Monthly Archives: December 2024

LAS VEGAS – The bright lights of Las Vegas can be blinding for newcomers to the National Finals Rodeo. Though saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper is a veteran, now with five straight qualifications, he found out first-hand what Sin City can do during Saturday’s third go-round. Matched with Diamond G Rodeo’s Thunder Rollz, the horse struggled in the limelight. Fortunately, the officials noticed and gave Casper the option of another horse. “We took a chance on that horse; he’s pretty young and came from Crash Cooper up in Canada, and he’s been known to produce a bunch of good horses,” Casper said of the selection process for the NFR animals. “I’ve seen about seven videos of him, and he’s a badass. It’s just that Vegas can do some tricky stuff, especially for a horse that ain’t seen a whole lot. “It’s a tiny arena, and the horse was just a little lost.” It became a benefit for Casper. His re-ride horse was Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Ricky Bobby, a veteran of the game. In July, the two matched up for 90 points in Nampa, Idaho, where Casper shared the championship-round win. On Saturday in Las Vegas, the two tangoed across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 86 points, good enough to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the round, worth $20,285. It was the second straight night for Casper to cash-in at the NFR. After learning about his second chance, Casper eased back behind the chutes, grabbed his saddle, the halter he had used and the rein and began putting his equipment on Ricky Bobby. “I was just trying to take my time a little bit, saddle him in the back, pulled (the cinch) and we rolled out there and went,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “I’ve had some history with that horse. He’s just the same every time, around there to the left. I knew the rein (measurement) at least, so that was good. That just makes it easier when you’re getting on.” He increased his NFR earnings to $35,718. He has ridden three horses for a cumulative score of 252 points and is tied for fourth place in the aggregate race. He has increased his annual salary to $255,502 and sits sixth on the money list with seven rounds remaining on the season. “We just keep chopping wood out there and using these horses how we can and roll the dice they’re throwing at us,” he said. “I feel like I’m riding good, so we just keep hoping they run the best ones under us, and we make sure we use them.”

LAS VEGAS – Slowly but surely, steer wrestler J.D. Struxness is making his way through the rigors of the National Finals Rodeo. After a no-time in the opening round, Struxness has found his way to the pay window in the next two nights, finishing in a tie for third Friday and placing fourth during Saturday’s third go-round. Just like when he was in high school in Minnesota, the two-time reserve state champion wrestler worked his way up the bracket in a tough pen animals. “We knew coming in this was going to be our stronger herd of steers,” said Struxness, who stopped the clock in 4.5 seconds to earn $14,127. “They ran a little more and were pretty consistent on the ground, and it showed. These steers ran more and tried hard.” The steer wrestlers will see this pen two more times in Rounds 6 and 9, and that’s OK for Struxness. “I feel like the stronger steers suit my style and size a little bit better,” said Struxness, from Milan, Minnesota, but now living in Perrin, Texas. “I’m riding the Horse of the Year, Crush. If they’re going to run, he gives us a chance to make up some ground. I like this pen of steers for our guys just because I think we would have an advantage with our horses.” Crush is owned by fellow NFR bulldogger Ty Erickson and is also being ridden by Rowdy Parrot. All three have enlisted the services of veteran Matt Reeves as their hazer, and he’s riding Kirk, a hazing horse owned by his wife, Savannah. That team has earned just shy of $100,000 in just three days of competition. Struxness accounts for $28,435, but each combatant earns a $10,000 qualification bonus that counts toward their NFR earnings. With that, the trio of steer wrestlers has cashed in for nearly $130,000 of Las Vegas money. For his part, Struxness has reeled in $185,701 this season. “The money out here has gone up, and it’s awesome,” he said. “Our goal now is to try to get up as close to the top as we can with what we’ve got drawn and take advantage they give us one night at a time and go from there.” While this is a business trip for Struxness, it’s also a chance to spend some quality time with his family. His two daughters – Everlee, 5, and Lilly, 3 – have been enjoying their time in the City of Entertainment with Dad, Mom, Jayden, grandparents and other family and friends. “They’re loving it and to have them here … you have your support group,” Struxness said. “This is such a big event, so having your support system – your family, friends and crew – is a huge deal.”

LAS VEGAS – For 10 minutes after his Saturday night ride during the third round of the National Finals Rodeo, Cole Franks felt amazing. On Minute 11, he started to feel the affects of being in a Las Vegas prize fight, the after-effects of a battle with one of the rankest bucking horses in ProRodeo. Franks rode Duane Kesler’s Hot Shot for 87 points to finish third on the night, collecting $20,104. “You’ve got to ride as close to the same as you can on the buckers like that, but I was in kill mode for sure,” said Franks, who increased his NFR earnings to $62,885 through three nights of the sport’s grand championship. “You just bear down and get back down to the neck (with your spurs). That was definitely a kick fight. “We were trading hits for sure. She hit me a couple good ones, and I think I hit her a couple good ones.” That’s what happens in the “eliminator pen” of bucking horses, who can deal a heavy blow. Bareback riders wear thick neck braces to help protect them from the beatings they take; they wear specially designed gloves with binds on the edges of the hands to lock themselves onto their riggings, which are strapped tightly to the animal’s back. Every jump the horse makes can land on the rider’s arms, shoulders and necks. When they ride the toughest horses in the world, the impact is greater, but Franks battled through it. He’s placed in all three rounds at this year’s NFR and has a cumulative score of 257 points, the best of the 15 men in the field. He’s also pushed his season earnings to more than $202,000 and is sixth on the money list. “I was a little sore today before we got on, but I’m definitely going to be more sore tomorrow,” said Franks, 23, of Clarendon, Texas. “I’m more sore than I probably should be, and I got a (neck) stinger tonight. She hit me pretty hard. “I’ll go in and get some dry needling, some ice, whatever they’ll let me get. I’ll let them torture me for a little bit. It’s what I signed up for, so I can’t complain about it.”  Despite the pain. Franks loves riding bucking horses. It’s how he won both the bareback riding and all-around intercollegiate championships in 2021 while competing for his hometown college and why he was later named the Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year in ProRodeo. It’s why he’s playing for the biggest pay in the game for the third time in four years. “You don’t really feel the pain until once everything floods over,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun when you get off and you know you just slayed a dragon.”

LAS VEGAS – Jess Pope takes his job as a rodeo cowboy seriously. Late every night, the cowboys receive a text message that provides them with the next night’s horses they have had drawn for them. When he and his wife, Sydney, get back to their room, they start doing research on what he might expect when it’s time for him to nod his head. “Where I am in my career, I like to compare things that I’ve been on,” said Pope, who matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Night Faded for 89.5 points to win Saturday’s third round at the National Finals Rodeo. “I feel like I’ve been on every kind of horse there is, and like with this one, I go back through all my videos and all my notes, and I find horses that look similar to him. “I just imagine in my mind what it’s going to be like, what it’s going to look like, how I’m going to do it. That way, by the time I’m on him, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m not going to spur the tar out of him.”  It was the second straight payday for Pope and was worth $33,687. After failing to place on opening night, he’s earned $53,105 in Las Vegas and has ridden three horses for a cumulative score of 242.5 points. He has improved his 2024 earnings to $221,260 and is third on the money list. Most importantly, he has five days to worry about drawing out of the “eliminator pen” again. “It’s just part of the rank-horse pen, whether they’re a stud or not,” he said of the stallion, a son of one of the greatest bucking sires in ProRodeo history, Night Jacket. “When they’re in the eliminator pen, that means they’re the baddest cats there are. It’s a lot cooler when it’s a stud, though, because that means we’re going to see a lot of his offspring coming up. “He’s a different eliminator than a lot of them were. You dang sure got to be on your cue, but he takes such big, long jumps and has so much power to him. He sends your feet, so your main goal every time is to get your feet down, tuck your chin and keep your shoulder rolled down, and you just have to have a hold of him when he hits.” Pope is referring to his spurs in the right place on the horse when the animal’s front feet hit the ground. That sets up the ride and helps create the rhythm needed to perform the spur stroke with the horse’s bucking motion. That’s how the scores are added, half for the horse’s performance, half for how well the cowboy spurs through the ride.   “He gives you the time to feel everything, so when he hits, it’s not near as hard,” said Pope, a three-time NFR average champion who won the 2022 world championship. He has seven nights remaining on this season, and he understands what sits before him. “I had a great end to my season, and a great fall and I rode good on my first two horses,” he said. “I rode great tonight. I just had to have the right horse, and it worked out.”

LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks wasn’t yet born when his dad was battling for rodeo’s gold. Bret Franks last qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2000; Cole came along two months later. The lessons came not from watching his father but listening to him. Now, Cole Franks is one of the elite bronc busters in rodeo, the 2021 Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year and a three-time NFR qualifier himself, matching Bret’s trips to Las Vegas. Not only did he grow up in a home with a champion, he was coached by his dad through his first two years at Clarendon (Texas) College, where Bret Franks continues to guide cowboys to the promise land. Clarendon has won two men’s team national titles and has had five men claim eight individual titles. Two of them are owned by his youngest son, who has cashed in during the opening two nights of this year’s finale. Cole Franks rode Andrews Rodeo’s Empty Promises for 85 points to finish in a tie for second place in Friday’s second round, pocketing $23,364 for his night’s work. The horse, raised by former NFR bareback rider Jake Brown, was the perfect mount to not only lead Franks to a nice payday but to also build the young cowboy’s confidence. “I’ve seen Tanner (Aus) was 90 on it and won the short round at Austin,” said Franks, 23, of Clarendon. “I knew it was a really cool horse. I’ve seen videos of it, and it looked pretty electric, almost my style of horse. “I’d like to get the round win; that would be cool. But, hey, second place is nice. Second place pays pretty good, so I’ll take 10 second-place checks.” Franks has collected $42,782 while in Las Vegas, with $10,000 coming from the bonus all qualifiers receive. He’s pushed his 2024 earnings to $182,338 and is eighth in the world standings. This is a business venture for the young cowboy, who was born in the Oklahoma Panhandle community of Guymon and raised just a few hours south. He knows what it means to play on the sport’s biggest stage, but there are other reasons he rides bucking horses for a living. “I’m always having fun doing this,” said Franks, who finished 17th in 2023 and just missed making the NFR, where only the top 15 at the end of the regular season advance. “The comfort’s coming back. I’m knocking a little rust off the comfort zone right now.” As he adjusts the kinks out of his armor, Franks will continue to push forward. His dreams, like his father’s before him, are to leave Las Vegas with a world championship and the prestigious Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that comes with it. To make those images become reality, it takes a willingness to work hard for that elusive title and a passion for riding bucking horses. That’s what makes it the most fun.

LAS VEGAS – Prior to Friday’s second go-round of the National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper celebrated his little girl. Cheyenne Casper had just turned 5 years old, and the family was in Las Vegas. It was the perfect way to spend a day before getting on a bucking horse that evening. “We went to Circus Circuis, did the roller coasters and all that, and they had a blast,” said Casper, 28, of Miami, Texas. “We just enjoy Vegas so much that we never want it to come to an end.” He matched moves with J Bar J’s Painted J for 83 points to finish sixth in the round, worth $5,433. It’s not a lot considering the overall payout and the fact that round winners earn nearly $34,000 for 10 straight nights, but it’s a start. He is sixth in the world standings with $235,217. “My riding feels good, feels crispy,” said Casper, the 2016 intercollegiate champion while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College. “It feels like nothing should throw me off. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my saddle and how it’s set up. I just hope they keep running some good ones under me. “I tied for seventh (Thursday) night and got sixth today, so it’s not really the start I was looking for, but we’ve got two scores. That’s better than I’ve done in the past.”  The Texan will be matched with Diamond G Rodeo’s Lindsey’s Thunder Rollz for Saturday’s third round, which features horses that bronc busters call “souped-up hoppers,” animals that should allow the cowboys to make solid spur rides. Casper likes his chances when it comes to horses like that. “I like my chances in that pen,” he said. “We’ve just got to get a good dancing partner that the judges like.” This is his fifth straight NFR qualification. He had some big wins that propelled him into contention for the world championship, and he’s proven over time that he’s comfortable being among the elite bronc riders in the game. When he arrives in Las Vegas, it’s his time to shine, but it’s also a business trip that everyone can enjoy. This is more than a birthday party. This is a celebration of a year’s worth of work and a big opportunity to earn Sin City cash. “There’s no better feeling than being in this small arena,” Casper said. “Everybody’s pumped up; it pumps you up. It’s just the best two weeks of our lives. This is what we rodeo for all year, and it’s just a blast.”

LAS VEGAS – Taylor Broussard is a cowboy. He’s also a politician of sorts. He’s not running for Congress or any public office, but when he felt the need to voice his opinion prior to the National Finals Rodeo, he made sure he was heard. Case in point: Burch Rodeo’s Bunk House Mouse, a powerful bay bucking machine. When the top 15 bareback riders were trying to find the top 100 horses to be matched with during the 10 days in Las Vegas, Broussard let the group know his thoughts on the horse. He’d seen the horse perform well in western Idaho. “I found a video and sent it to the guys,” said Broussard, 31, of Estherwood, Louisiana. “We were waiting to watch (the horse) in Sioux Falls (South Dakota on the final weekend of the season) and see how it goes, because this is a young horse. He was outstanding there.” All that work paid off during Friday’s second go-round when he matched moves with Bunk House Mouse for 84 points to earn a share of fourth place for the second straight night. That was worth another $9,418, and, combined with the $10,000 all qualifiers earn when they arrive in Sin City, pushed his NFR earnings to $28,836. Broussard has collected nearly $160,000 this season and has moved up four spots to 10th in the world standings. The horses were placed in five pens depending on their bucking style. Friday’s grouping was called the “buckers” or “semi-eliminators.” That provides just a precursor of what the bareback riders will feel Saturday night when they face the “eliminators,” the hardest-to-ride horses in rodeo. Broussard is matched with Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Mr. Harry, a big, powerful sorrel gelding that Jess Pope rode to win Round 3 in 2022, the same year Pope won the world championship. “I feel healthy and super strong right now,” said Broussard, now competing in his third NFR. “I feel like I’m riding at my best, and my equipment feels good; that’s one of the most important things. I’m just going to keep doing my job and slay the dragon (Saturday).” The match-ups selected by a random draw are released the night before. The “eliminators” can be intimidating, and bareback riders testify that they don’t get a good night’s sleep prior to getting on such rank bucking horses. Broussard’s mind isn’t circuited that way. “It’s just another day to me,” he said. “If you start changing anything, that’s when you get to your head. In the past, I was just excited to make the NFR and wanted t have fun. This year, I’m all about business. “I do this for a living. I’m just doing my job ever night, and that’s how I stay focused. I almost get more nervous on nights like (Thursday) on the easier horses. I’m actually going to be less nervous (Saturday). When you have an “eliminator,” there’s only two way it can go: You either bear down and it goes good or you get your ass kicked. Either way, it’s not going to feel great, but it’s bucking-horse riding. This is what I live for.”

LAS VEGAS – Coleman Proctor had a chance to win Friday’s second round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I was trying to win good the round, and I thought we made a good run,” Proctor said, referring to him and his heeler, Logan Medlin. “I kind of fouled up the finish a little bit. I got a little excited and waved the slack. Anytime the slack goes to moving, those flaggers get a little bit sticky. They want to make sure you don’t face too early. I didn’t finish great tonight.” They still stopped the clock in 4.3 seconds, good enough for fourth place in the round, worth $14,127. In two nights of competition, he’s pocketed $44,231, shoving his 2024 team roping earnings to $220,021. He is the third-ranked heeler in the world standings. It also benefitted his position in the all-around race, where he is second, just $18,606 behind the leader, tie-down roper Shad Mayfield. “We’re winning money every time we walk in there, and that’s the name of the game,” said Proctor, 39, of Pryor, Oklahoma. “Then we’ll see how it all plays out. Tyler Wade (and Wesley Thorp) are looking like a juggernaut, and you can’t do much about it.” Wade and Thorp, the defending world champion team ropers, have won both the first two rounds and sit atop the money list heading into Saturday’s third round. “You’ve just got to keep up on your game and see what comes to you,” Proctor said.  Life is busy for the Oklahoma cowboy. Besides roping, he has other duties each of the 10 days, including hosting a couple of shows, including a pregame show at the Purina Stage on the steps of the Thomas & Mack Center. That works for Proctor. “I like being busy during that time of day,” he said. “That means you’re doing something right because people want you around doing stuff. It also allows me to put the rodeo where I get to focus on it an hour and a half before, just like a normal rodeo. I don’t get to stew around on it all day. I don’t get to be frustrated or totally excited for 24 hours.” There’s no fret in his approach, and he’s definitely comfortable with his teammates. Not only does he rely heavily on Medlin and his horsepower, Proctor also has his own comfort zone in Heisman, a powerful bay gelding that thrives inside the Thomas & Mack. “Our timing feels great, and Heisman is the absolute best horse for me and our team in this building,” Proctor said. “He’s such a weapon in these setups. He allows me to be a great header when the barriers are set like it is here. It’s in these tight conditions when you have to deal with the left wall. When I get to them, then I have Logan Medlin behind me on his horsepower. Those are just two aces you’ve got in the whole. Anytime you’re in Vegas with a couple of pocket aces, you’re feeling pretty good about your position.”

LAS VEGAS – Jess Pope’s scrambling season may have followed him to the National Finals Rodeo. He started the year slow, then made a mad dash as the campaign came to a close to enter ProRodeo’s grand finale sixth in the world standings. After a less-than-par score on opening night guided by a horse that gave him little opportunity, Pope rallied to score 84 points on Western Rodeo’s Unforgiven to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in Friday’s second round. That was worth $9,418, and it provided him the momentum he needs to close out the final eight nights in Las Vegas. “I didn’t really know much about the horse,” said Pope, 26, of Waverly, Kansas. “I’ve seen him one time my whole year and it was at Reno (Nevada) this year. Wyatt Denny got on him and got bucked off, and he sure enough bucked there. I found some video on him, and he looked like a really good horse. “I think he’s a horse that needs help with a pickup man, which we can’t have help here. I think when he came around the corner, they usually set off over there to the side that he circled, and he’ll circle around them. I think he got over there and didn’t see one, so he got lost. I just had to react and see what he was going to do, because I knew he wasn’t going to do his normal trip.” Like all beings, animals have their own traits. Unforgiven, it seemed, wanted to buck toward another horse, but the small arena inside the Thomas & Mack Center doesn’t allow the pickup men to ride into position to help in that situation. That’s where Pope’s understanding of horses came into play. He did some things in his spur ride to help the horse buck better, and it paid off. It comes from a lifetime spent horseback. When he’s not on the rodeo trail, Pope is still a cowboy, running his own herd of cows and helping others when they need it. Horsemanship, whether chasing a bull through a pasture or riding a bucking bronc, can be vital. “Yeah, it’s very important,” said Pope, the 2022 world champion. “That’s one reason I love the lifestyle I get to live: A bucking-horse rider and a cowboy. A lot of guys spend a ton of time in the gym and stuff like that. I don’t get to the gym as much. I’m day-working every day riding colts, and I feel like that really helps me with a bucking horse. “I can feel a horse moving. I can feel what he’s going to do when he’s in the air. I know when he changes a lead. I feel like that’s one thing that benefits me, and I think the horsemanship side of that is what has made my career as successful as it has been.” He increased his season earnings to $187,752 and remains sixth on the money list. He’s got some ground to make up if he wants to add another gold buckle to his treasure chest. “It’s still anybody’s ballgame,” he said, noting that round winners pocket nearly $34,000 a night and the average champion will collect more than $86,000 when the NFR ends. “There’s a lot of money up for grabs. I’ve just got to show up, do my job every day, be excited and just do what I can with what I draw.”

LAS VEGAS – The pressure valve for rodeo’s biggest stars gets turned up a notch or two when they arrive at the National Finals Rodeo. There’s a $14.2 million purse on the line, and that’s enough to pack in the nerves. The 120 contestants have worked all year in order to be in this magical place. The biggest incentive is the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle awarded to the world champions, but there are so many financial rewards that come with competing in Las Vegas. The contestants with the best 10-round cumulative time or score will be crowned average champions and will cash in for more than $86,000 when the NFR concludes. Being near perfect while competing on livestock just adds to the stress of the competition. Steer wrestler J.D. Struxness has experienced that through his six qualifications to ProRodeo’s grand championship. After suffering a no-time in the opening round, that pressure was alleviated. Now, it’s go time, a chance for him to not hold anything back and try to capitalize on what’s ahead of him. He did that during Friday’s second round, grappling his steer to the ground in 3.9 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for third place, worth $14,308. “Yeah, we were already on a rebound night,” said Struxness, 29, from Milan, Minnesota, but living in Perrin, Texas. “Like what everybody’s been saying, ‘If you’re going to go out, Round 1 is the bet time to do it so you’ve got nine more to just go ahead and run at. “Now it’s go-round to go-round. You just take very night for what it is and go out there and try to win first or place as high as you can every night and se how many times you can place throughout the week.” With his speedy run, Struxness pushed his season earnings to $171,574. He is sixth in the world standings but trails the leader, Oregonian Dalton Massey, by about $38,000. Anything can happen inside the Thomas & Mack Center, so it’s really anybody’s ballgame over the next eight rounds. The Minnesota cowboy, though, has a couple of cards up his sleeve in a bulldogging horse named Crush and a hazing horse named Kirk. “That team of horses … they’re working awesome out here,” he said, pointing out that Crush is owned by fellow NFR competitor Ty Erickson and Kirk is owned by Savannah Reeves and ridden by her husband, former NFR cowboy Matt Reeves. “Crush has three of us out here; he’s been working his butt off so far. Matt Reeves over on his haze horse is doing a great job.” Stuxness, Erickson and Rowdy Parrott are all competing with that team of horses, and all three placed Friday; Parrott won his first NFR round after posting a 3.6-second run. “This was a good night for team,” Struxness said. “I think everybody will keep getting more confident and stronger.”

LAS VEGAS – The National Finals Rodeo can be a bit of a blur. Saddle bronc rider Brody Wells – competing at the championship for the first time – found that out early. There’s mystique surrounding this 10-day affair, a celebration of the year’s greatness in rodeo. Most in the field have spent a lifetime just trying to make it inside the yellow chutes. This is Wells’ moment, and he’s adjusting to all the pomp and circumstance that comes with competing in the sport’s biggest event. “I can’t even remember getting on that horse (Thursday) night,” said Wells, 23, of Powell, Wyoming. “It felt like my first horse really.” He scored 80 points, but that wasn’t even close to placing on opening night. He more than made up for it during Friday’s second round, riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman for 90 points to win the night and collect $33,687. He’s moved up one spot to 11th in the world standings with $179,490. Of course, it helped to have a horse like Pretty Woman, which is bucking at the finale for the eighth time and has guided cowboys to round victories before. “That horse is electric,” he said. “He’s built and has got good shoulders, something you can get a hold of (with spurs). You get a good spur out, and you can feel him. I felt him back up underneath my feet and come back underneath me. “We got in time with each other and a guy could show off, feel him kicking over, cracking hard, kicking behind my head, so it felt great.” With that, he not only collected a bucketload of cash but also made a trip to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the nightly go-round buckle presentation. “I’ve got all my family here,” said Wells, who was part of men’s national championship teams at Clarendon (Texas) College in 2021 and Tarleton State University in 2022. “My grandpa is actually here for a few days, so it’s pretty special to do that. He’s pumped the whole time he’s been here.” It’s another aspect of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, which not only features the top 15 contestants in each event from the regular season but also hosts tens of thousands of fans during a week and a half in the Nevada desert. Cowboys and cowgirls are treated like rock stars, and they’ve earned the right to compete for the most prize money throughout the year. In the City of Entertainment, it takes talent and a little bit of luck to shine, which is exactly what Wells did Friday.

LAS VEGAS – It’s becoming a reality now for bareback rider Bradlee Miller. After finding his opening night of his first National Finals Rodeo a bit surreal, the stakes amped up a bit more on Night 2, when he rode Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit for 86.5 points to win Friday’s second round. That was worth $33,687 and pushed his Sin City earnings to more than $70,000. That’s just 16 seconds of work inside the historic Thomas & Mack Center, the championship’s home since 1985. He increased his season earnings to $207,676 and sits third in the world standings. “I said yesterday when I was 86.5 that 10 of these might win a gold buckle, and I plan on it going up from here,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas. Only a trio of cowboys have had a better start to their 2024 NFR: tie-down roper Riley Webb and team ropers Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp have earned two straight round wins. Miller finished second on the first night, then posted the same score to win the night helping him to a fantastic payday. “I can’t fathom it,” he said with a wide grin. “I spent like $80 today on me and my girlfriend’s lunch, and that kind of hurt a little bit. That’s not going to hurt as much tomorrow, that’s for sure.” That financial reward is because of the labor of love he put into his 2024 season. He came to Las Vegas 11th on the bareback riding money list and has already moved up eight spots. Part of it goes to his dancing partner, a veteran Canadian horse that Miller had only seen a handful of times. “I was sure happy to have that horse in the semi-eliminator pen,” he said. “I had no history with that horse. It’s out of Canada, and I’ve only been to a coupe of rodeos up there; he spends most of his time there. I got to see him this year in Pendleton (Oregon), and he was awesome there.” Things don’t get easier for Miller, but his confidence is sky high heading into Saturday’s third round. He is matched with Championship Pro Rodeo’s Captain Hook in what the bareback riders call the “eliminator pen,” the hardest-to-ride horses in rodeo. It will be a match of titans. Captain Hook has had just three qualified rides this season. “I’m ready for the eliminators,” said Miller, a three-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier at Sam Houston State University who leads the Southern Region standings during this, his senior year. “I felt like that horse today was throwing a lot at me, and I felt ahead of her. If I can stay ahead of eight more like that, I think we’ll do some good here.”

LAS VEGAS – Somebody may want to pinch Bradlee Miller. Competing at the National Finals Rodeo for the first time, Miller didn’t show any newcomer nerves. In fact, he rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights for 86.5 points to finish second during Thursday’s first round, just a half-point behind the winner, Weston Timberman. Miller was awarded $26,624 for his efforts. “I don’t think I was nervous at all, because it doesn’t seem real,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas. “Before it’s your turn to nod your head, you have your hand in your riggin’ and have probably 20 seconds of just looking around, and it didn’t seem real then and still doesn’t. Whenever I got off that horse and looked around, there was nothing that I’ve ever felt like before. “It’s crazy. It shakes you to your bones. It’s amazing.” That’s the energy that fills the Thomas & Mack Center during ProRodeo’s grand finale, a 10-day championship that will pay out $12.5 million. More than 17,000 pack into the home of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels each night, and they’re excited to watch the best cowboys and cowgirls from the 2024 regular season. With his earnings, Miller moved from 11th to eighth in the world standings and increased his annual salary to $173,898. To top it off, he has nine more nights on which to capitalize on the small fortune being paid in Sin City. Getting started off on the right foot during his first round at his first NFR is a big step in the right direction. “It just reassures me that I belong here because no matter how good of a year you have or how much you win, there are always those small doubts,” he said. “There are no doubts after to day. I’m ready to go. “I came here and wanted to win the first round right off the bat, and I gave it everything I had to do that. I fell a half-point short, but tomorrow I have a good horse again, so I’m ready.” Having a veteran horse like Shady Nights certainly helped ease any tensions he could have had. “That horse has been around this game longer than I have, and she knew how to do her job,” said Miller, a senior at Sam Houston State University and a member of the rodeo team coached by his father, Bubba. “I just had to match her. She gave it all she had like she always had. I had no doubts about my horse coming into today.” Whether it’s real or not, Miller’s first NFR has begun, and he’s in prime position to take advantage of every round.

LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks arrived in the City of Entertainment with dreams on his mind and a big-ticket item. “When you’re going to the big show, you’ve got to make big moves,” said Franks, a 23-year-old bareback rider from Clarendon, Texas, now competing for the third time at the National Finals Rodeo. In a few short days in Las Vegas, he’s made those moves. The first came Tuesday night, when he proposed to Dustie Warr, his girlfriend of two-plus years. He had plans to do it prior to their arrival, but that didn’t happen. He had a couple other opportunities, but he missed the mark. Nerves can get the better of a young man in a big moment like that. After bareback riders enjoyed their annual dinner following the back-number presentation, their bus met back up with their significant others. With a little bit of push from other cowboys, Franks summoned his courage and dropped to a knee. “Caleb Bennett told me to just quit trying to find an excuse, but because I was nervous, I couldn’t quite make myself do it,” Franks said. “Caleb said, ‘You just need to di it and do it right now.’ He put me on the spot, and then jumped in the middle of the bus and told everybody to be quiet. “I was like, ‘OK, here it is; we’re doing it now.” It was just the precursor to what he hopes is a magical 10 days at the NFR, which kicked off Thursday. Franks rode Calgary Stampede’s Yipee Kibitz for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place, worth $9,418. He matched scores with Utahan Dean Thompson and Louisiana cowboy Taylor Broussard. “I’ve been dreaming of getting on that horse since probably 2019,” Franks said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever been on her. She’s everything I’ve dreamed about.” With the ride, Franks pushed his season earnings to $158,974 and sits ninth in the world standings. The nerves he felt leading up to his proposal were just part of excitement he’s experienced with regards to his return to the NFR, an event he missed a year ago. “Honestly, I was probably more nervous coming in here this year than I was my first year, because I know what to expect now,” said Franks, the 2021 intercollegiate bareback riding and all-around champion who won the rookie-of-the-year title in his first bid for the NFR. “I think knowing more about what to expect added to the nerves a little bit. It just strikes a little more.” He remained contained on opening night, and it paid dividends. The streaks start at one, and he has nine more nights to cash in.

LAS VEGAS – When Taylor Broussard realized he needed to make some changes to his lifestyle, he knew the benefits would come. He proved it during Thursday’s opening night of the National Finals Rodeo, riding Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Land of Fancy for 85 points to finish in a tie for fourth place with Utah cowboy Dean Thompson and Texan Cole Franks; each earned $9,418. In his third qualification to ProRodeo’s grand championship, Broussard earned more money in one night than he had over his previous trips to Las Vegas, which combined totaled $6,408. “It’s a blessing to not scratch at the last two,” Broussard said, referring to not being shut out of the pay window. “I placed in the second round both years I’ve been here, so getting a check in the first round is already. I’ve won more money. Now, I’m just going to keep it going.” He first earned trips to the NFR in 2019 and 2021. Now more than two years sober, he is seeing Las Vegas without the haziness of before. His cleared mind has him focused, and he is able to enjoy the experience like he’s never done before. That included his money-making ride on Land of Fancy. “I got on that horse in 2023 in Filer, Idaho,” said Broussard, 31, of Estherwood, Louisiana. “I was super excited then to get on it, and it felt awesome. It’s one of the fun horses I’ve been on. I couldn’t wait to get on since then, and I couldn’t ask for a better place to get on it again. “I really thought I was going to be a round win, but things happen. We’ll go tomorrow, because I feel like I have two really good ones in our first two rounds.” He will be matched with Burch Rodeo’s Bunk House Mouse during the second round. “We’ve got the buckers (Friday) night, and I’ve got a horse that Keenan Hayes won the first round in Sioux Falls (South Dakota) on,” he said. “It’s a younger horse, and I’m actually the one that sent the video to the guys and was like, ‘We need to bring this horse.’ ” Shortly after the regular season concluded Sept. 30, the top 15 bareback riders get on a conference call and select the 100 horses they think gives them the best chance to win money once the competition begins. The better the horses, the bigger the opportunity to catch some Vegas cash. “I feel really great; my body feels the best its ever felt,” Broussard said. “My mind’s right. I’m pumped to be here, and I’m here to take care of business and do my job. This is what I do for a living. This is what we work for all year long, spend all our money to get here so we can actually make a little bit of money. “I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. My equipment felt great tonight, so nothing needs to be changed. I’m going to go into the gym in the morning and do my little exercises, the same routine and just don’t change anything. I’m going to come here ready to work every night.” He’s already making money on this business venture; there’s no need to stop now.

LAS VEGAS – His two weeks in the Nevada desert are part of a business trip for team roping header Coleman Proctor. So far, he’s taking care of business. Proctor and his heeling partner, Logan Medlin of Tatum, New Mexico, roped their first steer in 4.0 seconds Thursday night to finish third and collect checks of $20,104 each. It was an important step as they battle for those elusive world championships. Both remain fourth in their respective world standings. Proctor’s yearly total increased to $185,894 in the heading race, and he is about $50,000 behind the leader, Texan Tyler Wade, who won the first round with his partner, Wesley Thorp. That advantage can be eclipsed in a hurry at the NFR, which features a payout of more than $12 million. The biggest move, though, came in the all-around race. Proctor entered the 10-day fray third, but his earnings on opening night pushed him up a spot to second place. He has a total earnings of $215,807 when his team roping and steer roping earnings are combined, and he trails the top dog, Shad Mayfield, by less than $19,000. Proctor is one of five men in the mix for the all-around title, the most prestigious championship in ProRodeo. Over the previous five years, Utah bull rider and saddle bronc rider Stetson Wright has dominated the all-around race while also winning crowns in both of his events. He was injured late in the 2023 season not competed since last year’s NFR. While Wright has competed in multiple events at the finale, none of the combatants in this year’s field have qualified in more than one. Mayfield and Tuf Cooper are tie-down ropers, Proctor and Junior Nogueira are in team roping and Wacey Schalla is riding bulls. All that means the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle will be awarded to the cowboy who has the best 10 days in Las Vegas. Proctor is off to the best start of the quintet, and Cooper was the only other cowboy on the list to catch a first-round payday; he finished fourth to earn $14,000. There are no guarantees in rodeo, and the stakes at the NFR make the Thomas & Mack feel like a steam bath. Now in his ninth trip to the championship, Proctor has seen the ups and downs that come with competing the world’s richest rodeo. The advantages he said he has are in the preparation he and Medlin have put in and the horsepower each cowboy possesses. Confidence also plays into every aspect of making those picture-perfect runs. It takes a combination of good fortunes to make runs happen in four seconds, but experience is also a valuable tool. It’s the best way he knows to handle his business.

LAS VEGAS – Weston Timberman is mature beyond his 20 years. In his first go-round at his first National Finals Rodeo, Timberman scored 87 points on J Bar J’s Drunk Bunny to win the night of bareback riding and $33,687. He moved up four spots to third in the world standings, sitting at $197,787, and he has nine more nights to capitalize on his experience. “At the end of the day, it’s just another rodeo,” said Timberman, the 2024 Resistol Rookie of the Year from Columbus, Montana. “So, if you prepare yourself correctly, there’s no rodeo too big. Today proved that to me. I just came out here, looked around a lot and (realized it’s) another rodeo. ‘Let’s go out and have some fun.’ ” This is the sport’s Super Bowl and World Series wrapped up into a 10-day package in the Nevada desert. Cowboys dream of one day competing inside those yellow chutes, and they can be intimidating to some. Timberman isn’t a typical cowboy, though. He’s a third-generation bareback rider, guided by his grandfather, Lonnie. His father, Chris, was a national circuit champion. His uncle, Kelly, won the world title the same year Weston was born, then won the average title for a second straight year in 2005. “There’s some limelight and some cool stuff that’s added onto it – or maybe a lot – but it was super cool to finally come out and do that,” said Weston Timberman, who won intercollegiate titles each of the past two years while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College. The 100 horses are set in five pens depending on their bucking prowess in order to give the 15 cowboys in the mix as even a shot at the money as possible. Still, there are some of those animals that each contestant might like a little better. “Out of every horse that was out tonight, that’s the one I’ve been on the most,” he said of Drunk Bunny. “It was good to get on my first one knowing what he was going to do, how he was going to be and feel. Just that was an added sense of confidence. “The whole key to bareback riding is confidence, and everything just played out exactly how we planned.” The NFR is the world’s richest rodeo. There are millions of dollars on the line in this pressure cooker, but there are also a lot of benefits. Rodeo cowboys spend the year traveling tens of thousands of miles in order to earn a trip to Sin City to compete for this kind of prize money. There are no guarantees in this sport; not only do the contestants have to pay their own ways, but they must beat most of the field at each rodeo to earn money. That means all-night drives or getting on multiple bucking broncs in a day. At the NFR, it’s one rodeo each day at the same place. There’s more opportunity for rest and developing a routine. “That’s one of the beautiful things about Vegas,” Timberman said. “It’s a pretty cool place to be.”

I walked through the executive offices of the Thomas & Mack Center for the first time 23 years ago as the rodeo beat writer for The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City. I was ignorant of the ways things worked at my first National Finals Rodeo. I arrived from my hotel in what I thought was plenty of time. Little did I know the cluster it would be to just obtain my credentials, much less find the media room and get set for that night’s performance. I was so late that I ended up doing an interview with the late Ricky Huddleston during the national anthem. The rodeo began at 7 p.m. Pacific, which is 9 p.m. Central, and I had a deadline half an hour after the first horse bucked. I wrote quickly and met the deadline while packed with a couple dozen other reporters and photographers at a smallish room in the guts of the arena. That room is now the “Contestants Lounge,” and I pass by it on my walk from the entrance to the UNLV auxiliary gym, where the Runnin’ Rebels practice. The 2001 go-rounds paid $13,522 to the winners of each event; this year’s nightly winners will collect $33,687. Much has changed over the last two and a half decades of ProRodeo’s Super Bowl, but the passion for it remains. Whether they’re one of 120 combatants in the field or the 17,000-plus fans or the millions watching on national TV, the love affair with rodeo is as strong as ever. It’s the ride of the year, and it’s 10 days long.