Miller plugging away at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Through the first five nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale, first-year player Bradlee Miller has felt the ups and downs that come with riding bareback horses at an elite level. He’s won two go-rounds outright and placed in two others, but getting on consecutive bucking broncs can be tortuous, especially in his specific […]
Proctor returns to NFR payday
LAS VEGAS – Anybody that’s been to this desert city understands that three days in Las Vegas can be really long. That’s been the case for team roping header Coleman Proctor. After placing in the opening two rounds, he and his partner, Logan Medlin, experienced a three-day drought of reaching the pay window at the […]
Thompson shares Round 5 title
LAS VEGAS – Dean Thompson had a feeling about Monday night at the National Finals Rodeo. Whether it was a premonition or just wishful thinking, he was sure he was going to win the fifth round at his second straight NFR. He didn’t do it outright, but he came close, sharing the title with his […]
Lees shares victory in fifth round
LAS VEGAS – The third time was the charm for Jacob Lees. It may have taken until the fifth round of his second straight National Finals Rodeo to finally cash a check, but Lees did it in fine fashion, pocketing $30,155 for sharing Monday’s bareback riding title with his good friend, Dean Thompson. It was […]
Casper spurring points in Vegas
LAS VEGAS – Call it good fortune or willing things to happen, but Wyatt Casper is still climbing the ladder that is the National Finals Rodeo. After failing to place on opening night, he has collected nearly $70,000 in Las Vegas money by placing four straight nights, most recently finishing in a tie for fifth […]
Wells captures round win No. 2
LAS VEGAS – Through the first half of the 10-day National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Brody Wells has placed three times and collected just shy of $90,000 in Sin City. He’s earned at least a share of two go-round wins, which offers the lion’s share of the nightly payout. He’s proven that he’s in […]
Yeahquo places for 3rd time at NFR
LAS VEGAS – J.C. Yeahquo is learning how to handle his business, and that’s an important part of ProRodeo. As a team roping header competing at his first National Finals Rodeo, he’s put on blinders and is staring straight ahead. He’s not affected by the pomp and circumstance of this major event or all that […]
Pope, Gun Fire post big score
LAS VEGAS – With tens of thousands of souls in this city for the National Finals Rodeo, Jess Pope runs into friends from time to time during his business venture. He was reacquainted with an old ally during Monday’s fifth go-round: Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire. It was the seventh meeting between the two titans, and […]
Yeahquo shares Round 4 win
LAS VEGAS – Team ropers J.C. Yeahquo and Buddy Hawkins were the first tandem out of the timed-event box Sunday night at the National Finials Rodeo, and they set a standard that wasn’t beaten. It was tied, however, by three other teams. They stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds, and each of the eight men […]
Struxness earns Round 4 victory
LAS VEGAS – J.D. Struxness understands the ups and downs that come with rodeo, especially during those magical 10 days of the National Finals Rodeo. When times are good, ride the wave. When times aren’t so good, figure out a way to pull yourself out of the hole. He’s riding the wave in Las Vegas […]
Miller collects 2nd round win
LAS VEGAS – The bright lights of the City of Entertainment can do some funny things for many who arrive in town for the National Finals Rodeo for the first time. Bareback rider Bradlee Miller seems unfazed. He’s placed in three of four go-rounds with two wins, the most recent coming Sunday night when he […]
Casper tames rank beast at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Athletes watch game film to find the tendencies of their opponents. Bronc busters are using technology in a similar fashion. Take saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper, who was matched with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Stockyards Babe during Sunday’s “eliminator pen” round during the fourth night of the National Finals Rodeo. He checked […]
Timberman gets back in the money
LAS VEGAS – Before he even arrived in town to compete at his first National Finals Rodeo, Weston Timberman had already proven himself to the folks who know rodeo well. He’s won two straight intercollegiate national championships in bareback riding while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College, and at just 20 years of age, he’s excelled […]
Franks is rolling in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – It may not have been the biggest payday of Cole Franks’ National Finals Rodeo run this week, but it may have been the biggest ride. He rode Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Little Bug for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place in Sunday’s fourth round, pocketing $1,811. More importantly, […]
Thompson scores big NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Dean Thompson needed this. He was already having a solid run at his second National Finals Rodeo, but he was searching for bigger paydays. He got one after posting an 86.5-point ride on Shoutin Shoes of Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics. It moved him into a tie for second place in […]
Wells cashes on an ‘eliminator’
LAS VEGAS – The “eliminator pen” of broncs at the National Finals Rodeo are the most miserable, hardest-to-ride horses in ProRodeo. Most of the cowboys who get on their backs in a regular season hit the dirt, but those that ride them well are rewarded with high scores. Of the 15 horses in the mix […]
Pope blessed by Round 3 win
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 […]
Yeahquo snags Round 3 payday
LAS VEGAS – Team roping header J.C. Yeahquo is having the experience of a lifetime during his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. “It’s been great,” said Yeahquo, 24, originally from Manderee, North Dakota, raised in Crescent, Oklahoma, and now living in Stephenville, Texas. “I’ve been around great people. Everybody’s helped me fill in […]
NFR re-ride pays off for Casper
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 […]
Franks rides rank for NFR cash
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. […]
Struxness handles mighty steers
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 […]
Struxness earns 1st NFR check
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 […]
Franks riding high in Round 2
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 […]
Broussard ready to slay dragons
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 […]