ENJOY THE DANCE Driggers and Blazin High Octane Secure Their First Pro Rodeo Win by Nearly Two-Tenths of a Second. By Josie Mac Fladager N icole Driggers and Blazin High Octane came flying out of the cool Arkansas morning into Sunday slack at the Old Fort Days Rodeo
in Fort Smith. Driggers felt her powerful 11-year-old sorrel gelding underneath her and knew that she was going to have to look to her spots between the red fences of the Kay Rogers Park arena, especially to keep the first barrel up in an indoor pen. She did just that, and the duo completed the clover-leaf pattern in 16.43 seconds. Barrel racers would run at her time in six performances over the next week, but Driggers’ time stood strong — winning the rodeo by nearly two-tenths of a second. “He [Nitro] was running so hard and his turns were absolutely flawless,” Driggers said with delight. “It was just honestly a perfect pattern. It’s just a dance kind of. It was just one of those ones that leaves you in awe when they’re working like that.” A field packed full of 16.6’s would follow Driggers, with Tracy Nowlin coming in second with a time of 16.62 seconds. This run was a breath of fresh air over
Nicole Driggers and Blazin High Octane were firing on all cylinders at the Old Fort Days Rodeo in Fort Smith, Arkansas, picking up the win in a time of 16.43 seconds. She would best the field by nearly two-tenths of a second. Photo by Phillip Kitts
the Memorial Day weekend for Driggers. It was Nitro’s second run back after an injury after the second round in Red Bluff, California. The gelding had about a month off until Driggers brought him back at Claremore, Oklahoma, just five days before their run at Fort Smith. “I needed it, and it was just a confidence booster that we both needed,” Driggers recalled.
This win checked another goal off Driggers’ list for Nitro. The first accomplishment came about three years ago with picking up a check at a ProRodeo. Earlier this year Nitro helped Driggers complete the life-long goal of running sub-16 seconds on a standard pattern. Now, Driggers has her sights set on winning a buckle with Nitro and hopefully a trip to the NFR at the end of the year. Driggers is one of the few in the top of the standings that did not qualify to run at any of the large winter rodeos. Her 16-hand gelding has used his long strides to make every run count, winning a check nearly every time the team has entered. As of June 27, she is 30th in the Pro Rodeo standings with a total of $24,600 won in only 24 rodeos. Driggers attributes some of her current success to a break she took from the rodeo trail prior to buying Nitro. With aspirations of making the NFR, Driggers decided to sell the good horse she had and focus on every aspect of herself and her riding to take her to the next level. In total, she took about three years off from full-time rodeo, and then bought Nitro in early 2020. “I just started working on all my younger horses and I worked on myself,” Driggers said. “I rode with anyone that would give me their advice, and I was so lucky to have some of those women that helped me and just give me their time.” Driggers still has her sights set on running inside the Thomas & Mack come December. She is selling her young horses she has at home in preparation to rodeo full time this summer, something she is thankful for her husband Kaleb, two-time and reigning PRCA world champion header, for encouraging her to do.
Nicole Driggers, wife of PRCA World Champion Team Roper Kaleb Driggers, is looking to make a name for herself in the barrel racing world. Driggers made a big statement in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and gained a lot of confidence in both herself and her 16-hand gelding. Photo by Phillip Kitts
24 WPRA NEWS JULY 2023
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