Five Flat With Erich Rogers

Erich Rogers has helped set himself and partner Cory Petska up for their fifth consecutive trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a team before the summer run even gets underway.

- Chelsea Toy

BUILDING A RODEO RUN

They’ve capitalized on opportunities from Odessa, Texas’ Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo to Kissimmee, Florida’s Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, using a formula for a straight and fast run that they’ve honed together in Petska’s practice pen in Marana, Ariz., over the last five years. Although Rogers can reach with the best of them, he sticks to taking a higher percentage shot running to the steer, while Petska fires on the corner. Here, Rogers breaks down how their trademark run has put them near the top of the PRCA world standings.

1 We did well to start the year off with this steer at Odessa. We tied for third in the round with a 4.5 (pictured), and ended up second in the average. Since Cory and I have been going there, we’ve won it twice and won second twice, and one year we didn’t make it. You’ve got to score them out there a little bit, and a guy can be fast if you draw one who runs straight. A lot of our success this year has come from drawing the right steers,and Odessa was no exception. If I give Cory a good corner, then he can whip it down there as fast as anyone going. The bigger steers there are his set up, and it showed again this year.