Trey Kimzey riding 291 Son of Sam (Whisnant) at the Tuff Hedeman Fort Worth Bull Riding
#Earnit
The fifteenth bull rider in the 2019 PRCA World Standings at the end of September was Strong City, Oklahoma resident Trey Kimzey. Kimzey, enjoying his rookie year in the PRCA edged out veteran bull rider Parker Breding by $2,414.54, earning his first seat at the National Finals Rodeo table.
I first saw Trey Kimzey as a professional pulling his rope with Tuff Hedeman holding the gate latch at the Tuff Hedeman South Point CBR event in March of 2017 - his World Champion brother at his side making sure his first pro out was clean. In 2018 he won six PRCA rodeo titles and competed on the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour while on his permit. In 2019 he played to win, netting three Xtreme bull riding titles, 10 PRCA rodeo titles, and as a result will wear back number 113 as a contender at his first NFR.
Being a winner is the obvious way to compare the younger Kimzey bull rider to his 5-time PRCA World Champion brother Sage. Still, the differences define him as an individual and a professional athlete.
Like in any sport, in any era, some families are just built to create dynasties. For any parent, getting one of your kids into the top ranks of professional sports has to be considered a fantastic accomplishment. The amount of time, energy, and luck involved make the odds against it happening astronomically high. For more than one kid to make it defies pretty much all logic.
Trey Kimzey
For some families, though, simply "making it" isn't enough. They not only have to make it to the show, but they also have to set all kinds of records once they do…enter the Kimzey family.
20-year-old Trey takes a lot of pride in following in Sage’s footsteps and having success in his own right, so let’s take a look at what sets him apart from not just Sage, but many others.
TREY KIMZEY
#1 Trey's loose riding style is entirely different than Sage's. Trey's style comes from his competing in not only bull riding by trick riding, trick roping, tie-down, and team roping. The youngest son of a longtime rodeo clown and NFR barrelman, Ted Kimzey, Trey grew up at the rodeo, and he shares this trade secret with his older brother.
"Nothing matters until you make the big show; once you get there, ten days in Vegas fits my riding style, so we'll see who wins."- Trey Kimzey.
#2 - Trey is the life of the locker room, always finding time to greet and joke around behind the chutes. He never met a stranger and has the gift of gab. I met him about the same time I met Sage and knew him better instantly. Trey earned $108, 160.37 to claim the #15 rank, and bid to his first NFR, and I am guessing developed a big fan base and substantial social media accounts along the way.
# 3 - Trey does not take himself too seriously and jokes with the press – regularly and sometimes at our expense. Some might not know how to take his jovial responses, but knowing him since high school, I have enjoyed receiving and reading his quotes. Trey once told a budding ten-year-old reporter, "Yes, we get in fights, but we just wrestle it out. But the quote of the Trey Kimzey NFR rookie year…
"If you think about riding bulls all the time and being good, you will be -- right?”
The similarities are easier to recognize. They both began their careers riding with Tuff Hedeman at the helm. They are both confident and remain in control and not easily influenced.
But what stands out the most is the core attitude they both seem to embody. Trey’s last twitter post was “Defy the Odds, Set the Standard, Step Up.”
My guess would be this sign hung above both their baby cribs!
Tuff Hedeman and Trey Kimzey
IN HIS OWN WORDS
“This year has been a roller-coaster,” Trey Kimzey said. "I jumped in with Sage right at the start of the summer, and it was truly a blessing. He's helped me out a lot. He knows how to rodeo, and that's a crucial part of it. I can't thank him enough. Sage and I and Tyler Bingham are traveling together, and all we think about is riding bulls.”
“Sage is one of the best bull riders in the world, and he’s helped me out a lot to get me to where I’m at today,” Trey said. “It’s not a competition between us. We literally go up and down the road helping each other out, trying to get better at bull riding.”
Brothers and Boxing Heavyweight fighters Vladamir and Vitali Klitschko never had to fight each other in the ring. Sage and Trey Kimzey don’t have that luxury of deciding who they can and can't compete with, but if I were a betting writer (which I am), I would say one will be pulling the other's rope in Las Vegas – the ultimate sign of trust for a bull rider.
IN THE BEGINNING
Trey is the son of Ted and Jennifer Kimzey. At Cheyenne High School, Trey lettered in basketball four times, and baseball three. He represented Cheyenne High School at the National High School Rodeo Finals and in 2017, joined the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Rodeo team.
CAREER PRCA HIGHLIGHTS
2019 Highlights
PRCA 2019 Resistol Rookie of the Year – 3rd Place
• Won the Lea County PRCA Rodeo (Lovington, N.M.)
• Won the Comal County Fair & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls (New Braunfels, Texas)
• Won the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo
• Won the Magnolia (Ark.)Stampede
• Won the Xtreme Bull & Broncs (Lincoln, Neb.)
• Won the Panola County Cattlemen's ProRodeo (Carthage, Calif.)
• Won the Flint Hills Rodeo (Strong City, Kan.)
• Won the Bennington (Kan.) PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Lea County PRCA Rodeo Xtreme Bulls (Lovington, N.M.)
• Won the Sanders County Fair & PRCA Rodeo (Plains, Mont.)
In 2018 he won 6 bull riding titles while on his permit.
Throughout bull riding history, there have been many sets of brothers who have proven to come from merely a better gene pool than most of us mortals. Twenty years ago, I began covering bull riding watching Cody and JW Hart, Adam and Gilbert Carrillo, Cory and Evan Rasch, followed by Ardie, Corey, and Rorey Maier, Tyler and Tim Bingham, Joe and Josh Frost, and now Sage and Trey Kimzey.
Trey Kimzey on Funky Boots, Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour