Monthly Archives: March 2022

Cinch steer wrestler Will Lummus shows off his elite status Will Lummus was born to be a professional steer wrestler; he just didn’t realize it until he’d entered high school. He proved to be a quick study, but he’s had a considerable amount of help along the way. He has a family that has supported him since he was a youngster and helped direct him when they were needed. It’s paid off. He’s qualified for the National Finals Rodeo each of the past four seasons and walked away from Las Vegas this past December with the coveted average championship. All roads lead back to his youth in the community of West Point, on Mississippi’s eastern edge near Starkville, home of Mississippi State University. “My family’s support is just huge,” said Lummus, a Cinch endorsee who finished the 2021 campaign as the reserve world champion, second only to Louisianan Tyler Waguespack. “It didn’t matter if I decided to play golf; nobody in my family plays golf, but we would have figured it out. “I just grew up watching rodeo, watching my uncle at rodeos. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” That’s Uncle Bob, as in four-time NFR qualifier Bob Lummus, who more than offered his assistance to his young protégé; he actually quit his job as a pilot for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to assist his maturing nephew. “When I started steer wrestling, he came home and helped,” Will Lummus said. “Him, my dad and my Uncle David helped a lot. Practice was always serious. We didn’t practice with other people very often. It was us, and it was nothing but business. “We hollered at each other. There were a lot of tears shed in that arena, but I couldn’t have asked for a better upbringing.” It has paid plenty of dividends. In his first venture to the NFR in 2018, Lummus finished third in the world standings. He was 11th a year later and fifth in 2020. His best finish came a season ago, where he won $169,152 over 10 December nights in Las Vegas. He placed in six rounds, sharing the victory on the fourth night and winning the eighth round outright. While he chased the elusive Montana Silversmiths gold buckle in the go-rounds, he still earned nearly $70,000 by claiming the average title for having the best 10-run aggregate score among the 15 bulldoggers at ProRodeo’s grand finale. “The average is the second most coveted buckle in rodeo, so it means the world to me,” he said. “There’s only one better, and I’ve been really close, but you can’t stub your toe, especially with Wags, because he doesn’t make mistakes.” It all stems from a great foundation. Now 29, he wrestled through his first few years before finding solid footing in a sport he loves and the competition he craves. He’s grown as a man and as a steer wrestler, and it shows in his performance. “I think the biggest thing that’s changed for me since my rookie year is maturity,” Lummus said. “Just getting the knowledge and the confidence has been part of that. When we practiced when I was young, our goal was to make the National Finals. My uncle and my dad always made sure I knew they thought I was good enough to do it. They instilled a lot of confidence in me at a young age, and that carried over. “When I first started, I had a lot more confidence than a lot of rookie guys in the way I was raised. Everything we did was funneled toward that one goal.” Lummus took the baby steps provided him, and he continued to build his case. In 2017, he finished 20th in the world standings, missing the NFR by five spots – only the top 15 in the world standings at the end of the regular season advance to the championship. He hasn’t missed his place among the elite since. “I think it’s because I’m always getting to ride good horses, and I have great partners, great teammates,” said Lummus, who is traveling this year with Clayton Hass, Dakota Eldridge and Ty Erickson while primarily riding Hass’ horse, Benz, voted as one of the top three bulldogging horses in the PRCA last year. “I think it shows. I think guys have always been very welcoming to ride their horses. There are so may people that bulldog great in the world today. The only thing that separates them is the horsepower. I always get to ride one of the best horses, and I always have, which has been a blessing.” Benz is his go-to mount, and the four members of the traveling posse enjoy what the big bay gelding has to offer. Hass is a four-time NFR qualifier, while Eldridge has earned eight trips to the finale, and there are eight qualifications for Erickson, the 2019 world champion. Eldridge earned NFR average crowns in 2015 and ’17. “You’ve got three average titles and a world championship in that rig, and Clayton’s been to the NFR as a bulldogger and a hazer,” Lummus said. “We’ve got a lot of talent in the rig, and that does nothing but help your confidence. You end up competing with your teammates, and that does nothing but help you use it in a productive way. “It’s us against the world, but we’re also trying to beat each other in a way. When you get beat by your buddy, you’re just as happy for him as you would be if you’d won it yourself.” It’s a matter of teamwork, and that’s just fine with the Mississippi cowboy, who played baseball and football as a youngster. He’s done just about every event in rodeo and, for the longest time, focused mostly on tie-down roping. It was his favorite thing, and he lived and breathed the idea of making a living with a rope in his hand. Lummus’ dad and uncle made him wait until his freshman year in high school before  Continue Reading »

Texas tie-down roper wins $100,000 during rodeo in AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium is just four hours from Caleb Smidt’s home in Bellville, Texas, a community of about 4,200 people near Houston. That makes it easy for those that love him most to make the trip to see their favorite cowboy compete. It’s also easy for Smidt to find success in an arena filled with that much support. On the opening Sunday of March, the three-time and reigning world champion tie-down roper won The American for the second time and pocketed another $100,000 for doing so. “It’s just awesome to have as many people that I have in my family come watch and support me,’ said Smidt, who also won inside “Jerry World” in 2019. “They make a point to go everywhere they can and to do the other things to support me. It makes it so much sweeter when you go back to them. “My wife and kids are still excited whether I win or don’t win, but it makes you want to do better and do the things to support my family. It wouldn’t mean as much to me if they didn’t want to go. For them to want to go makes it that much better.” The feelings are mutual. Over his career, Smidt has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo eight times. The three years he’s claimed the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle (2015, ’18 and ’21), he also won the NFR average championship. This past December, he pocketed nearly $192,000 in 10 days of ProRodeo’s grand finale and finished the year with $318,456. The American is a unique event that featured 10 cowboys that were exempt based on being among the top 10 in the 2021 PRCA world standings. The remaining competitors in the field had earned their way through a series of qualifiers. Winners of each event pocketed $100,000, but the qualifiers were eligible for part of the $2 million side pot along with the one-hundred grand. By the time the dust settled, Brazilian bull rider Kaique Pacheco was the only qualifier to win his event, thereby earning $2.1 million. For Smidt, the victory inside AT&T Stadium provided him an emotional outlet to showcase his faith and his talent with a rope. He nearly broke down with his post-ride interview that was shown to the large crowd and to millions of viewers on national television. “It’s the biggest one-day, well, two-day, rodeo there is,” he said. “Any time you can win it once is a dream come true, so winning twice is unbelievable. It’s dang sure a blessing to be able to win it twice.” It was also a bit of redemption after the previous 15 months. After qualifying for the NFR in 2020, he wasn’t allowed to compete because of a positive COVID test directly before the championship at its one-time home of Globe Life Field in Arlington. He advanced into The American through the qualifying events, but things didn’t work out for him to talk away with an incredible payday a year ago. “I got to rope for $1 million at The American last year, but I didn’t pull it off,” Smidt said. “It’s saddening to know you had a chance and didn’t come through. “I’ve been in a lot of pressure situations. When you compete at a high level, you get in situations where you have to win and need to win. When you don’t come through, it sits deep in your stomach. It’s going to bother you if you have a winner’s mentality. I didn’t just shake it off and walk out of the arena. It made me want to be better. That’s what pushes me to get better.” It worked, and he has 100,000 reasons to believe in himself. Because The American wasn’t sanctioned by the PRCA, the money earned doesn’t count toward the 2022 world standings, but it can come in quite handy. More than likely, though, his wife Brenna will have a plan soon. “I’m sure my wife can find something,” he said with a laugh. “We have a three-bedroom house and three kids, so two of them share a room. “Before too long, we’re going to have to add to our house.” The way the competition worked, there were 17 cowboys in the first round of The American, which took place March 4 at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The top 10 times moved on to AT&T Stadium for Sunday, where the field was pared down the cowboys with the top four scores. Smidt was the third roper to make a run after watching Tuf Cooper and Riley Webb secure 7.60- and 7.81-second runs, respectively. Smidt then roped and secured his calf in 6.87 seconds with only friend Hunter Herrin to compete. When Herrin struggled, Smidt lowered his head, dejected for his friend. It all factored into the emotions the Texan shared on the stage inside the massive stadium. “Me and Hunter have become pretty close, and he helps me out and I help him out a lot,” Smidt said. “We were the last two guys to go; he got to rope for $2.1 million, me for $100,000. I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all if he would have won, because winning that kind of money was going to be life-changing. “I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I was just disappointed for him.” That’s the nature of rodeo that isn’t seen in many other professional sports. Friendships develop, and relationships become more like family. He spent the last couple of years traveling with 2019 world champion Haven Meged, and the two have become really close friends. That helps. Meged was standing in the roping box with Smidt when he nodded his head for big money that Sunday afternoon. While Brenna Smidt may have plans for that dough, Caleb would like to transfer some of it directly into is rodeo account to help pay for the expenses that come with being an elite cowboy. He wants  Continue Reading »

GUYMON, Okla. – When the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo asked for help, members of the Goodwell Roping Club answered. That was decades ago, and men like Jack, Rex and Max Strain have put in countless hours since. It’s the work done by volunteers like them that has helped the local rodeo be successful for so many years. It takes a dedicated workforce of dozens of people to pull off an event of this magnitude. The work will continue but without the Strains for this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. The trio from north of Goodwell have passed along their sorting sticks and are planning on enjoying this year’s event without spending all the hours organizing timed-event cattle. “We started adding up the age of our geriatric sorting crew, and we averaged about 66 to 67 years old,” said Jack Strain, a Texas County commissioner who thinks he’s been part of the timed-event team since the mid- to late 1980s. “We just decided we could find some younger blood to do that for a while. “When we first started this, I was in my 20s and didn’t know any better,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve had a lot of people that have helped us sort that had nothing to do with the roping club; that’s just where it started, because we had a few people together we knew we could count on.” Over time, there have been a few generations of rodeo committee members, and each group quickly realized they could count on the Strains. Max is the oldest at 74, then there are his cousins, Rex, 72, and Jack, 68. It’s time to pass it along to a new generation. “We were just a bunch of guys that wanted to see the rodeo get better,” Jack Strain said. “Sorting the timed-event cattle was something we could do to help, so we did. Now we’re going to watch the rodeo for once. Back behind the roping chutes isn’t a good place to watch the rodeo from.” The roping club has ceased to exist, but it was a big deal to the group some 50 years ago. When it started, there were a bunch of young men that loved calf roping, so they gathered together. As they aged, the cowboys switched to team roping, which isn’t quite as hard on the older body. The club started in an old arena near the Goodwell elevators, and later built one that still stands along U.S. Highway 54. “A bunch of us guys were getting together to rope,” Jack Strain said. “We’d buy calves in the summertime, then rope the calves. When we were done, we’d stick them out on wheat pasture, then we’d sell them and buy more.” The cycle continued, then the group was purchasing and selling steers instead of calves. Whenever spring came, many of those club members made their way to Guymon to handle the days of work that come with volunteering during rodeo week. “Back when we first started, there were several years where they did all the slack in one day,” he said. “We’d start at 8 o’clock in the morning, and there were a couple of years where we went home, took a shower and went to work at 8 the next morning. Some of the cowboys suggested to split slack over two or three days, so the rodeo could keep the guys around here longer.” Guymon’s rodeo now features seven days of action. There are four rounds of steer roping that will take place Monday, May 2-Tuesday, May 3. The men’s timed events are scheduled for Wednesday, May 4-Thursday, May 5; barrel racing will take place through the morning and afternoon of Friday, May 6, then the first of four performances begins at 7:30 that evening. That’s why there are so many volunteers to handle so many pieces of the puzzle that is Pioneer Days Rodeo. “Everybody just takes a day off,” Jack Strain said. “I’ve got some people that did work for me at the county that would come help us.  They’d take a day’s vacation, and we’d sort cattle. I was doing this before I was a commissioner. No matter what I was doing, I took days off and helped with the rodeo. It’s just part of the deal when you want to be involved.”

ADA, Okla. – Long before he ever qualified to the International Finals Rodeo, the National Finals Rodeo or the PBR World Finals, Cord McCoy was a kid who just dreamed of being a rodeo champion. He came by it naturally, raised on a ranch near Tupelo, Oklahoma. He’s the youngest of five children born to a rodeo family, and the seven of them oftentimes made the short drive to Ada for a variety of reasons. Now living in Lane, Oklahoma, and raising bucking animals as a PRCA stock contractor, McCoy Rodeo will return to his old stomping grounds for the Ada ProRodeo presented by Ada Gaming and Ada Travel Stop, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex in Ada. Tickets are on sale for $20 at the gate; children 3 and younger get in free. “This is exciting for me, because Ada has always been like a second home for us,” McCoy said. “To be able to produce a ProRodeo in Ada is an important step for me and my family and is a big part of our 2022 McCoy Rodeo Tour.” McCoy was a five-time champion cowboy in the Oklahoma City-based International Professional Rodeo Association, then qualified as a bull rider for the NFR in 2005. After that, he adjusted to life in the PBR, qualifying for the finale six times. He and his brother, Jet, brought worldwide attention to eastern Oklahoma – and the Western way of life – a decade ago because of their three appearances on the CBS-TV reality series “The Amazing Race.” He’s raised bulls and horses for years and has been a regular bull provider to many PBR events across the country. A year ago, he began his first season of producing PRCA rodeos and has continued to invest in his program. “We’re planning on bringing five bulls we got from Sammy Andrews, who has raised a ton of great bulls over the years,” McCoy said of the Texas-based stock contractor, who is best known for owning the notorious bull Bodacious. “Three of those bulls went to the NFR last year, and then we plan to have the bull Cliff Hanger, which has been one of the best bulls at the NFR the last couple of years.” In fact, Cliff Hanger was selected as one of the top two bulls at the 2020 NFR and voted as one of the top three bulls of the 2021 PRCA season by the cowboys that ride bulls for a living. McCoy Rodeo also wants to make the competition second to none for the cowboys and cowgirls that will make their way to Ada the first weekend in April. “As someone who competed for most of my life, I know how important it is for everyone to have a chance to win in rodeo,” he said. “We will try to have as even of pens of livestock as we can to make the competition that much better.” Having an entertaining show and a tough contest makes for a great rodeo, and McCoy knows that as well as anyone. “We’ve had some great partners that have stepped up already in our first year to help bring the ProRodeo to town, and we’re grateful for that,” McCoy said. “Sponsors have helped make this event strong from the start, and we’re excited to see it grow from here.”

ALVA, Okla. – Samantha Chambers has always considered herself an all-around cowgirl, but she didn’t have much chance to showcase it during her first two years of intercollegiate rodeo while attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “During my freshman year, my breakaway roping horse died unexpectedly, so I have been hopping around on horses trying to figure out a horse that would work for me,” said Chambers, a junior from Calhan, Colorado. “The horse that died was elite, so it was hard to replace him. Being able to finally click with my new breakaway horse and get points was an amazing feeling.” At Fort Scott, Kansas, this past weekend, Chambers roped her first-round calf in 3.3 seconds to finish in a tie for sixth place and earn a trip to the championship round. She wasn’t able to land success in the short-go, but the confidence she gained was immediate with her and Casper, a 23-year-old gray gelding. “We had him for about 10 years, and he was my sister’s horse,” she said. “She was going to college, so we sold him to a couple of little girls, and he went there to teach them how to breakaway rope and run barrels.” The family reacquired Casper, and it’s making for a nice story for the family. “Knowing the history and the situation we were in, it was perfect,” Chambers said. “If we are able to keep him healthy, he is just what we need in a breakaway horse.” Her biggest success in Fort Scott came in barrel racing, where she won the short round, placed in the long round and finished second overall, just six-hundredths of a second behind the champ. Like Casper before him, Chambers’ barrel horse has an interesting tale, too. Crossfire is an 8-year-old palomino gelding that has put the Colorado cowgirl into contention to earn a bid for the college finals. “My two barrel horses died right before I came to college my freshman year, and he was the last barrel horse available, so I hopped on him,” she said. “He only had four months of training when we came to college my freshman year, and it happened to be the Fort Scott rodeo that I made the first short round on him that year. That was amazing, because we didn’t think we’d do anything my freshman year with how little he knew.” The young yellow horse was figuring it out pretty quickly. With the 140 point she earned in southeastern Kansas, Chambers should move into the top five in the Central Plains Region standings. Only the top three in the standings in each event when the 10-rodeo season comes to a close later this spring will advance to the College National Finals Rodeo, set for June in Casper, Wyoming. “It’s all about teamwork, knowing your horse,” she said. “It’s about knowing each other and creating an ever-lasting bond.” While Chambers led the Northwestern women, there were several Rangers men who collected points. All-around cowboy Tyler Scheevel of Lester Prairie, Minnesota, scored points in two events. He finished fifth in the first round of tie-down roping, then was saddled with a long run in the short-go. Roping with header Rhett Conkling of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Scheevel stopped the clock in 7.7 seconds to finish just out of placing in the first round, then finished third in the final round and the average. Northwestern team of header Wyatt Vanorsdol of Bristow, Oklahoma, and heeler Jayden Laubhan of Follett, Texas, placed fifth in the long round with a 6.6-second run. They had a no-time in the final round but still finished sixth overall. The Kansas duo of Camden Holting of Olpe and Austin Lampe of Dodge City finished sixth in the long round. Tie-down roper Levi Sechrist of Mountain View, Oklahoma, placed in both rounds and finished fifth in the aggregate. In steer wrestling, Kaden Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon, and Isaiah Naauao of Haiku, Hawaii, placed in the first round, while Jeremy Plourde of Carleton, Michigan, finished sixth in the short round. For Chambers, attending Northwestern was a no-brainer. She followed in the lines of her cousins – Hunter, Taylor and Lindy Munsell of Arnett, Oklahoma – to Alva. “We have a bunch of family (from western Oklahoma), and I already loved Oklahoma from always coming down here and visiting with them,” Chambers said. “I love the thought of being close to family, which was the biggest reason I decided on Northwestern. “After I came to college, I loved the small-town feel. Alva’s actually a little bigger than my hometown, but it’s still small enough for me to enjoy it.”

GUYMON, Okla. – The best stock contractors in ProRodeo do more than just provide great bucking stock, and that’s a big reason why Freedom, Oklahoma-based Frontier Rodeo has been named the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year each of the past seven seasons. It comes down to the overall product. Like any business, there’s a great back story when it comes to evaluating the consistency and greatness of a livestock producer, and there is something special when it comes down to Frontier Rodeo. The award is voted on by PRCA members, which just adds to the prestige. It’s based on the livestock, the company’s professionalism and its production of the rodeos it assembles. That’s been the case for Frontier ever since it took the reins at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “We have a long history of excellent rodeo production and a trust in our stock contractor, and that hasn’t changed with Frontier,” said Jeremy Carman, chairman of the volunteer committee that organizes the annual rodeo. “We’re glad to have Heath (Stewart) and his crew as part of our team. They do an amazing job.” Record crowds saw that first hand in 2021. Not only did Frontier showcase a first-class rodeo to locals last May, but the event was shown nationwide on The Cowboy Channel. What added to the flavor is that Stewart brought in other stock contractors to help provide for a better experience with the bucking horses and bulls. “I usually bring in a couple of other stock contractors,” said Stewart, Frontier’s general manager. “It just makes the stock better. I want the cowboys to come to the rodeo and know they have a chance to win. Normally there are not a lot of rodeos going on the week of Guymon, so you get a slew of contestants.” Frontier has a big herd of excellent athletic animals, but he knows the cowboys and fans in the Oklahoma Panhandle expect something special when it comes to a showcase of bucking beasts. A year ago, the three roughstock events were won on animals from different stock contractors: Bareback rider Caleb Bennett won on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Freckled Frog; saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell earned the title on Dakota Rodeo’s Jimmy; and bull rider Laramie Mosley earned his first Guymon trophy belt on Frontier’s County Jail. “When you go up against those guys, you’re going up against the best,” Stewart said. “It makes it that much more exciting for everyone involved. I like bringing in sub-contractors to make rodeos better, but I don’t leave any of our good ones at home either.”

Bulldogger Brown, bronc buster Hay win their events at American ARLINGTON, Texas – A decade ago, Jesse Brown was a backup quarterback for the Washington State Cougars. On Sunday afternoon, the Resistol cowboy scored a touchdown of his own by winning the steer wrestling title at The American, pocketing $100,000 for a job well done. “This is definitely the right decision,” Brown, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Baker City, Oregon, said of moving from the gridiron to the rodeo arena. “I wasn’t going to be making this (kind of money), and I like this sport a lot more.” Brown was one of two Resistol cowboys to take home $100,000, joining saddle bronc rider Dawson Hay of Wildwood, Alberta, as winners of the unique rodeo that offered a $3 million payout in a single day. The son of bronc riding legend Rod Hay, he realizes he’s in rodeo at a good time. In his final year of competing at the NFR in 2010, Rod Hay earned just shy of $130,000 for the season. “If there were rodeos like this in his time frame, he would have probably got it,” Dawson Hay said of his dad. “It’s amazing that we get to ride for this kind of money. Rodeo as a sport has been growing and growing and growing. “It’s really cool to see these amazing committees bounce back after the last couple of years. It’s been a little rough on everyone. To see everyone get together and put together an event like this is amazing. I don’t think it’s really sunk in how awesome all this really is. I just feel really blessed to be here, to have my family here.” The money is incredible. Only two rodeos a year pay out $100,000 to its winners: The American and the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede. “It’s the most money I’ve won at one time,” Brown said. “It’s The American, in front of all those people in this stadium … it’s awesome. It’s Dallas Cowboys stadium, it’s Jerry’s World. It’s pretty electric, especially that four-man (round). That four-man was different than maybe any steer I’ve ever ran.” With so much money on the line, all 90 contestants in the field had to deal with the pressure the comes from this kind of championship. The event began with 10 contestants in each event, and the top four times and scores advanced to the championship round. In the sudden-death format, the top time and score earned the $100,000 payday. How do the contestants handle it? “I try to clear my mind before I get on,” said Hay, a two-time NFR qualifier. “I notice I ride a lot better when I’m not too focuses on the big check.” It worked, and he got the big check anyway.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Resistol bull rider Ky Hamilton faced adversity a year ago, and he just stared it down. A hip injury resulted in surgery, and Australian cowboy from Mackay, Queensland, returned to action in June and went to work. He won eight rodeos – including a big-money victory at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo in July – and catapulted himself into the top 15 to return to the National Finals Rodeo for the second straight year. He’s rolling that over in 2022. On Friday night, he scored 89 points to finish second in the first round of The American at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. He was one of just three bull riders in the mix to have an eight-second ride to advance to the final performance, set for noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Once there, he will have a shot to ride for the $100,000 first-place prize. He will be joined in the mix by fellow Resistol bull rider Creek Young of Rogersville, Missouri, who didn’t ride his bull but advanced on time. Only 10 contestants competing Friday advanced to the final day. Hamilton finished last season eighth in the world standings; by finishing among the top 10, he earned an exemption to compete in The American. Young, who finished fifth last season, will also have a chance at the $100,000. There are others that could cash in even better. While the exempt cowboys will battle for a six-digit figure, a handful of contestants earned their way into this weekend’s rodeo by competing at a series of qualifying events. If a qualifier were to win his event, then he will be in the mix for at least a share of the $2 million side pot. Hamilton is a third-generation rodeo cowboy, and he stands a chance to make some serious dough in Arlington.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Much has been made about John Douch’s relationship with ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy Joe Beaver, who has mentored the young tie-down roper for the last decade. But Douch is making a name for himself by himself, roping at a high level since he turned pro five seasons ago. The Resistol cowboy from Huntsville, Texas, has given himself an opportunity to rope for $100,000 during Sunday’s final performance of The American, set for noon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Douch roped and tied his calf in 7.46 seconds to finish third in Friday’s first round at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. He and nine other tie-down ropers will compete Sunday, and the winner will walk away with the top prize. In the rodeo’s unique setup, there were 10 cowboys that earned an exemption by finishing among the top 10 in the 2021 PRCA world standings; Douch finished 10th. The remaining ropers in Friday’s field came through a series of qualifying events. Should any of the qualifiers win the top prize Sunday, they will be in the mix for the $2 million side pot. While that’s not possible for the Resistol cowboy, he knows there’s a great chance to pocket some important money. Two seasons ago, he battled hard through the rigors of the rodeo season. He traveled across the country chasing his gold-buckle dreams, only to fall just shy of qualifying for the NFR. Last year, he crossed the finish line, finishing the regular season 15th, less than $700 ahead of the 16th man on the money list. He did well enough at his inaugural run in Las Vegas to move up five spots in the standings, and he further cemented himself as one of the best young tie-down ropers in ProRodeo.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Just days shy of his 24th birthday, Resistol cowboy Ryder Wright has established himself as one of the premier saddle bronc riders in ProRodeo. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2016 and immediately qualified for the first of six straight trips to the National Finals Rodeo. In his inaugural year, he put on a show, winning five of 10 go-rounds. He followed with world championships in 2017 and 2020; big scores are nothing new to the Milford, Utah, cowboy. He’s also a two-time winner of The American, which paid him $100,000 each year – he was 88.5 points to claim the title on the final day of the 2019 event at AT&T Stadium, then was 91.25 points to win it a year ago. During the first round at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth on Friday night, he posted a 90.5-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Onion Ring. Now, he’ll have a shot to stake claim to a third win inside “Jerry World,” home of the Dallas Cowboys. “Having won it twice, you have a good idea of what to expect when you get there,” Wright said. The American is unique in that it not only offers a big payday to the winners, but it also provides a big incentive to those who didn’t find their way into the field by finishing among the top 10 in the 2021 PRCA world standings. Six of the bronc riders in Friday’s round had earned their way there by competing at a series of qualifying events. If a qualifier happens to win his event, he will be eligible for a piece of the $2 million side pot. There is a chance some fortunate cowboy could walk away from Arlington, Texas, with $2.1 million in one-day earnings. Resistol bronc rider Wyatt Casper knows all about that. He won The American as a qualifier in 2020, one of two to do that, and earned more than $600,000. Casper and Wright will be joined by Wright’s uncle, Spencer Wright, and second-generation Canadian bronc buster Dawson Hay when the final day of The American takes place, starting at noon Sunday. “The money’s great,” Ryder Wright said. “That’s why we do it.”

FORT WORTH, Texas – The life of a bareback rider is living in a rough-and-tumble world that features powerful bucking horses and a passion for riding them. It takes a special kind of man to strap himself to 1,200 pounds of muscle and flesh intent on dropping him to the arena dirt. These cowboys don’t just ride bucking beasts, they wedge their specially-made gloves outfitted with binds into a rigging designed to lock the glove in place. The rigging is strapped tightly to the animal’s back, so the two athletes are connected. Nobody in the history of the game has done it better than Resistol cowboy Kaycee Feild, a six-time world champion from Genola, Utah, and the son of a five-time titlist, Hall of Famer Lewis Feild. He’s in north Texas this weekend battling for a third crown at The American. He put himself in that position by winning Friday’s first go-round at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth and leads a pack of 10 cowboys to advance to Sunday’s final performance, set for noon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “This was really important, because you want to start off with a good ride for the weekend and put yourself in position to do something Sunday,” said Feild, who spurred Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Topped off for 88.5 points. The American is unique in its payout. Winners in each event will earn $100,000, but there’s more to the mix. Ten contestants in each discipline made the field through an exemption by finishing near the top of the 2021 PRCA world standings. Six other cowboys battled through a series of qualifying events to be part of Friday’s field. Only the top 10 scores from the first round will compete Sunday. The qualifiers, though, are part of the side pot, which is typically $1 million. Because no qualifier won his event last year, that money rolled over, increasing the pot to $2 million. Feild was a qualifier in 2018 and shared the side pot with two other contestants, pocketing $433,333 that year. It was a big move for the Utah man, who credited that run with returning him to one of the most elite bareback riders ever. He will be joined at AT&T Stadium by two other Resistol bareback riders, 2019 world champion Clayton Biglow of Clements, California, and Jess Pope, who won the 2020 and ’21 NFR average titles and lives near Waverly, Kansas. “I had a really good horse, and that’s what you need in this kind of format so you can move on,” said Biglow, who was 85.5 points to finish in a tie for sixth place in the opening round.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Resistol team ropers Nelson Wyatt and Tyler Worley know a thing or two about winning big money. While roping with different partners two years ago at the National Finals Rodeo inside Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, each man collected big money over a 10-day stretch. Now that they’re together, Wyatt and Worley stand to cash in even bigger during the final performance of The American, set for noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Neither cowboy earned a chance to compete at the NFR this past December, but that’s what sets them up so well this weekend. They advanced to The American through a series of qualifying events and won the first round Friday at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth with a 4.53-second run. As qualifiers, they are eligible for the $2 million side pot. “That’s life-changing money, and it gets you really excited to rope for that kind of money,” said Worley, a heeler from Berryville, Arkansas. Friday’s opening round featured 16 teams, with 10 having earned an exemption by finishing among the leaders of the 2021 world standings. Each event’s contestant that wins will pocket $100,000, but the qualifiers who claim the crown will earn at least a share of the side pot. That means if the Resistol tandem wins the top prize and no other qualifiers do, then each man will pocket $1.1 million. Only the fastest 10 runs from Friday’s round move on to Sunday, and Wyatt and Worley lead the pack. There are four other Resistol cowboys that are eligible for the side pot: the team of Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison; header Cory Kidd, roping with Lane Mitchell; and heeler Clay Futrell, roping with Brock Hanson. Other Resistol teams in field for Sunday are Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp and Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves. They will be joined by header Clay Smith and heeler Jake Long. Wyatt, of Clanton, Alabama, finished the 2020 campaign fourth in the heading world standings and third in the NFR average. Worley, roping with Jeff Flenniken, placed second in the aggregate and seventh in the standings; the year before, he was 11th in the world standings. Each man makes living roping, and they have a chance at an incredible salary for 2022.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Resistol steer wrestler Mike McGinn has been on a bit of a roll early this season, and he continued his hot streak during the first round of The American at Cowtown Coliseum. As a cowboy who came through the series of qualifying rounds, McGinn has a shot of at least a share of the $2 million side pot available to “Contenders” – each event will pay out $100,000 to the winners, and 10 contestants in each event advanced to this weekend’s competition by finishing near the top of the 2021 world standings; the remaining group of cowboys and cowgirls were qualifiers. Only 10 of the 16 bulldoggers advanced to Sunday, and McGinn is just one of the ones who had to work his way into the field. “You hear about the $2 million a lot, so it’s dang sure in my head,” said McGinn, the No. 16 man in the ProRodeo steer wrestling world standings. “I’m just going to try to make a run. Sure, you want to have a second steer Sunday, but I’m just focused on one at a time. You have to throw the first one down before you have a chance at the $2 million.” Each of the 10 combatants will make his runs Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The top four times will advance to the championship round, and the fastest cowboy on the final run will be crowned the titlist. McGinn will be joined by fellow Resistol bulldoggers Tyler Waguespack, Jesse Brown, Will Lummus, Tristan Martin and Jason Thomas, the last of whom is also a qualifier. The key for McGinn to return to compete was getting a good start. He and his red roan mare, Sassy, exploded out of the timed-event box, and he laid down his steer in 4.19 seconds; it was the second fastest time of the night. “I had that steer on my first run (in the qualifying semifinals), and I was 4.4 on him, but I knew I could be faster,” said McGinn, who won the steer wrestling title in Denver earlier this year. “I was a little late the first time, but I got a way better start (Friday).” He hopes to do that again Sunday, and he has $2 million reasons to do so.

Several Cinch endorsees have earned their way into unique competition The greatest stars in professional rodeo are descending upon north Texas for The American, a unique event that will pay out $3 million Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This is unprecedented money, especially considering that the bulk of the emotions ride on the final day of the championship. It will be the culmination of dozens of qualifying events that began nearly a year ago. What sets The American apart from most rodeos is its uncommon format. Ten contestants in each of nine disciplines have earned exemptions into the first round, based on how they finished in the 2021 PRCA world standings The opening round takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, March 4, at Cowtown Coliseum in the legendary Fort Worth (Texas) Stockyards. They will be joined, primarily, by six contestants that have advanced through the series of qualifiers – the final round of the qualifying semifinals takes place Thursday, March 3, and will identify the remaining participants. Only the top scores and times from Friday’s round will advance to Sunday’s competition, which begins at noon and where winners in each event will earn $100,000. The caveat then comes into play for the qualifiers, who are eligible for The American side pot; that is typically $1 million, but since no qualifier won in 2021, the money rolled over for this year. Qualifiers who win the $100,000 earn at least a share of $2 million. It can be life-changing.   “The purse is a pretty big deal,” said John Douch, a Cinch tie-down roper from Huntsville, Texas. “There are many up-and-coming kids that can rope good. I’m only 24, and there are kids younger than me that can really rope. If they could win that, they could make a big name for themselves.” Exempt contestants are only eligible for the $100,000 first-place prize. Douch is one of about two dozen Cinch endorsees who will be part of The American field, including three other tie-down ropers: Shane Hanchey, Ty Harris and Caleb Smidt, the latter of whom earned his third world championship this past December. They have earned the exemptions. Other Cinch endorsees that were automatic bids are: Bareback rider: Cole Franks Steer wrestlers: Tyler Waguespack, Will Lummus, Jacob Talley, Tyler Pearson and Jesse Brown Team roping headers: Erich Rogers, Clay Smith, Kaleb Driggers and Logan Medlin Team roping heelers: Jade Corkill and Jeremy Buhler Saddle bronc riders: Brody Cress, Zeke Thurston, Tegan Smith, Wyatt Casper and Dawson Hay Breakaway roper: Shelby Boisjoli Barrel racer: Emily Beisel Bull rider: Dustin Boquet Contract personnel: Announcer Garrett Yerigan and Stock Contractor Heath Stewart