Back from injury, Timmy Sparing's National Finals Rodeo dreams are close to reality
Timmy Sparing has been knocking on the door of greatness.
In 2014, Sparing set a bracket record at San Antonio with a time of 3.0 seconds.
The Helena bulldogger won RodeoHouston in 2018, the biggest win since turning pro.
Three months later, a ruptured disc changed his career trajectory.
“The injury is ongoing,” said the 33-year-old Sparing.
His 2020 season was cut short by a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery. He was away from the arena for five months.
Now he is back, enjoying the best season of his professional career.
And he is ready to kick down the door to greatness.
Sparing enters the Big Sky Pro Rodeo 10th in the world standings with two months remaining in the 2022 regular season. The top 15 qualify for the National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 1-10, in Las Vegas.
Sparing will compete Friday. The rodeo concludes on Saturday.
“It’s been awesome,” Sparing said of the break-out season. “Absolutely the best year I’ve had so far.
“I just want to keep it going.”
Sparing eschewed surgery after the disc injury, “Doctors said if I had surgery, I would never steer wrestle again,” he said, opting for rehab and enduring five epidural shots.
“We’re making it manageable,” Sparing continued. “The walking is not very fun. Back pain is no joke.”
He got healthy enough to compete in the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit the last few years. And that was the plan this year.
Sparing started his 2022 by winning the average at the MPRC Finals in Great Falls in January,
“The circuit win was a big confidence booster,” he said.
Texas was very good to him in the winter. Sparing would earn $16,500 at RodeoHouston, “Oh boy, we’re back in it,” he said and another $7,050 at Rodeo Austin.
“After Austin, I need to think about this a little more. Maybe I should go out a little more,” he said of expanding his schedule and making a run at the NFR.
Sparing was third at Reno, Nevada for $15,637 and won St. Paul, Oregon, and Prescott, Arizona, during “Cowboy Christmas.”
“When I won Prescott, everything was falling into place,” he said. “It showed that hard work was paying off.”
He was as high as fourth in the world standings.
“I guess I do sometimes,” he said of checking of the leaderboard. “I don’t have to look, I’ve got plenty of people who are going to tell me.”
Sparing was a successful athlete before becoming at steer wrestler at the age of 17. He was a starting cornerback for a Helena Capital football program that won back-to-back Class AA state titles. Sparing then graduated from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
This summer he is traveling with Bridger Chambers of Butte, Dirk Tavenner of Idaho and Payden McIntyre of Wyoming. Tavenner, who qualified for the NFR in 2021, is 12th in the world standings while McIntyre is 17th. Chambers moved into the top 20 by earning $8,610 at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Chambers is a two-time NFR qualifier, finishing second in the world standings in 2018 and 2019.
The foursome is riding Tavenner’s horse Oscar and Chambers’ horse Rooster.
“We have a great group of guys,” said Sparing. “You have to get along, you spend more time with them than your family.”
And Sparing’s family will change after the regular season. He and Danielle Wright of Roy are getting married in October. Sparing and Wright are also overseeing the building of a house outside of Helena.
“It’s quite the year,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s the tricky part, balancing everything. Danielle has been handling the wedding plans while the house plans have been kind of put on the back burner until the season is over.”
Right now, Sparing has his eyes firmly on the prize.
“It’s been a huge dream of mine to make the NFR,” he said. “I have worked so hard to get healthy and back out there.
“I have certain goals, of where I want to be. I just have to keep my head down and keep working.”
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Helena's Timmy Sparing close to making National Finals Rodeo
