About: Ted

Garrett Shadbolt had to wait out some tense moments but secured a big-money payday after his 84-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Big Show to finish in a tie for third place in Friday’s second round of the National Finals Rodeo. (PHOTO BY GREG WESTFALL)   LAS VEGAS – Garrett Shadbolt had reserved himself to his fate. Scoring 84 points just doesn’t win much at the National Finals Rodeo, and he knows that from experience. This is his fourth qualification to the sport’s Super Bowl, and he’s seen it before. “I was thinking, ‘There’s no freaking way I’m going to win a check out of this round,” said Shadbolt, 29, a bareback rider from Merriman, Nebraska. “I was proud of my ride. “That’s a good horse, but I didn’t know if he was usually good enough here. I was keeping my head up, and then the next guy was 83.75. then it was 81.5 and another 83.75. I had not won a check in 12 rounds and in a couple of years. Last year’s NFR was so brutal.” It had been since the ninth round of the 2022 championship since Shadbolt had cashed in, but he made things work with Championship Pro Rodeo’s Big Show, finishing in a tie for third place on the second night of this year’s festival, pocketing $18,630. With that, he pushed his season earnings to $196,891 and sits seventh in the world standings with eight nights remaining in the 2025 season. “I celebrated (Thursday’s first round ride) just like I’d won money, because I was so proud of that ride,” he said of another 84, which resulted in an 11th-place finish. “My spirits are high. I knew I was riding good, but I’ve also been here where you just never know what’s going to happen. “I was on the back of the bucking chutes, and more and more guys were underneath me. I think I started hyperventilating a little bit, because I was like, ‘I might win a check out of this thing.’ ” He did, and a big sigh of relief followed. It comes from a man on a mission, a man who has had a sour taste in his mouth for 12 months after a disappointing 2024 championship in which he failed to reach the pay window in any of the 10 rounds. “You’ve got to build yourself all the way back up again,” said Shadbolt, who first qualified for the NFR in 2021. “You get knocked down in this game, and you’ve got to get yourself back up and go back out there and do it again.” That meant getting on the biggest and baddest bucking horses in rodeo for Saturday night. The NFR roughstock competition is broken down into five styles of bucking horses, and the third round features the “eliminator pen,” the toughest-to-ride broncs in the business. “I’m ready for it,” he said. “I’m not scared of anything in that pen.” Shadbolt will be matched with Powder River Rodeo’s Juice Box, a horse that’s generated high stock scores this year. With judges marking the animal 1-50, officials have marked the bronc 45 points are better on multiple occasions during the 2025 season. For now, though, he’ll cherish another NFR payday. “It’s even more special, because George and Mavis, my two oldest (children), were at the rodeo and got to watch,” Shadbolt said. “I’m excited to head back up with them and celebrate a big check. “After two good rides and a big check, my spirits are high, and I’m ready to have a big week.”

Tucker Allen competed in his 12th National Finals Rodeo go-round Friday and won the night with a 3.6-second steer wrestling run, earning a trip to the South Point for the buckle presentation. (PHOTO BY GREG WESTFALL)   LAS VEGAS – It’s eight miles from the Thomas & Mack Center to the South Point, but the resort is the place every cowboy wants to be after each go-round at the National Finals Rodeo. The South Point hosts the nightly Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation, and nightly winners are presented trinkets to go along with their prize money. Steer wrestler Tucker Allen made his first trip to the southern side of Las Vegas Boulevard, stopping the clock in 3.6 seconds to win Friday’s second round and pocketing $36,668 for the feat. As part of the celebration, winners sometimes splurge on a limousine or a party bus to enjoy the venture. “I might have to do that,” said Allen, 26, a two-time NFR qualifier from Ventura, California. “I have a right blinker out on my truck, so we probably should take a limo.” He was certainly enjoying his moment in the bright lights in the City of Entertainment. In his second straight trip to ProRodeo’s grand finale, Allen earned his first nightly title through 12 rounds of competition. “I knew he was a round-win chance,” Allen said, referring to the steer with which he had been matched. “I knew I could place within the top three for sure on that steer, because I knew I could catch up in a good spot. I told myself to try to blow the barrier out and risk breaking it.” The start is vital, especially in that building. The arena is built on top of the basketball court, so the dimensions are small. Fast times need quick break off the starting line. The steers are provided a head start with a barrier line placed in front of the contestant. If the cowboy doesn’t give the cow enough of a lead, a broken barrier will result in a 10-second penalty. If there is a delay and the steer gets too big a lead, then the time will likely be too slow to collect cash. Allen time the start just right. Riding Banker, the 2025 PRCA/AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year owned by traveling partner Justin Shaffer, Allen got to the steer quickly, then turned the animal on its side in a hurry. It’s just what the doctor ordered for the California bulldogger, who earned $92,000 a year ago at the NFR but was hoping for a better showing – a good portion of his earnings came from finishing fourth in the average, finishing with one of the fastest cumulative times on 10 runs. “Nobody really remembers fourth, so I told myself, ‘Be more aggressive, take more risk and just get greedier,” Allen said. “Don’t worry about the average and treat each run like a one-header. I was lucky to get out, and Banker worked great. Justin hazed outstanding, and I was happy to do my job.” In addition to owning the horse and being an NFR qualifier himself, Shaffer served as the hazer for Allen and Jesse Brown, helping keep the steers lined out for both cowboys. “Banker is the horse of the year, and he’s just a freak of nature,” Allen said. “He’s so sharp off the line, yet he runs such a good pattern, is broke and has a good mind. It makes it so simple where you hit the cory and not worry if he’s going to flinch. You can take your start and just put your hand down, and he’s going to run in the perfect spot and let you do your job. “Justin is one of the greatest hazers there’s ever been; he’s just so cowboy. His ability to haze from all the colts he’s started, the day-work and just being a cowboy. I think a lot of the hazers are good cowboys. That’s why guys trust them in hairy situations.” Making the NFR is a huge accomplishment in rodeo. There were dozens of cowboys within range of advancing, but only the top 15 on the money list at the end of the regular season earn the right to play for the biggest pay in the game. Winning a round takes everything up a notch. “It’s pretty surreal,” he said. “I know this is something you dream of as soon as you start learning how to bulldog and rope and do anything in rodeo. I don’t get emotional, but I almost got a little emotional in the (television) interview. My stepdad, Teddy Robinson, is the reason I’m here today. I just had to give him a shout-out, and it kind of choked me up aa little. “He’s coming out to rope (next) week, but I just wanted him to know when he was at home watching on TV that I appreciate everything he did for me.” Allen is also doing a lot for himself.

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.

Weston Patterson made his first ride at his first National Finals Rodeo count, scoring 88.5 points on Cervi’s Womanizer to finish second during Thursday’s opening round. (PRCA PHOTO BY MALLORY BEINBORN)   LAS VEGAS – A few minutes after his opening-round ride at the National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Weston Patterson was looking for video. “I literally blacked out and don’t remember my ride until the whistle blew,” said Patterson, a first-time NFR qualifier from Waverly, Kansas. “I got off on the pickup man, got down and just heard the crowd. That was pretty cool.” Yes, it was. It was just as exciting to watch the replay on Snapchat. He matched moves with Cervi Brothers’ Womanizer for 88.5 points to finish as the runner-up on Night 1 of ProRodeo’s grand championship. For that, Patterson pocketed $28,280 and moved from 11th to eighth in the world standings. “That’s just a really good horse,” Patterson said of the 2020 PRCA Saddle Bronc of the Year. “That’s really the one you want. I knew it was going to be a good chance to do something if he had his day.” The powerful paint did, and so did Patterson, a College National Finals Rodeo qualifier while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College. It was a big move on the first night of his first NFR. “I wasn’t really nervous tonight,” he said. “I was just excited to get this started.” There’s a lot of new when it comes to competing on the sport’s biggest stage. This is where every young cowboy dreams of being, which offers a purse of $17.5 million. By the time the 10-day championship comes to a close Dec. 13, the world champions will be crowned. Patterson has increased his season earnings to $212,715, with nearly $40,000 coming during the opening week in Las Vegas. In addition to the money earned Thursday, each qualifier earns $10,000 for advancing to the championship. “Probably the coolest thing I’ve gotten to experience is just hearing that crowd when I got off that horse,” said Patterson, who finished the 2021 intercollegiate campaign as the reserve champion and was part of men’s team title at Clarendon. The last time he was in competition was the Sept. 30, and he won the bronc-riding in Roggen, Colorado. He decided to knock the rust off his riding skills a couple weeks ago. “It went OK, but I got bucked off two of the three horses I got on,” he said with a laugh. “It didn’t really affect my confidence, though. I just thought, ‘You rode well enough to get there, so just go out there and have fun.’ ” It’s working so far.

Jess Pope, the 2022 world champion bareback rider, returned to his home turf at the National Finals Rodeo, scoring a third-place finish during Thursday’s opening round of the National Finals Rodeo. (PRCA PHOTO BY MALLORY BEINBORN)   LAS VEGAS – Home for Jess Pope is a nice place in the Kansas Flint Hills that he shares with his wife, but he’s made quite a second residence in Sin City. He proved it again during Thursday’s first go-round of the National Finals Rodeo, riding the Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics bronc Land of Fancy for 86.5 points to finish in third place, collecting $21,882. He moved from fourth to second in the bareback riding world standings with $235,512. “That’s one I’ve really been wanting to get on,” said Pope, the 2022 world champion from Waverly, Kansas. “I got on her in the short round of Pendleton (Oregon). She kind of dragged her nose on the ground when I got on her the first time, and I ended up third on her. When I saw that draw out for today, I was pretty damned tickled.” He proved why. The bay mare allowed Pope to show off his spur stroke, which is why the two matched for a high finish and big bucks. “She’s one of the younger horses, and last year was the first year we brought her to the finals,” he said, pointing out that the bareback riders select the top 105 horses from throughout the season to be part of the 10-day championship. “When you go to one of the (Sankey) rodeos, she’s definitely one of the ones you want.” It also helps that Pope is riding a wave of confidence. This marks the sixth straight NFR qualification for the cowboy who competed in intercollegiate rodeo at Missouri Valley College. He is a three-time NFR average champion; he had the best 10-ride cumulative score in 2020, ’21 and ’22. He’s comfortable competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. The NFR features only the top 15 contestants in each event from the given regular season. The men and women who compete in Las Vegas have earned the right to battle for rodeo’s gold. “Everybody’s got a different way of looking in our locker room,” Pope said, referring to the 14 other bareback riders. “The only thing that everybody has the same thing for is the respect, because it takes a hell of a lot of work to get there. Everybody respects everybody that’s sitting in there. Everybody just handles everything different. “The young guys are wound tighter than a clock, and then you’ve got me and Tilden (Hooper) that are just cracking dad jokes and hanging out just laughing and having fun. But we all love riding bucking horses and have mad respect for how you get to that room.” Make no mistake, this event has a level of magnitude that is unmatched in rodeo. There can be a lot of emotions involved with playing in the sport’s World Series. “It all just seems surreal,” he said. “Just showing up, I think, ‘Wow, I’m actually here.’ It’s weird, because the last couple of years, I’ve gotten calmer and calmer coming into Round 1, but tonight, I was about freaking myself out thinking, ‘Golly, should I be a little bit more wound up than this?’ I’m back there yawning and singing the national anthem and just kind of hanging out, but I think it’s good. “When I crawl in that bucking chute, it’s time to go.” It’s the NFR, so it’s always go-time for Pope.