LAS VEGAS – The 10th round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the most exciting night in the sport each year.
It’s the final performance of the season, and, oftentimes, world championships are decided in one ride or run. Seth Glause has felt the excitement and anticipation before, but none of his previous three qualifications to the NFR featured so much for him.
Glause finished the season with a powerful point, riding Rafter H Rodeo Livestock’s News Flash for 81.5 points. That was good enough for second in the round and marked the fifth time in the championship he earned a qualified ride; he placed in all five rounds and finished second in the all-important NFR average race to Beau Schroeder.
In all, Glause earned $98,648 in Las Vegas, pushing his season earnings to $192,818.
“It keeps getting better and better for me,” Glause said of his NFR experience; he rode more bulls this December than he had in 2008, 2010 and 2011 combined.
Glause, of Rock Springs, Wyo., finished third in the world standings. Cody Teel, and NFR rookie, won the world championship, while three-time-titlist J.W. Harris finished second, but Glause was achingly close to the gold buckle himself. How close?
“I missed it by $10,000,” said Glause, who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “That was .2 seconds on one bull, one second on a bull and two seconds the other night. That’s a little frustrating, but that’s rodeo.
“You can analyze it all you want, but I dang sure let them know I was here. I’m happy with that.”
He should be. Not very many people in the sport get that good of a shot at the elusive world championship. Teel is just the third cowboy to win one in the last five years.
“It’s amazing,” Glause said. “Everything went pretty well, and second in the average was pretty nice.”
Schroeder scored 423 points on his five rides to edge Glause in the average race by just six points. On top of that, he rode pretty well after having his nose shattered in the second round and his free-arm shoulder dislocated in the third.
“I’ve got too many people to try to thank that have supported me,” he said. “My dad’s been here, and my mom was here. My girlfriend’s been down here the whole time. My grandparents call me every week. I’ve got friends that are here and friends that I’ve made over the years that are always there. I’ve got more people that support me than I can even mention.”