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LAS VEGAS – Bradlee Miller barely cracked a smile. His head tilted toward the right, the pain resonating from his neck and shoulder was visible to everyone who saw him. His Monday night ride caused the issue, originally diagnosed as a burner, a pinched nerve in the neck. An MRI taken Tuesday was inconclusive, so Miller rode again. He may be in pain, but he didn’t show it for that 8 seconds he was in the arena during Tuesday’s sixth go-round of the National Finals Rodeo. He matched moves with Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co.’s Sippin Firewater for 87.5 points to finish second and pocket another $26,624. “Cole Franks actually had that horse at his house for a long time before it went on the truck with Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co., and he showed me a few tricks on how to get her to settle down,” said Miller, who has earned just shy of $145,000 in six nights in Las Vegas. “The only problem with that horse is she can get a little antsy and want to be a goofball and buck in the chute. I just scratched her under the chin, and it chilled her out.” It worked, and Miller increased his 2024 salary to $282,114. He is third in the world standing and just $30,000 behind the leader, fellow Texan Rocker Steiner. “It would have been a lot more fun if I was completely healthy,” said Miller of Huntsville, Texas. “I have some stuff going on between my neck and my shoulder in my riding arm, and it definitely makes it a lot more of a fight than it should have been. “I feel like I’m up for the fight. Whenever you enter the bareback riding, you have to be.” In the interim, he will continue to seek treatment from the trainers and doctors in the Justin Sportsmedicine room at the Thomas and Mack Center. The Justin crew works with rodeo athletes all year and have specialists to help with all sorts of injuries. The plan is to continue on for the final four nights of the 2024 campaign and see how everything adds up. “That’s more money than I’ve ever seen before,” Miller said. “It’s unreal how much this rodeo pays. I think $140,000 during the regular season seems like a lot of money, but by the time you have to charter planes and do all the traveling we do, there’s not as much left over as most people would figure. “To be able to come here for 10 days and make some money, it’s definitely a lot more profitable.”

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 the third time this year Lees was matched with C5 Rodeo’s Virgil, a two-time PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year. He was 93 points in San Diego, 90.5 in Helena, Montana, and posted a 91-point ride in Las Vegas. “Those are the only times I’ve ever been 90,” said Lees of Caldwell, Idaho, but now living in Boyd, Texas. “With him, it’s either do or die. If you stub your toe or make a mistake – and I’m not saying I didn’t make any mistakes – but if you make any kind of drastic mistake, he’s going to plant you. “I’ve never made the pickup man on that horse, because as soon as I’m done riding, he’s saying, ‘You’re done now,’ and putting you down.” With the win, Lees increased his season earnings to $178,518 and sits 10th in the world standings. It was also a confidence-builder as he prepares for the final five nights of the 2024 ProRodeo season. Of course, he would have liked to have cashed in a little sooner, but he understands how rodeo works; only a handful of cowboys can win a night. “It’s just part of the game,” Lees said. “You start getting too frustrated about not making money in this game, and that’s when you start going downhill. Sometimes it’s horsepower, sometimes it’s you or whatever it is, but it’s always something a new horse will fix, so there’s always another one.” Part of the celebration includes sharing the South Point Hotel and Casino showroom stage with Thompson as they received their go-round buckles and other trinkets. That’s just another aspect of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. “I was so excited to see Dean had (Pickett Pro Rodeo’s) Night Crawler,” Lees said of the 2024 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year. “I knew that it was going to be either 1 and 2 or 1 and 1. Those are the best two horses going down the road right now. As soon as I saw (the draw), I texted Dean and said, ‘It’s me and you, man.’ “And, look at us; we’re up here together. It’s amazing. I wouldn’t rather go with anyone else.”

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 the right place at the right time, and he’s capitalizing on his opportunities. “That felt great,” he said after posting an 89.5-point ride on The Black Tie of Sanky Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics to tie for the fifth-round win with two-time world champion Ryder Wright; each man collected $30,155. “That felt just like the first time I had him. He just fell of the ground, jumping up in the air, kicking hard, and it felt amazing. “He gave a guy every opportunity to show off, still bucking. You’ve got to ride him, but he’s a great horse.” The two tangled five months ago at the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City and matched-up for 92 points. That earned Wells a $13,000 payday and the gold medal during the unique event that features an Olympics-style championship round. Having had The Black Tie before helped provide a ton of confidence, something he felt when he saw the draw. “I already knew what he was going to do in the chute and how he was going to feel and the M.O. on that horse,” said Wells of Powell, Wyoming. “So, to win in Salt Lake on him and then have him here and win a round on him is pretty cool.” He has pushed his season earnings to $223,772 and has moved up four spots to eighth in the world standings since arriving in Las Vegas. He’s accomplished things in his first week of the NFR that many cowboys dream about, even those that have played for the highest stakes in the game for years. “It’s awesome to get it once, but at my first NFR to win it twice, it’s awesome,” said Wells, who was part of men’s national championship teams at both Clarendon (Texas) College and Tarleton State University. “I’m super excited and grateful to be here.”

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 they’ve made their special relationship well known, especially inside the Thomas and Mack Center. This is the second straight year the two personalities have been dance partners at the NFR, and they put on a show for 17,000 fans. Their last meeting didn’t go according to plan. The powerful bucksin got the better of Pope, and while he finished the ride, he suffered a low score that halted him from winning the NFR average title for a third straight time. “I was really excited to have that horse,” said Pope, who matched moves with the 2022 Bareback Horse of the Year for 90 points Monday night to finish third in the round and collect $20,104. “It was nice to have some revenge on her in the Thomas and Mack after the 10th round last year.” Their most recent score was 11.5 points better than the last, but it’s what Pope was expecting when he saw the random draw Sunday night. “It feels really good,” said Pope, the 2022 world champion from Waverly, Kansas. “That horse is really, really special. She’s a one-of-a-kind mare. The more you scratch on her in the back fence, the better she is, so I made sure to get out there early so I could get up under her chin. “She just loves being petted on. I’ve got a good relationship with the Frontier crew, and she’s a very special animal to me.” He has placed in three of five rounds and has earned more than $73,000 during his first week in Las Vegas. He has a cumulative score of 427 points on five rides and is tied for second place in the aggregate race with Texan Cole Franks; they trail Dean Thompson by two and a half points. Pope is fifth in the world standings with $241,363. “To be able to ride for this kind of money on an animal like that is freaking awesome,” he said. “I didn’t get to watch much of it, but what I did see, it was an awesome bareback riding tonight. I looked down through that list, and everybody had a shot to win. It didn’t matter who you were; it was anybody’s ballgame.” Make no bones about it, this is a business trip for Pope. Over his five straight qualifications, he’s earned just shy of $900,000 at the NFR alone, and he has five nights remaining on this year’s finale. “It’s so awesome,” Pope said. “It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I feel great. The last couple of times I’ve got on, I’ve had just a little bit of a stinger issue in my free arm, which is very flexible, very doable to keep riding with. I feel great going into the second half of this and excited to see what happens after Round 10.”

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 place during Monday’s fifth round. He rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cat Walk for 87.5 points and earned $7,063, increasing his annual earnings to just shy of $290,000. In a round that featured four cowboys with scores even higher, it was an electric night of saddle bronc riding inside the Thomas and Mack Center. “Yeah, I’m just lucky to get a check,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “You put that pen of horses together, it’s not going to take very many points to separate first to sixth.” He is fourth in the world standings and trails the leader, two-time world titlist Ryder Wright, by $67,000. It may seem insurmountable to some, but that’s never the case at the NFR, where go-round winners will collect more than $34,000 per night. Casper also has an ace up his sleeve in Sin City; he has ridden five horses for a cumulative score of 427 points. He’s No. 1 in the aggregate race, and the bonus for winning the average is more than $86,000.  “I’ve never really had to think about the average very much,” he said. “Coming out there, I think you need to be up there high in the average to have a chance to win the world title, so it’s pretty well on my mind every day to ride every horse as good as I can and to stay in it.” Having horses like Cat Walk helps. While each of the five pens of livestock are set up to be as even as possible, there are some animals that stand out a little more. Casper had ridden the big bay before, and that history played a role in his success on Night 5 in Las Vegas. “That horse has been phenomenal all year,” Casper said. “I felt like I rode him as good as I could. He must have just gotten a little soft at the end, because it felt like he started out really good and fired out of there, hit and came right down the chutes like you want them.” He holds just a half-point lead in the aggregate race over Canadian Dawson Hay, but anything can happen during the second half of ProRodeo’s grand finale. The goal now is for Casper to continue to hope the random draw works in his favor and for him to take advantage of it. “In every pen out here, there’s a top and a bottom,” he said. “We’ve still got to draw them top six horses to be successful.” Only the best men are in this field, and Casper has proven his place among the elite.

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 goes into it. Meet with fans? He loves it. Visit with potential sponsors? He’s good with it. When he arrives at the Thomas and Mack Center each night, he places his focus on the task at hand. It worked for the third straight night as he and his heeler, Buddy Hawkins, stopped the clock in 4.7 seconds to finish tied for fourth in Monday’s fifth go-round. It was worth $11,410 and has increased his Las Vegas earnings to more than $56,000. Coincidentally, that’s about what he and Hawkins each collected for their victory at RodeoHouston in March. “I haven’t even looked to see how much I’ve made or where I’m at out here,” said Yeahquo of Manderee, North Dakota, now living in Stephenville, Texas. “I’m just enjoying roping out here, so I don’t look at the standings. I’ve never really been one to just watch the standings. I think here I’m so far behind everybody else, I don’t even thing the standings really matter. “I get to just rope.” It’s working. He may not pay attention, but others are. Reigning world champions Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp have won three of five rounds and earned more than $111,000 so far, but they’ve had two no-times. Yeahquo and Hawkins have caught four of five steers and have a cumulative time of 23.2 seconds. They are fifth in the aggregate race. If they remain in that position for five more rounds, they’ll each add a $29,340 bonus. If they move up one spot, it increases by $11,000. The stakes are high at the NFR. Yeahquo is sixth in the world standings with $182,751. By not paying much attention to all that, he is in the right frame of mind. “I think it keeps me just wanting to rope the cow and be fast and win money every time rather than looking to see if I need to just catch or go fast and try to make something out of nothing,” he said. “I don’t want to be trying to be fast on a steer that’s not going to let me be fast because I need to be earning more money to get to a higher spot.” The arena is pretty tiny. Unlike big pens like Cheyenne, Wyoming, or Pecos, Texas, the Thomas and Mack’s dirt is roughly the same shape and dimensions of a hockey rink. That allows for some really fast times, but it is also a challenge. Only two of the 15 teams have stopped the clock all five rounds. “It’s such a tough game were in, and everybody is so talented with a rope,” Yeahquo said. “Everybody has such good horses that it makes it hard to win nowadays.” Yeahquo has a good one in El Chapo, a 14-year-old sorrel gelding he’s had for five years and rode his final year of high school and through college. El Chapo’s size fits the confines of the arena. “He’s pretty short-strided, and he lets me get close enough to the cow to hit him and doesn’t really get me in a tight spot where I’ve got to panic and try to make it happen,” Yeahquo said. “I don’t have to ride him much anymore, because he makes the same play every time.” He’s just another big part of a winning team.

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 good friend, Jacob Lees of Caldwell, Idaho. “It feels pretty spectacular right now to be standing here with Jake,” said Thompson of Altamont, Utah. “As soon as we got the draw, I got a text from Jake, and he said, ‘It’s me and you, brother.’ I saw it on my phone before I’d seen the draw, and I sat down with my parents and just said, ‘One of us got Virgil, and one of us got Night Crawler.’ ” He was right. Thompson matched moves with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Crawler for 91 points, while Lees rode C5 Rodeo’s Virgil for the same score. Each man earned $30,155. There’s a reason why they were so excited: Virgil is a two-time PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year, and Night Crawler won the same title in 2024. It was a major result for Thompson, who has placed in all five rounds so far. He has earned $87,788 in Las Vegas and sits atop the aggregate race with a five-ride cumulative score of 429.5 points, two and a half better than the field. He has moved up to third in the world standings with $259,985. “I knew that was going to be pumped, because he loves Virgil, and I was just tickled to death,” he said. “I haven’t been on Night Crawler, and she’s been latterly the only one I’ve been craving for two years now. I watched Kaycee (Feild) be 93 on her in San Antonio before she was extremely well known. “They were 91 on her everywhere she goes. It’s pretty spectacular to get this in Round 5.” The fifth and 10th rounds are considered the “TV pen” of bucking horses and bulls, which dates back to when only the 10th round was shown on television. Producers wanted the showiest animals spotlighted, and the nickname has stuck even though all 10 rounds have been broadcast for decades.  “When you’re competing against the best guys in the world on the best horses, it’s just what dreams are made of,” said Thompson, who earned his first round victory and celebrated at the go-round buckle ceremony at the South Point Hotel and Casino. “I am excited to load my entire crew up and head over to the South Point. “I’ve probably heard, ‘We’re headed to the South Point,’ from family and friends now 15 times, so it’s awesome for it to be true for me.”

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 earned $23,635 for sharing the fourth-round victory. That’s a good thing for Yeahquo, a first-timer on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. “It’s awesome; this was a good night for me,” said Yeahquo, 24, of Stephenville, Texas. “I was just excited to be here, just happy I got a good steer and my partner did a good job. It all came together.” Yeahquo was born in northwest North Dakota, and his family moved to Crescent, Oklahoma, when he was a toddler. He’s been roping almost all of his life, and his adventure to Las Vegas is the culmination of the dreams he’s had. He’s competing with men who first qualified for the NFR when Yeahquo was just 10 years old. Most of the 30 men in the field (15 headers, like Yeahquo, and 15 heelers) are his heroes, and he either beat or tied them Sunday night.   “I think after the first night, I was a little off the barrier and was a little hesitant at the start,” said Yeahquo, who has earned $45,046 at the NFR, all but $10,000 over the past two days. “When I realized I left right after the steer and was off the barrier, I was like, ‘I can go whenever I want.’ “That just makes my job a whole lot easier to be able to go, and I can get close to the cow and just try to turn them.” He’s pushed his season earnings to $171,341 and sits seventh in the world standings. Even after being saddled with a no-time in Round 1 and a five-second penalty on Night 2, Yeahquo and Hawkins have moved up to ninth in the four-run aggregate. If they can maintain consistency through the final four rounds, they have a good chance to collect an average bonus when the finale ends Saturday. “I’ll just keep going from here,” Yeahquo said. “I don’t want to change anything. I just want to keep hitting the steer and having fun. I don’t want to think about it too much or trying to do things to do better. I think if I just keep the pace that I’m at right now. “I just want to maintain what I’ve got.” It’s working. At major championships like this, there’s no sense in changing a winning formula.

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 this week. He’s earned $72,122 since arriving in Las Vegas, and the lion’s share of that came over the last three nights. He put an exclamation point on it all with a 3.6-second run to win Sunday’s fourth round, worth $33,687, and moved to second in the world standings with $219,388. He trails the leader, Mississippian Will Lummus, by just $6,800. “We knew that steer was a good opportunity, and we knew what we needed to do on him,” said Struxness, from Milan, Minnesota. “The two horses we’re riding this week … we have a lot of confidence on them. We’re riding Ty Erickson’s horse, Crush, and then we have Matt Reeves on the hazing side on Kirk. We have a bunch of confidence in those horses, so when we get an opportunity on a steer like that, we know the horses are going to do their job and we do our job, we’re getting placed good. “There’s still a lot of time left, so you get your confidence up, get things rolling and hopefully be a good rest of the week.” This is the kind of momentum that can turn the tide. Struxness understands how that can work through each go-round. He’s slowly been building after starting with a no-time on opening night. He finished in a tie for third place on Night 2, was fourth in the third round and came away with the win. “It’s always good out here when you can take a round, and to get one in the first half of the week is awesome,” he said. “(This) definitely helps the bank account to get that big of a check, still in the first half of the week, is a huge ice-breaker, lets you loosen up and roll, gives a confidence boost to keep it rolling.” Crush was named the 2024 PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year, and that’s a big piece of the puzzle for Struxness “That horse is rock solid in the corner,” he said. “He leaves when we drop our hand just like you would want a horse to out here and runs hard all the way to the back end and gives you a chance to catch every steer.” He celebrated by attending the go-round buckle presentation at the South Point Hotel and Casino and even had a guest on stage with him. He had spent part of his Sunday with youngsters associated with the Golden Circle of Champions, which raised awareness about childhood cancer, and one of the children accompanied him. “We went over with the crew at Golden Circle, hung out with them,” Struxness said, noting that he came away with a strong realization. “You can’t take anything for granted and be grateful for what you have. To be able to go over there and spend a little time with them and see those kids, you have a good day. It just makes you relax, take it all in and remind you how lucky you are to be in the position you are.”

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 rode Pete Carr Pro Rode’s Secret’s Out for 88.5 points. That was worth another $33,687 payday and pushed his NFR earnings to $103,998. And he still has six nights remaining at ProRodeo’s grand championship. “Last night was a blur; there was nothing fun about it,” he said of his Saturday performance on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Captain Hook, which resulted in a 62-point ride. “That horse pulled me harder than I’ve ever been pulled before. It felt like tying your arm to a full-speed freight train and without it slowing down. She pulled me around the arena like a rag doll. “I’m just glad to do good (Sunday) and pick myself back up a little bit.” He did more than that. He pushed his season total to $241,363 and is third in the world standings while posting the second highest score of the finale so far. “This rodeo pays more in one round than most rodeos you go to throughout the year, so you have to treat it like a new rodeo every day,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas. “Yesterday is in the past. Today is new. I’m glad it went good. “Our first pen was our nice horses with some tricks to them. The second day was semi-eliminators, and yesterday was the true eliminators. I think I drew one of the strongest ones in the pen, so today, going back to the nicer pen, it sure was nice to give the body a rest to be able to go out and have fun.” The NFR is a unique event. It’s rodeo’s Super Bowl and World Series wrapped in a 10-day affair in the Nevada desert. Similar to the playoffs in more traditional sports, only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify. Sometimes just making it to Las Vegas is the dream; sometimes there’s more to it, and Miller in the middle of it all “This experience is everything and some from what I was expecting,” said Miller, a senior on the Sam Houston State University rodeo team coached by his father, Bubba. “I knew this rodeo was going to be awesome, but just the atmosphere in Las Vegas with all the rodeo fans, I’ve gotten to meet people from all across the globe that are here to watch the rodeo and people who have been here for 40 years. “It’s just awesome to see the crowd this draws.”

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 Sunday’s fourth round and paid the cowboy $23,364. “I knew she was awesome; I’ve been on her twice this year,” said Thompson of Altamont, Utah. “I got on her at St. Paul (Oregon), and she was awesome there. I got on her in Filer (Idaho), and this was toward the end of the year, and she got really weak. “I knew how good she could be, so I was pumped to have her because she’s been off for two months. She looks fantastic, just bigger than I’ve ever seen her before.” Shoutin Shoes was also energetic, which is a big reason the two matched so well. Thompson has placed in four straight rounds and has earned $57,633. He has a cumulative score of 338.5 points and is tied for second in the aggregate race. He’s also fourth in the world standings with $229,829. “I finally cracked into that $20,000 range, which is incredible,” he said. “To make $20,000 in one night is just great. I’ve been comparing it a lot. Looking back at my year, I didn’t have a lot of huge wins early in the yea, but I had a lot of consistent rides. I’ve made some really good rides on really good horses, so it’s nice to get into this kind of pay range. “I’m hoping (Monday) in the TV pen that I can make a great ride on just an absolutely outstanding horse and get that first round win. That’s what I’m hoping for, but if it doesn’t happen, I’m holding tight in that average, and that’s where I want to be.” Thompson earned the right to compete at this NFR with a spectacular regular season, and he’s continued a hot streak in Las Vegas. This is his chance to cash in more money over 10 days that he earned throughout year n the road. “You want to make great rides on the animals, on the cards your dealt, and you can go in knowing you want to ride well,” Thompson said. “You’re expecting yourself to ride well, but you can’t have any expectations about the results because anything can happen here. I’ve seen guys back there that over four days have their shoulders starting to slump a little more because they just expected to have s much money by now. “I had no expectations other than go out there and ride my best. If I was 86.5, perfect. If I wasn’t, make my adjustment if I need to or draw better and just move on.” That winning mentality is why Thompson is in position to win a world championship.

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 over the notes and recalled some things about the powerful paint horse. “I talked to quite a few guys about him and watched probably seven or eight videos,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “I’ve seen him a couple of times, both with Brody Cress, and he made pretty easy work of Brody. I went with a different game plan than everybody else did.” It paid off. Casper rode Stockyards Babe for 87.5 points to finish second in the round, worth $26,624, and it marked his third straight paycheck. He’s earned $62,342 at the NFR, and most of that has come in Rounds 2-4. He has pushed his season earnings to $282,125 and is fourth in the world standings, $44,000 behind the leader, Utah cowboy Ryder Wright, a two-time world champion. Casper’s move was to adjust his rein in its placement on the horse’s halter. While many of the cowboys placed the braided rope on the bottom of the leather, Casper moved his to what is known as the throat latch. It might be something other cowboys attempt in the future. “(She) felt pretty dadgum good for an ‘eliminator,’ ” he said. That homework paid dividends. It’s something technology has allowed for men who are carrying on a bit of Americana through the Western way of life. “I go on our stock stats that ProRodeo puts together for us, and you can see all the outs it had this year,” said Casper, the 2016 bronc riding intercollegiate champion while competing for Clarendon (Texas) College. “I usually talk to my buddies. I call Jake Clark or talk to Kade Bruno about him, seeing if they’ve seen the horse or know anything about it. “I talk with some people and see what they’ve done, see what I can do better.” Monday’s fifth round marks the halfway point of this year’s championship. Rodeo can be grueling, especially getting on the best horses from the year during this 10 days in the Nevada desert. “I feel pretty good,” he said. “I figured I’d be a little more sore than I am. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been sitting in the hot tub every day or just getting on good horses, but it’s working out pretty good.” It also might be the preparation he’s done to get his mind and body ready for the NFR. He trains horses and ropes, and all that can contribute to being in the right place physically when it comes time to ride bucking broncs. His horsemanship skills come into play at the right times. “You’ve got to have some horsemanship being a bronc rider,” Casper said. “You’ve got to notice some stuff that will help some horses out. I think being a horseman dang sure helps you, because more than half your score is on how good you can get that horse.” It’s working 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, he holds a 3.5-point advantage over the field in the all-important aggregate race with a cumulative score of 342 points. “It ain’t much, but it’s something,” said Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier from Clarendon, Texas. “Everything we do is for the average, especially right now. You can’t really play it safe, but you can’t take no for an answer. “I just need to keep points on the board.” He has earned $64,696 at this NFR and is eighth in the world standings with $204,253. After posting a high-scoring ride Saturday night on one of the rankest horses in ProRodeo, Franks found life a little easier on Little Bug. The Round 4 horses are called “hoppers,” which are the easiest to ride over this 10-day stretch. It was a day off considering he’d matched moves with an “eliminator” the night before.  “It’s more of a day off, really,” he said. Franks has placed in four straight nights, the best start in his three times of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. He has six more nights on the season to capitalize on being in Las Vegas this time of year, where the money is bigger than any other event on the planet. He’ll take his next step Monday night along with the other bareback riders as they try to match their skills against 15 of the most electric bucking horses in the sport. Franks will be matched with Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Knicks, which has been known to be part of many high-marked rides. Clayton Biglow was 90 points on the mare in 2022, and Jess Pope was 88.5 last year. “You’ve just got to keep the momentum rolling going into (Monday),” Franks said. “The best horses in the world are out, so it’s good to have a lot of momentum rolling into them.”

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 during Sunday’s fourth round, there were a couple that may have been more rider-friendly. Brody Wells had one of those in Calgary Stampede’s Yesterday’s Delivery, which he rode for 86 points to finish fourth in the go-round. That was worth $14,127. “I was pretty excited,” said Wells of Powell, Wyoming. “That’s a really good horse to have in the ‘E pen,’ and I’ve been thinking about that horse a lot this fall. It’s just been weird thoughts. It’s come to me and when I was riding my spur board before I came here, that’s the horse I thought about having. “I thought I rode him pretty good. I made a mistake about the third or fourth jump, but a lot of stuff was happening.” Yes, it was. The athletic bay provided a great deal of action, but Wells matched it move for move. With his ride, the Wyoming cowboy increased his NFR earnings to $57,814. He’s 10th in the world standings with $193,617. “It’s touch and go on a horse like that,” he said. “You just keep your chin down and keep firing. I had one little bobble, but I just kept gassing it and kept going.” It was a nice recovery. After winning Friday’s second round, Wells was bucked off by Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Diamond Fever on Saturday. He just kept the situation in perspective. “I don’t care about that,” Wells said. “I like going for wins. I want to ride every horse I get on and ride it good, but if I go down trying to win, there’s no sense in being 82 points out here. You’re not going to get paid, so it doesn’t bother me at all.” Besides, he has six more nights to showcase his talents and try to grasp the opportunities to earn more Las Vegas cash. The first step is Monday’s “TV pen,” the grouping of horses he bronc riders have selected to be the most electric. The name of the set dates back to the days when only the 10th round was televised. Those horses perform on the fifth and 10th rounds. “Having an 86.5 in the ‘eliminator pen’ helps a lot, because tomorrow is going to be big,” he said. “Those horses still buck, and they can still stand you on your head, but they’re going to be really showy, good timing and feel bucky but good.” From one rank beast to another, Wells is doing what he loves on the sport’s biggest stage.

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 at ProRodeo. He entered the 10-round title bout at the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus with more than $150,000 in earnings and a love affair with the sport. Since hitting this metro of nearly 3 million people, Timberman is just adding to his pile. He won Thursday night, then returned to the pay window after making an 85.5-point ride to finish fifth in Sunday’s fourth round, worth $8,693. Combined with the $10,000 qualification bonus, he has collected $52,381 at this year’s NFR and has moved to sixth on the bareback riding money list with $206,480. Timberman matched moves with Macza Pro Rodeo’s Slide Show in the most recent round, which featured the “eliminator pen,” the hardest-to-ride broncs in ProRodeo. The big, athletic brown horse from Canada threw all the power it could, and the Wyoming-born cowboy now living in Columbus, Montana, kept scratching through the eight-second ride. Though he failed to place in Rounds 2 and 3, he has continued to put on the kind of show that propelled him to the 2024 Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year title. The third generation of his family to compete in this rugged event, he is carrying on a tradition that was first highlighted by his grandfather, Lonnie, who passed it down to his son. Timberman’s father, Chris, was the 2006 PRCA national circuit champion bareback rider. Uncle Kelly Timberman won rodeo’s gold in 2004; that same year, he earned the average title, then backed it up by winning the aggregate again in 2005. Weston Timberman is well within position to claim all the NFR has to offer. He’s just six points behind average leader Cole Franks, another intercollegiate champ at Clarendon. Timberman has six nights remaining on his season, but that offers a boatload of chances to cash in before the curtain closes Saturday night. He will be matched in Monday’s fifth go-round with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Flight, one of the most electric horse in ProRodeo. There is nearly $1 million still on the table for bareback riders to win over the next few days in Las Vegas, so the opportunities are endless.

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 expect when it’s time for him to nod his head. “Where I am in my career, I like to compare things that I’ve been on,” said Pope, who matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Night Faded for 89.5 points to win Saturday’s third round at the National Finals Rodeo. “I feel like I’ve been on every kind of horse there is, and like with this one, I go back through all my videos and all my notes, and I find horses that look similar to him. “I just imagine in my mind what it’s going to be like, what it’s going to look like, how I’m going to do it. That way, by the time I’m on him, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m not going to spur the tar out of him.”  It was the second straight payday for Pope and was worth $33,687. After failing to place on opening night, he’s earned $53,105 in Las Vegas and has ridden three horses for a cumulative score of 242.5 points. He has improved his 2024 earnings to $221,260 and is third on the money list. Most importantly, he has five days to worry about drawing out of the “eliminator pen” again. “It’s just part of the rank-horse pen, whether they’re a stud or not,” he said of the stallion, a son of one of the greatest bucking sires in ProRodeo history, Night Jacket. “When they’re in the eliminator pen, that means they’re the baddest cats there are. It’s a lot cooler when it’s a stud, though, because that means we’re going to see a lot of his offspring coming up. “He’s a different eliminator than a lot of them were. You dang sure got to be on your cue, but he takes such big, long jumps and has so much power to him. He sends your feet, so your main goal every time is to get your feet down, tuck your chin and keep your shoulder rolled down, and you just have to have a hold of him when he hits.” Pope is referring to his spurs in the right place on the horse when the animal’s front feet hit the ground. That sets up the ride and helps create the rhythm needed to perform the spur stroke with the horse’s bucking motion. That’s how the scores are added, half for the horse’s performance, half for how well the cowboy spurs through the ride.   “He gives you the time to feel everything, so when he hits, it’s not near as hard,” said Pope, a three-time NFR average champion who won the 2022 world championship. He has seven nights remaining on this season, and he understands what sits before him. “I had a great end to my season, and a great fall and I rode good on my first two horses,” he said. “I rode great tonight. I just had to have the right horse, and it worked out.”

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. Franks rode Duane Kesler’s Hot Shot for 87 points to finish third on the night, collecting $20,104. “You’ve got to ride as close to the same as you can on the buckers like that, but I was in kill mode for sure,” said Franks, who increased his NFR earnings to $62,885 through three nights of the sport’s grand championship. “You just bear down and get back down to the neck (with your spurs). That was definitely a kick fight. “We were trading hits for sure. She hit me a couple good ones, and I think I hit her a couple good ones.” That’s what happens in the “eliminator pen” of bucking horses, who can deal a heavy blow. Bareback riders wear thick neck braces to help protect them from the beatings they take; they wear specially designed gloves with binds on the edges of the hands to lock themselves onto their riggings, which are strapped tightly to the animal’s back. Every jump the horse makes can land on the rider’s arms, shoulders and necks. When they ride the toughest horses in the world, the impact is greater, but Franks battled through it. He’s placed in all three rounds at this year’s NFR and has a cumulative score of 257 points, the best of the 15 men in the field. He’s also pushed his season earnings to more than $202,000 and is sixth on the money list. “I was a little sore today before we got on, but I’m definitely going to be more sore tomorrow,” said Franks, 23, of Clarendon, Texas. “I’m more sore than I probably should be, and I got a (neck) stinger tonight. She hit me pretty hard. “I’ll go in and get some dry needling, some ice, whatever they’ll let me get. I’ll let them torture me for a little bit. It’s what I signed up for, so I can’t complain about it.”  Despite the pain. Franks loves riding bucking horses. It’s how he won both the bareback riding and all-around intercollegiate championships in 2021 while competing for his hometown college and why he was later named the Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year in ProRodeo. It’s why he’s playing for the biggest pay in the game for the third time in four years. “You don’t really feel the pain until once everything floods over,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun when you get off and you know you just slayed a dragon.”

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 third go-round. Just like when he was in high school in Minnesota, the two-time reserve state champion wrestler worked his way up the bracket in a tough pen animals. “We knew coming in this was going to be our stronger herd of steers,” said Struxness, who stopped the clock in 4.5 seconds to earn $14,127. “They ran a little more and were pretty consistent on the ground, and it showed. These steers ran more and tried hard.” The steer wrestlers will see this pen two more times in Rounds 6 and 9, and that’s OK for Struxness. “I feel like the stronger steers suit my style and size a little bit better,” said Struxness, from Milan, Minnesota, but now living in Perrin, Texas. “I’m riding the Horse of the Year, Crush. If they’re going to run, he gives us a chance to make up some ground. I like this pen of steers for our guys just because I think we would have an advantage with our horses.” Crush is owned by fellow NFR bulldogger Ty Erickson and is also being ridden by Rowdy Parrot. All three have enlisted the services of veteran Matt Reeves as their hazer, and he’s riding Kirk, a hazing horse owned by his wife, Savannah. That team has earned just shy of $100,000 in just three days of competition. Struxness accounts for $28,435, but each combatant earns a $10,000 qualification bonus that counts toward their NFR earnings. With that, the trio of steer wrestlers has cashed in for nearly $130,000 of Las Vegas money. For his part, Struxness has reeled in $185,701 this season. “The money out here has gone up, and it’s awesome,” he said. “Our goal now is to try to get up as close to the top as we can with what we’ve got drawn and take advantage they give us one night at a time and go from there.” While this is a business trip for Struxness, it’s also a chance to spend some quality time with his family. His two daughters – Everlee, 5, and Lilly, 3 – have been enjoying their time in the City of Entertainment with Dad, Mom, Jayden, grandparents and other family and friends. “They’re loving it and to have them here … you have your support group,” Struxness said. “This is such a big event, so having your support system – your family, friends and crew – is a huge deal.”

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 struggled in the limelight. Fortunately, the officials noticed and gave Casper the option of another horse. “We took a chance on that horse; he’s pretty young and came from Crash Cooper up in Canada, and he’s been known to produce a bunch of good horses,” Casper said of the selection process for the NFR animals. “I’ve seen about seven videos of him, and he’s a badass. It’s just that Vegas can do some tricky stuff, especially for a horse that ain’t seen a whole lot. “It’s a tiny arena, and the horse was just a little lost.” It became a benefit for Casper. His re-ride horse was Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Ricky Bobby, a veteran of the game. In July, the two matched up for 90 points in Nampa, Idaho, where Casper shared the championship-round win. On Saturday in Las Vegas, the two tangoed across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 86 points, good enough to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the round, worth $20,285. It was the second straight night for Casper to cash-in at the NFR. After learning about his second chance, Casper eased back behind the chutes, grabbed his saddle, the halter he had used and the rein and began putting his equipment on Ricky Bobby. “I was just trying to take my time a little bit, saddle him in the back, pulled (the cinch) and we rolled out there and went,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “I’ve had some history with that horse. He’s just the same every time, around there to the left. I knew the rein (measurement) at least, so that was good. That just makes it easier when you’re getting on.” He increased his NFR earnings to $35,718. He has ridden three horses for a cumulative score of 252 points and is tied for fourth place in the aggregate race. He has increased his annual salary to $255,502 and sits sixth on the money list with seven rounds remaining on the season. “We just keep chopping wood out there and using these horses how we can and roll the dice they’re throwing at us,” he said. “I feel like I’m riding good, so we just keep hoping they run the best ones under us, and we make sure we use them.”

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 on all that I need to do, and it’s been extremely fun for me to be out here living a dream that I’ve had ever since I was a kid.” His status in the City of Entertainment got a little better when he and his heeling partner, Buddy Hawkins, stopped the clock in 4.0 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth place in Saturday’s third go-round. That was worth $11,410 and helped push his annual earnings to nearly $148,000. “I wasn’t nervous the first night when I was in the (timed-event) box,” he said. “The only time I was nervous was when I was sitting in the alley behind he boxes. I couldn’t swing my rope, and I was sitting there and watching all these guys rope that I’ve watched rope since I was a little kid. I was like, ‘This is the real deal here. This is this. All that I’ve waited for is right here.’ ” Saddled with a no-time on opening night, he rebounded in Friday’s Round 2. Unfortunately, Hawkins snagged one leg instead of two, and the team incurred a five-second penalty. All the while, though, they gained the confidence they needed to find a payday on Night 3. “I knew I could basically leave as soon as I nodded,” Yeahquo said. “With that, I didn’t have to worry about scoring; I just had to worry about roping. It takes all the hard stuff out of it that I’ve struggled with through the years, like scoring and riding. I just have to ride and rope. When you take all that other stuff out, it seems to be a lot easier.” It helps, too, to have a partner like Hawkins, a six-time NFR qualifier who won the NFR average title in 2021. “I didn’t give Buddy anything to go at on the first one, so that one was on me,” Yeahquo said. “I did the same thing on the second one, but he pencils it all down so good that he basically just knew it was going to happen again when the steer steeped right like that, so he just adapted, and he knows just what to do. “Winning money felt really good. I was so excited when I got out the back. I was just grabbing and shaking buddy. I was just so happy that we finally got a clean run.” It can be a long 10 days in the Nevada desert, but each evening offers a new chance and a new shot at making money. The focus now is on building to the momentum the team gained Saturday. “I think I’ll just keep my head down and keep roping the sharpest here,” he said. “The pen of steers we have (Sunday are probably the strongest set. I don’t know if the times will be quite as fast as they were (Saturday), but I bet there will be a lot of catches, and I think think it’s going to be pretty good.” It’s the next step in climbing the ladder to success in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Prior to Friday’s second go-round of the National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper celebrated his little girl. Cheyenne Casper had just turned 5 years old, and the family was in Las Vegas. It was the perfect way to spend a day before getting on a bucking horse that evening. “We went to Circus Circuis, did the roller coasters and all that, and they had a blast,” said Casper, 28, of Miami, Texas. “We just enjoy Vegas so much that we never want it to come to an end.” He matched moves with J Bar J’s Painted J for 83 points to finish sixth in the round, worth $5,433. It’s not a lot considering the overall payout and the fact that round winners earn nearly $34,000 for 10 straight nights, but it’s a start. He is sixth in the world standings with $235,217. “My riding feels good, feels crispy,” said Casper, the 2016 intercollegiate champion while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College. “It feels like nothing should throw me off. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my saddle and how it’s set up. I just hope they keep running some good ones under me. “I tied for seventh (Thursday) night and got sixth today, so it’s not really the start I was looking for, but we’ve got two scores. That’s better than I’ve done in the past.”  The Texan will be matched with Diamond G Rodeo’s Lindsey’s Thunder Rollz for Saturday’s third round, which features horses that bronc busters call “souped-up hoppers,” animals that should allow the cowboys to make solid spur rides. Casper likes his chances when it comes to horses like that. “I like my chances in that pen,” he said. “We’ve just got to get a good dancing partner that the judges like.” This is his fifth straight NFR qualification. He had some big wins that propelled him into contention for the world championship, and he’s proven over time that he’s comfortable being among the elite bronc riders in the game. When he arrives in Las Vegas, it’s his time to shine, but it’s also a business trip that everyone can enjoy. This is more than a birthday party. This is a celebration of a year’s worth of work and a big opportunity to earn Sin City cash. “There’s no better feeling than being in this small arena,” Casper said. “Everybody’s pumped up; it pumps you up. It’s just the best two weeks of our lives. This is what we rodeo for all year, and it’s just a blast.”

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 in rodeo, the 2021 Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year and a three-time NFR qualifier himself, matching Bret’s trips to Las Vegas. Not only did he grow up in a home with a champion, he was coached by his dad through his first two years at Clarendon (Texas) College, where Bret Franks continues to guide cowboys to the promise land. Clarendon has won two men’s team national titles and has had five men claim eight individual titles. Two of them are owned by his youngest son, who has cashed in during the opening two nights of this year’s finale. Cole Franks rode Andrews Rodeo’s Empty Promises for 85 points to finish in a tie for second place in Friday’s second round, pocketing $23,364 for his night’s work. The horse, raised by former NFR bareback rider Jake Brown, was the perfect mount to not only lead Franks to a nice payday but to also build the young cowboy’s confidence. “I’ve seen Tanner (Aus) was 90 on it and won the short round at Austin,” said Franks, 23, of Clarendon. “I knew it was a really cool horse. I’ve seen videos of it, and it looked pretty electric, almost my style of horse. “I’d like to get the round win; that would be cool. But, hey, second place is nice. Second place pays pretty good, so I’ll take 10 second-place checks.” Franks has collected $42,782 while in Las Vegas, with $10,000 coming from the bonus all qualifiers receive. He’s pushed his 2024 earnings to $182,338 and is eighth in the world standings. This is a business venture for the young cowboy, who was born in the Oklahoma Panhandle community of Guymon and raised just a few hours south. He knows what it means to play on the sport’s biggest stage, but there are other reasons he rides bucking horses for a living. “I’m always having fun doing this,” said Franks, who finished 17th in 2023 and just missed making the NFR, where only the top 15 at the end of the regular season advance. “The comfort’s coming back. I’m knocking a little rust off the comfort zone right now.” As he adjusts the kinks out of his armor, Franks will continue to push forward. His dreams, like his father’s before him, are to leave Las Vegas with a world championship and the prestigious Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that comes with it. To make those images become reality, it takes a willingness to work hard for that elusive title and a passion for riding bucking horses. That’s what makes it the most fun.

LAS VEGAS – It’s becoming a reality now for bareback rider Bradlee Miller. After finding his opening night of his first National Finals Rodeo a bit surreal, the stakes amped up a bit more on Night 2, when he rode Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit for 86.5 points to win Friday’s second round. That was worth $33,687 and pushed his Sin City earnings to more than $70,000. That’s just 16 seconds of work inside the historic Thomas & Mack Center, the championship’s home since 1985. He increased his season earnings to $207,676 and sits third in the world standings. “I said yesterday when I was 86.5 that 10 of these might win a gold buckle, and I plan on it going up from here,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas. Only a trio of cowboys have had a better start to their 2024 NFR: tie-down roper Riley Webb and team ropers Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp have earned two straight round wins. Miller finished second on the first night, then posted the same score to win the night helping him to a fantastic payday. “I can’t fathom it,” he said with a wide grin. “I spent like $80 today on me and my girlfriend’s lunch, and that kind of hurt a little bit. That’s not going to hurt as much tomorrow, that’s for sure.” That financial reward is because of the labor of love he put into his 2024 season. He came to Las Vegas 11th on the bareback riding money list and has already moved up eight spots. Part of it goes to his dancing partner, a veteran Canadian horse that Miller had only seen a handful of times. “I was sure happy to have that horse in the semi-eliminator pen,” he said. “I had no history with that horse. It’s out of Canada, and I’ve only been to a coupe of rodeos up there; he spends most of his time there. I got to see him this year in Pendleton (Oregon), and he was awesome there.” Things don’t get easier for Miller, but his confidence is sky high heading into Saturday’s third round. He is matched with Championship Pro Rodeo’s Captain Hook in what the bareback riders call the “eliminator pen,” the hardest-to-ride horses in rodeo. It will be a match of titans. Captain Hook has had just three qualified rides this season. “I’m ready for the eliminators,” said Miller, a three-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier at Sam Houston State University who leads the Southern Region standings during this, his senior year. “I felt like that horse today was throwing a lot at me, and I felt ahead of her. If I can stay ahead of eight more like that, I think we’ll do some good here.”

LAS VEGAS – The National Finals Rodeo can be a bit of a blur. Saddle bronc rider Brody Wells – competing at the championship for the first time – found that out early. There’s mystique surrounding this 10-day affair, a celebration of the year’s greatness in rodeo. Most in the field have spent a lifetime just trying to make it inside the yellow chutes. This is Wells’ moment, and he’s adjusting to all the pomp and circumstance that comes with competing in the sport’s biggest event. “I can’t even remember getting on that horse (Thursday) night,” said Wells, 23, of Powell, Wyoming. “It felt like my first horse really.” He scored 80 points, but that wasn’t even close to placing on opening night. He more than made up for it during Friday’s second round, riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman for 90 points to win the night and collect $33,687. He’s moved up one spot to 11th in the world standings with $179,490. Of course, it helped to have a horse like Pretty Woman, which is bucking at the finale for the eighth time and has guided cowboys to round victories before. “That horse is electric,” he said. “He’s built and has got good shoulders, something you can get a hold of (with spurs). You get a good spur out, and you can feel him. I felt him back up underneath my feet and come back underneath me. “We got in time with each other and a guy could show off, feel him kicking over, cracking hard, kicking behind my head, so it felt great.” With that, he not only collected a bucketload of cash but also made a trip to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the nightly go-round buckle presentation. “I’ve got all my family here,” said Wells, who was part of men’s national championship teams at Clarendon (Texas) College in 2021 and Tarleton State University in 2022. “My grandpa is actually here for a few days, so it’s pretty special to do that. He’s pumped the whole time he’s been here.” It’s another aspect of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, which not only features the top 15 contestants in each event from the regular season but also hosts tens of thousands of fans during a week and a half in the Nevada desert. Cowboys and cowgirls are treated like rock stars, and they’ve earned the right to compete for the most prize money throughout the year. In the City of Entertainment, it takes talent and a little bit of luck to shine, which is exactly what Wells did Friday.