T.J. Gray returns for his second straight qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. His first venture to Las Vegas last December offered a dose of reality, but it also served as a valuable lesson he will have with him when he returns next week.
(PRCA PHOTO BY HAILEY RAE)

 

Cinch cowboy one of six bull riders ready to show off at NFR

Only three men in ProRodeo history have ridden all 10 bulls at the National Finals Rodeo.

Jim Sharp was the first to do so in 1988, when the Texan won his first world championship. Norman Curry did it two years later. The last time it happened was 31 years ago, when Brazilian Adriano Moraes pulled off the incredible feat in 1994.

Bull riding is the most difficult event in rodeo in which to muster a qualified ride. World titlist Josh Frost only managed scores on seven nights, but he won the NFR average title hands down. Cinch cowboy T.J. Gray finished sixth in the aggregate race with three qualified rides.

“I think this year we’re going to see a lot more competitive bull riding,” said Gray, 24, of Dairy, Oregon. “I know nobody’s ridden all 10 bulls at the NFR in a long time, but I think I can do it.”

It’s mind over matter, and positive thinking can go a long way. He realized a great deal about the Las Vegas experience during his inaugural venture a year ago, and he’s ready to put all those lessons to the test again for this year’s championship, set for Dec. 4-13 at the Thomas & Mack Center, which is celebrating its 40th year as the NFR’s host.

“In a negative sense, I learned everything can change at the NFR,” he said. “I came in No. 1, and everything got turned around. There were guys that were way down in the standings that blew past me pretty fast.

“This year I’m coming in No. 5, and I learned things can change pretty fast. It doesn’t have to take very long, and I can be back up where I want to be.”

ProRodeo’s grand finale features the largest payday in the game with a $13.5 million purse. Go-round winners will pocket nearly $37,000 per night, and the bull rider with the best 10-round cumulative score will add a $94,000 bonus when the curtain closes on that final Saturday night.

Gray is one of six Cinch cowboys battling the baddest bovines in the game. Four-time qualifier Tristen Hutchings of Monteview, Idaho, leads the contingent in fourth place with just shy of $300,000 in season earnings. Hayes Weight, a three-time qualifier from Goshen, Utah, is seventh; Jordan Spears of Redding, California, is heading to his sixth finale; and Mason Moody of Letcher, South Dakota, and Jesse Petri of Dublin, Texas, have earned their first bids.

A lot happens over a week and a half in the Nevada desert. The stakes are high, which adds to the pressure. The game can be a lot simpler with a strong mindset, and that’s the biggest lesson Gray took from 2024.

“Myron Duarte told me last year before I went to the NFR to not change a thing,” Gray said of the retired eight-time NFR qualifier from Hawaii. “He told me to do exactly what I’d been doing all year. Well, I went and changed everything. It took until about the fifth round when I started staying on and when I realized I did not listen to him.

“I was thinking I had to do something special instead of just having fun and not caring about the outcome. I’ve kept that in mind this year, and I haven’t been putting pressure on myself or thinking I have to do something special. I’m not trying to be perfect. My riding is good enough.”

That change in mentality can go a long way.

“I’m going to be happy to show up, not be overwhelmed with the opportunity, be able to live in the moment and enjoy it,” he said. “I think even though I told everyone last year that I wasn’t nervous, in the back of my head, I was definitely nervous.”

The best attribute for competitors is to let their natural talent take over. Muscle memory is real, and fundamentals come into play for the greatest in their given game. Million-dollar wide receivers can drop a football if they think about it too much, but they’ll make a spectacular catch without batting an eye.

“I’m not really too worried about it all,” Gray said. “It’s going to end up how it ends up, but I’m not counting myself out of a world title at all.

“Anything can happen at the NFR.”