About: Ted

LAS VEGAS – The pressure that builds during the National Finals Rodeo is like no other event in the sport. There’s an incredible purse, family cheering, friends cheering, fans with expectations. There’s also the dream of owning a Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, and for those in contention, that just adds to it all. Coleman Proctor is figuring out how to control his pressure valve when he is in Las Vegas, but there’s one aspect of it he can’t deny. “I’m just excited that I finally got a go-round win out here, because this Stella Proctor has gotten so mad each and every night,” he said of his 7-year-old daughter, the oldest of three girls he has with his wife, Stephanie. “She said, ‘I’m just disappointed in you, Daddy.’ I’m like, ‘But, baby, we still won.’ “And she goes, ‘You didn’t win first, and we don’t get to go on that party bus.’ ” That bus is what carries Proctor and his family from the Thomas & Mack Center to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the nightly go-round buckle presentation. After Proctor and his heeler, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 3.5 seconds to win Wednesday’s seventh round, the party started. “We’re fixin’ to go get that party bus and head to the South Point,” he said. Proctor and Medlin placed in the first, second and sixth rounds before taking the top honors on Night 7. That was worth $33,687 and increased their Las Vegas cash to $80,634 apiece. They suffered no-times in the third and fifth rounds, but they sit ninth in the aggregate race. Only the top eight places in the 10-round cumulative score will win a bonus Saturday night, but they still have three nights to make something happen. They worked their way back into the money Tuesday by placing in a tie for sixth in the round. That may have been the catapult they needed. “When we bounce back with any kind of a check out of this place, it’s huge,” said Proctor, who is fourth in the heading world standings with $236,435. “It was a good moment for us to be back in the winning column. You’re going again. Sometimes every cut starts with a little nick, so that was our little nick (Tuesday) night that got this going for us. “Now, we’re back with them with a lot of confidence, and we both know where we’re at. We’re aware of the situation. We’ve done this game long enough; we know we’ve got to win.” While Proctor and Medlin are the face of their franchises, both have teams of people in their corners. For Proctor, it starts with family and shifts to his ace in the hole, Tiffany Wagner, who takes care of many details, maybe the biggest of which is getting his horse, Heisman, ready for each round. “I have a beautiful wife that I’m very blessed that I got to marry the love of my life, then I’ve got three wonderful daughters, and I’ve got her mother and our cousin, Amy, out here helping with the girls,” said Proctor of Pryor, Oklahoma. “We’ve got Tiffany, and she’s a rock star. She’s kind of the glue that holds this whole thing together for us. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I’m so appreciative of each and every one of them. They give me so much of their time, and they sacrifice. That’s such a valuable resource. I’m so honored they’re going to give it up for me to let me chase this dream.”

LAS VEGAS – Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage is a two-time Bareback Horse of the Year and is still bucking at the National Finals Rodeo at 22 years of age. Bradlee Miller is a year younger than the titan, but the two matched together like veterans for 88.5 points during Wednesday’s seventh round of the National Finals Rodeo to win the night and add to Miller’s incredible NFR pocketbook. It was the third round win for the Huntsville, Texas, cowboy, at his first NFR, and another $33,687 pushed his Las Vegas earnings to $178,436. He is second in the world standings with $315,801, trailing only Rocker Steiner on the money list. What might be the most telling of all is that he’s done all this after suffering a neck injury on the fifth night of this championship. “Uncomfortable might be an understatement,” he said, his head tilted toward his right shoulder to show just how much pain he was actually experiencing. “I’m ready to go to the locker room and lay down in the corner for a little bit. When they rush you up tomorrow, I’ll be ready to go.” His spectacular run through the first seven nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale has put the Western world on notice. In addition to pushing himself into the world-championship picture among the top 15 bareback riders, Miller is also second in the NFR’s Top Gun race, which will reward the single-event contestant who earns the most money over the 10-day championship. Barrel racer Kassie Mowry holds a lead of just less than $20,000 over Miller. She is fourth in the barrel racing aggregate race, which could be worth another $41,000 when the NFR concludes Saturday night. For his part, Miller is fifth in the bareback riding average. That bonus would be just shy of $30,000 if he is to maintain that position. “I’m just taking it day by day,” said Miller, a senior on the Sam Houston State University rodeo team, which is coached by his father, Bubba. “I’m trying not to think too much about the big picture. This sport’s about eight seconds at a time.” His neck injury may be painful, but he’s been able to deal with it because of the help of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team, a group of athletic trainers and doctors dedicated to assist rodeo athletes. They travel across the country caring for cowboys and cowgirls, and the team has a large contingent in Las Vegas to care for the 120 contestants in the competition. “The sports medicine team has helped me a lot by feeling good before I get on,” Miller said. “Before I get down in that chute, I’m feeling nearly 100 percent. It’s just after where it gets me.” Just in time for Christmas, Miller’s biggest present this December is pain management, and he’s handling it the best way he can.

LAS VEGAS – The race for a world championship is more of a marathon, a year-long battle that began in October 2023. The track meanders across North America at outposts like Gillette, Wyoming; Salinas, California; and Regina, Saskatchewan. Those are just a few of the places Wyatt Casper won titles in 2024, and they’re a big reason why he’s in the hunt for a world championship at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. The finish line is Las Vegas, and the competitors are on the final straightaway with a Montana Silversmiths gold buckle in sight. He’s second in the world standings with $332,837, about $45,000 behind two-time titlist Ryder Wright, but Casper has an ace up his sleeve; he leads the aggregate race with a seven-ride cumulative score of 600.5 points. Casper added to that Wednesday night, riding Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Foul Motion for 87 points to finish in a three-way tie for second. That was worth more than $20,000, and it pushed his NFR earnings to $113,054. He owns a 6.5-point aggregate leader over a couple of Canadians, Zeke Thurston and Dawson Hay. The average winner will add more than $86,000 when Saturday’s 10th round concludes. “It’s pretty cool to have so much won by now,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “I’m just enjoying it. I’m trying to not let the pressure get to me. I try not to get all caught up in the hopping and hollering. I just try to take it one horse at a time, and the cards will fall where they’re going to fall.” Making significant rides on a horse like Foul Motion is a big step in the process. The animal’s sire was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2019. “I’ve seen him a bunch, and this is my fourth time getting on him,” Casper said. “It felt really good. That’s a bucking sucker. He was a little tougher than I’ve had him in the past, but every time that dud’s going to fire, so it was a lot of fun.” Until it wasn’t. After the ride, the cowboy got off on the pickup man, but when he settled into the dirt, Casper sprained his left ankle. He has received treatment by the Justin Sportsmedicine Team and will continue to battle for the final three nights of the 2024 campaign. He’ll push the pain aside and focus on the business of winning rodeo’s gold. “I’ve been in positions like this before,” he said. “I do this day in and day out rodeoing all year. You just try not to make it more than what it is.”

LAS VEGAS – It’s hard to not be frustrated when things aren’t going right. Richmond Champion has battled that during his ninth National Finals Rodeo. He’s been angered to a point but continued to remind himself that he’s earned the right to be in Las Vegas for the 10-round affair and that some things are just out of his control. “Now, we’re rolling,” said Champion, who scored 85 points on Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit to finish fourth in Wednesday’s seventh round to earn $14,127 – it was his first payday since receiving a $10,000 qualification bonus. “It’s been a very long week up to this point, but also a very short week where you feel like you’re just trying to hang on to time and slow things down. You want to go back and have things be different. Meanwhile, it’s doing Vegas things, and it’s rolling by faster than ever, and it felt so good just to break the ice.” With is, he moved up one spot to 14th in the world standings with $153,092. Every streak starts with one, so he’s hoping to cash in over the final three nights of the season. He’s in Sin City to handle business, but sometimes the register doesn’t ring as much as he’d like. “I’m so happy, and that’s the first thing me and (wife) Paige talk about every morning,” said Champion of Stevensville, Montana. “The plan is working. I feel like I’m riding at my best, and I just haven’t really drawn the right horses. Sometimes luck isn’t on your side, but they give you 10, so it can’t be like that 10 times in a row.” Over his trips to the NFR, Champion has had similar moments. In his first qualification a decade ago, he didn’t earn a payday until the fifth round but still earned more than $100,000 over the final six nights. “It can go a lot of different ways,” he said, noting that several in Las Vegas have asked about his situation and asking what’s behind his struggles. “We get dealt 10 cards, every single one of us. Sometimes they’re a flop. That’s what they were for me. This is the most competitive the sport’s ever been.” “It’s the best horses that have ever been. There’s always going to be a top and a bottom when you bring in the very best. As much as there were times where I was just so frustrated, I couldn’t see that. I’ve had those moments, but it’s going to turn. Those great horses are also here for me; it’s not just everybody else. I’m just doing my job, so it’s going to come together.” Champion has had some considerable history on True Grit, and that was a strong factor in how they both performed Wednesday. “That was the sixth time I got on her,” he said. “She’s just super solid. You just have so much confidence in them that they’re going to do their job, and all you have to do is yours, because they’re definitely going to take care of their end.”

LAS VEGAS – The 2024 ProRodeo Rookies of the Year were recognized during Tuesday’s sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo, and Weston Timberman’s smile shined inside the Thomas & Mack Center. He earned the bareback riding rookie title this season long before he arrived in town to compete at ProRodeo’s championship. On opening night, he proved his place among the sport’s elite by winning the round. He placed again in Sunday’s fourth round, then earned his third check in six nights Tuesday. Timberman rode Diamond G Rodeo’s Good Girl for 86 points to finish sixth on Night 6, pushing his NFR earnings to $57,814. He has a cumulative score of 507.5 points and is fifth in the aggregate race. If he were to hold that position through the final four nights of the campaign, he will add a bonus of $29,340. He is seventh in the world standings with $211,914, which is a pretty salty way to continue his inaugural season in ProRodeo.