National Finals Rodeo first-timer Waylon Bourgeois didn’t let any rookie jitters get in the way during Thursday’s opening performance. He finished second in the first go-round and earned nearly $29,000.
(PRCA PHOTO BY MALLORY BEINBORN)

 

LAS VEGAS – Waylon Bourgeois isn’t going to lie. The emotions surrounding his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo have been incredible.

After just missing the mark a year ago, the bareback rider made the transition to the biggest stage of rodeo. He entered this year’s competition as the 12th-ranked cowboy in the world standings, earning the right to be part of this exclusive field, which features only the top 15 on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season.

But this is a big step to the big time, with a payout of more than $17 million.

“The nerves have been outrageous,” said Bourgois, 26, of Church Point, Louisiana. “You’ve got to be able to control yourself. You’ve got to be able to handle yourself and know that you belong here. That’s what I had to keep telling myself all week.

“We drove over that hill and just saw Vegas, and it’s huge. My hands started sweating, and I had to keep telling myself, ‘You belong with all the bareback riders.’ Even at the back-number ceremony (two days before the NFR began), all the bareback riders went out to eat dinner, and that’s what everybody was preaching.

“We didn’t make this by accident. We deserve to be here, and we belong here. You just have to take control of yourself and own it.”

He did, riding Korkow Rodeo’s Rubber Match for 86.75 points to finish second during Thursday’s opening round. That was worth $28,980

“Yeah, that’s my biggest paycheck ever,” said Bourgeois, who pushed his season earnings to $176,843. He moved up two spots to 10th on the money list. “I don’t mind looking at those numbers.”

A smile flashed across his face, because those childhood dreams are becoming reality.

“Once you crawl in them yellow bucking chutes, you forget about everything, and all you know is the one thing,” he said. “That’s just do your job.”

Based on a 100-point scale, half the score is on how well the animal bucks. The other is based on how well a bareback rider will spur from above the points of the shoulders and back to his rigging while setting his feet above the shoulders before the bronc’s front feet hit the ground again. That is the rhythm that leads to big scores and bigger payouts.

It can be a blur, especially with the emotions that come with the NFR. It’s like traveling back in time.

“The first time you get on your first bareback horse, everything goes blank,” Bourgeois said. “That’s kind of how it can be here, but for me, I actually remember it all.”

Bourgeois is making memories and pocketing Las Vegas cash at the same time. That’s what the NFR is about.