Proctor leaving PBR for a big, new goal

Grand Coulee's native son, Shane Proctor, who has made a name for himself riding bulls, is leaving the Professional Bull Riders to pursue another long-held goal.

Turning 33 in March, Proctor figures it's about time he tries for an all-around cowboy championship title with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Proctor rode Trick Shot in PBR's Madison Square Garden event Feb. 2 for 81 points, and chose that day in New York City to announce his retirement from PBR to focus all his energy on PRCA.

"I am going to leave on my terms, and my terms are I want to ride here at my favorite event and walk away," Proctor told pbr.com. "I have been a good bull rider, doing both [PRCA and PBR] for several years, and now I want to be a great cowboy."

Proctor, PRCA's 2011 world bull riding champion, now turns his sights to the more prestigious all-around cowboy championship in which the rider who earns the most money while competing in at least two events, earning at least $3,000 in each one, wins the title. Proctor would have won the PRCA all-around title in 2016 if he had won just $400 more riding broncs to meet the $3,000 requirement.

"I have always wanted to win an all-around title. I figure I will be 33 in March, and I thought, 'Well my time is starting to run out.'"

Proctor has been riding professionally for 12 years.

"I have been everywhere and done a lot of things, and I just want to do everything I have wanted to do," Proctor said. "It finally came to a point where I want to go after it," referring to the All-Around Cowboy Championship with PRCA, the largest rodeo organization in the world. "I have enjoyed my time [in PBR] and I experienced a lot. I just have new goals, and that is what I want to concentrate on."

On Feb. 10, Proctor won the All-Around title in Starkville, Mississippi, competing in the saddle bronc and bull riding categories, bringing him a step closer to winning in the championship.

A rodeo workshop hosted by Proctor takes place at the Nespelem rodeo grounds each year, and a city park along SR-174 in Grand Coulee now bears his name.