BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Roping alongside NFR veteran Clay Smith for the first time, Coleby Payne came close to an NFR berth in 2023, finishing at No. 17 in the world, up from No. 21 the previous year.
The 25-year-old finally clinched his first NFR spot in 2024, propelled by a major Texas Swing victory and some clutch September runs. He will enter as the No. 10 heeler.
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, $25,000
Payne and partner Clay Smith barely advanced out of Bracket 6 after three teams finished with $2,000. In the Semifinals, they were 4.8 and they followed it up with their best run of the rodeo, a 4.5, to win the first rodeo of the Texas Swing.
RodeoHouston, $10,000
Roping with Jr. Dees in Houston, the pair made it to the Championship Round after winning Wildcard 2 with a 4.5-second run. In Super Series 2, they cashed a check in all three rounds.
Reno Rodeo, $6,677
Back roping with Clay Smith, whom he’d stay with for the rest of the summer, Payne won the First Round in Reno with a 4.6-second run. It would be their only check there, but it was well worth the trip.
Farm-City Pro Rodeo, $6,926
Smith and Payne placed in both rounds in Hermiston, putting together a 5.1 in Round 1 and a 4.8 in Round 2, both resulting in fifth place finishes. In this case, fifth plus fifth equaled second in the Average. They were 9.9 on two, which was seven tenths behind winners Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith.
The same August weekend, he and Smith also took second at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo in New Mexico, where they were 10.3 seconds on two.
Canby Rodeo, $5,264
The weekend after their pair of second-place finishes at Playoff Rodeos, Payne and Smith secured another second-place finish at a PRCA Playoff event. They posted times of 4.7 and 4.4 seconds on their two runs, ending just two-tenths of a second behind reigning World Champions Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp.
North Dakota Roughrider Cup, $8,213
Payne and Smith earned a significant payout by tying for fourth at a highly competitive roping in Mandan. They posted a time of 4.3 seconds, with every team that won a check finishing in 4.7 seconds or faster.
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