-year-old daughter, the oldest of three girls he has with his wife, Stephanie. “She said, ‘I’m just disappointed in you, Daddy.’ I’m like, ‘But, baby, we still won.’
“And she goes, ‘You didn’t win first, and we don’t get to go on that party bus.’ ”
That bus is what carries Proctor and his family from the Thomas & Mack Center to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the nightly go-round buckle presentation. After Proctor and his heeler, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 3.5 seconds to win Wednesday’s seventh round, the party started.
“We’re fixin’ to go get that party bus and head to the South Point,” he said.
Proctor and Medlin placed in the first, second and sixth rounds before taking the top honors on Night 7. That was worth $33,687 and increased their Las Vegas cash to $80,634 apiece. They suffered no-times in the third and fifth rounds, but they sit ninth in the aggregate race. Only the top eight places in the 10-round cumulative score will win a bonus Saturday night, but they still have three nights to make something happen.
They worked their way back into the money Tuesday by placing in a tie for sixth in the round. That may have been the catapult they needed.
“When we bounce back with any kind of a check out of this place, it’s huge,” said Proctor, who is fourth in the heading world standings with $236,435. “It was a good moment for us to be back in the winning column. You’re going again. Sometimes every cut starts with a little nick, so that was our little nick (Tuesday) night that got this going for us.
“Now, we’re back with them with a lot of confidence, and we both know where we’re at. We’re aware of the situation. We’ve done this game long enough; we know we’ve got to win.”
While Proctor and Medlin are the face of their franchises, both have teams of people in their corners. For Proctor, it starts with family and shifts to his ace in the hole, Tiffany Wagner, who takes care of many details, maybe the biggest of which is getting his horse, Heisman, ready for each round.
“I have a beautiful wife that I’m very blessed that I got to marry the love of my life, then I’ve got three wonderful daughters, and I’ve got her mother and our cousin, Amy, out here helping with the girls,” said Proctor of Pryor, Oklahoma. “We’ve got Tiffany, and she’s a rock star. She’s kind of the glue that holds this whole thing together for us.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I’m so appreciative of each and every one of them. They give me so much of their time, and they sacrifice. That’s such a valuable resource. I’m so honored they’re going to give it up for me to let me chase this dream.”