Monthly Archives: December 2020

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bareback rider Tim O’Connell did everything he could during the 10th round of the National Finals Rodeo to win his fourth world championship. He rode Powder River Rodeo’s Two Buck Chuck for 89 points and had to wait out a re-ride by his closest opponent, Utahan Kaycee Feild. The decision didn’t rest  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that is awarded to world champions is an elusive thing. Only one person per event can earn that piece of hardware each year, and Biglow did that in 2019. The 2020 National Finals Rodeo was a much different story. He closed this year’s finale in fine fashion,  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – As he reflected on the last 10 days, Mason Clements wasn’t too thrilled with how his third National Finals Rodeo appearance went. Still, he quietly found success. He placed in five rounds and finished fifth in the average race by scoring 810.5 cumulative points on 10 rides; that was worth nearly $23,000,  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jess Pope just picked up the biggest paycheck of his life, earning $170,417 for 10 days work at the National Finals Rodeo and winning the bareback riding average title. Don’t look for him to settle for anything. He was raised around hard work, and that’s going to continue. He left Arlington on  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – College students around the world spend tens of thousands of dollars for their educations. Northwestern Oklahoma State University senior Bridger Anderson just received the biggest lessons of his life over the last 10 days at the National Finals Rodeo. On top of it, he made $77,068 at ProRodeo’s premier event. “Things just  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Halfway through the 2020 National Finals Rodeo, Jacob Edler had to make a big business decision. He had qualified for his first NFR on Ditto, a mare that was owned by Canadian Clayton Moore and recently acquired by Shane Frey. They matched together pretty well through the first five nights, but Edler  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bareback rider Mason Clements made a couple of necessary adjustments, and it paid off Friday during the ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I broke out a new rigging that I had worked on at home before I got here,” said Clements, who rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River for  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Orin Larsen is third in the bareback riding world standings, and he had high hopes of finishing this National Finals Rodeo with the world championship. His chances now are very slim heading into the final night of the season, but he’s still enjoying his time at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Tim  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – The 2020 National Finals Rodeo version of Clayton Biglow is much different than it was in 2019. A year ago, Biglow dominated the NFR, setting earnings and aggregate records on the way to his first world championship. This year, he’s placed in just four of nine rounds so far and has earned  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Jarrett might want to get his engine checked; if it cranks a little slow but still has good power, it might need some fine-tuning. And, quite possibly, he’s been turning a few knobs here and there and put something together. On Friday night, he roped and tied his calf in 8.4  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – The good comes with the bad and vice versa; that’s life, and that’s also the National Finals Rodeo. Steer wrestler Jace Melvin has experienced a bit of both over the past nine days inside Globe Life Field in Arlington. He earned his first paycheck on opening night, then waited four nights for  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Wyatt Casper needed that in the worst way. The world standings leader for most of the year, Casper watched his advantage slip away after Thursday’s eighth round, when he finished in sixth place while Ryder Wright won the night and moved to the No. 1 spot on the saddle bronc riding money  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – If practice makes perfect, then Richmond Champion was very ready for Friday’s ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. He matched moves with Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Great Nation for 86.5 points to finish third in the go-round. The $15,654 he earned pushed his NFR salary to $77,974 with just one night remaining  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – It wasn’t pretty, but it worked out for Mason Clements during the second coming of the “Eliminator Pen” of bareback horses at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. Clements managed to get by Mental Illness of the Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics string for 77 points to tie for sixth place for  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jacob Edler knows what his job is and how to handle his business. He’ll let everything else take care of itself. In the midst of a steer wrestling world championship race, the State Center, Iowa, cowboy is handling his tasks one night at a time at the National Finals Rodeo at Globe  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Thursday was a big night for bareback riders from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. Senior Jess Pope won the round, followed by two national champion alumni, Tim O’Connell in second and Tanner Aus, who finished tied for third. Combined, they pocketed more than $60,000 in one night of bareback riding. “That’s  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – Every athlete understands the need for a little bit of practice. Fundamentals are a vital part of success. Ryan Jarrett took that to heart, even during the National Finals Rodeo. Since he’s commuting from his Comanche, Oklahoma, home every day, he decided Thursday was a good day to tune himself and his  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – There was a bit of trepidation inside the bareback rider locker room prior to Thursday’s eighth go-round at the National Finals Rodeo. It was time for the “Eliminator Pen,” the nastiest bucking horses in the game, and the best of them were situated at Globe Life Field ready to release a bit  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – In the rough-and-tumble world of bareback riding, Thursday night at the National Finals Rodeo is as tough of a day as any throughout each year. “It was a scary day to be a bareback rider,” Orin Larsen said while talking about facing the “Eliminator Pen” of bucking horses for the second time  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s not often that a cowboy can earn money at the National Finals Rodeo and not be happy about it. That’s exactly what happened Thursday for saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper, who rode Andrews Rodeo’s Brutus for 82.5 points to finish sixth in the eighth go-round, earning $4,231. Meanwhile, his closest competitor  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – In just two nights, steer wrestler Tanner Brunner has produced his best National Finals Rodeo appearance to date. A big part of that came Thursday, when he stopped his steer in 3.7 seconds to finish as the runner-up in the eighth go-round. For that, he pocketed $20,731. It was his best run  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – The smile on Jess Pope’s face won’t be leaving anytime soon. On Thursday night, Pope matched moves with Calgary Stampede’s Xplosive Skies for 89 points to win the sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo, pocketing $26,231 in the process. It was his first go-round victory at his first NFR qualification, and  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – There have been frustrating times through the first seven nights for bareback rider Mason Clements. When things don’t go one’s way, there are two reactions that are common: A person can pout and consider all the negatives, or that same person can look at ways to improve the situation. Clements chooses the  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – There’s nothing quite like feeling rushed when a world championship is on the line. That was the case for steer wrestler Jacob Edler, who felt a little pressure prior to his 3.9-second run during Wednesday’s seventh go-round of the National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Park in Arlington. His steer wasn’t cooperating  Continue Reading »