Smith earns share of Round 3 title
LAS VEGAS – The pressure-packed National Finals Rodeo can add a lot of stress to the 120 men and women that have earned the right to compete for the sport’s championship. The purse is $1.4 million, and there are big checks paid out daily. If a contestant does not beat most of the people in […]
Proctor among Round 3 leaders
LAS VEGAS – Now in his seventh trip to the National Finals Rodeo, team roping header Coleman Proctor has learned to trust himself and those special things around him. It showed during Saturday’s third go-round, when he and his heeler, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 4.3 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth […]
Struxness strikes in Round 3
LAS VEGAS – For some, earning the first paycheck at the National Finals Rodeo provides a sense of relief. J.D. Struxness has been through all this before. He didn’t let the fact that he hadn’t placed on the opening two nights of the championship bother him. He just went back to work and found his […]
Aus rolls to big Night 2 payday
LAS VEGAS – Stock contractor Cullen Pickett is popular among a lot of cowboys, but he’s a big name on the men who ride bareback horses. Pickett Pro Rodeo has 11 bareback broncs at this year’s National Finals Rodeo, and Tanner Aus was matched with one in Topped Off during Friday’s second round. The two […]
Pope handling NFR business
LAS VEGAS – When it’s time to win in Las Vegas, Jess Pope rolls the dice and trusts where they will land. He’s a two-time National Finals Rodeo average champion, so this format suits him. On Friday night, he rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wilson Sanchez for 85 points to finish fourth in the second […]
Joy fills O’Connell on every ride
LAS VEGAS – For the second straight night, three-time world champion Tim O’Connell earned some Las Vegas cash by placing at the National Finals Rodeo. He rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Network Gazer for 84 points to finish fifth in Friday’s second go-round, earning $7,462. It’s more than $21,000 less than he had hoped, because round […]
Breuer hungry for more at NFR
LAS VEGAS – When Ty Breuer arrived in Sin City for his sixth chance to ride at the National Finals Rodeo, he came in with a fire in his belly. “I’m feeling good and hungry, so hopefully it just keeps going,” said Breuer, a seven-time NFR qualifier from Mandan, North Dakota. He earned a little […]
Franks staying in the NFR game
LAS VEGAS – At a lot of rodeos Cole Franks went to this season, a $1,555 payday for an eight-second ride was pretty nice. At the richest rodeo in the world, though, it’s just a nice way to stay in the game. That’s the way it went Friday for Franks, who rode Rafter G Rodeo’s […]
Casper gains momentum at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Wyatt Casper’s first saddle bronc ride of the 2022 National Finals Rodeo wasn’t significant to most. He scored 83.5 points on Rosser Rodeo’s California Dreamin and finished 10th in the opening round of this year’s championship. There was no money, and his place in the world standings didn’t really change. Still, it […]
Harrison earns key awards
Cinch entertainer wins three PRCA honors for 2022 LAS VEGAS – For most of his career, Cinch entertainer John Harrison has been one of the preeminent men in ProRodeo. He is an award-winning comedian and a standout barrelman, working the National Finals Rodeo in that capacity for an eighth time. On Nov. 30, he added […]
Pope keeps his eyes on NFR prize
LAS VEGAS – It took just one night at the National Finals Rodeo for Jess Pope to jump into the No. 1 spot in the bareback riding world standings. That may be exciting to some, but it’s not to Pope. He can’t control that, so he focuses on the things he can, and that is […]
Larsen starts off hot at the NFR
LAS VEGAS – Bareback rider Orin Larsen isn’t known to get off to a good start at the National Finals Rodeo. He opted to change that discussion with an 86-point ride on Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co.’s Sippin’ Firewater to finish fourth in Thursday’s first go-round of ProRodeo’s grand finale. It was the first time […]
Franks gets a bit Dirty at NFR
LAS VEGAS – When Cole Franks was a youngster, he knew there was something about bucking horses that drove him. His dad, Bret, rode them, competing in saddle bronc riding for years. Bret Franks is a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who now coaches tomorrow’s stars at Clarendon (Texas) College. Naturally, his sons, including older […]
O’Connell feels at home at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Tim O’Connell is feeling like his old self. While he won’t offer any excuses to a less-than-par National Finals Rodeo a year ago, he knew he wasn’t able to ride up to the level he expects of himself. He’s won three world championships because of the ability he has in riding bareback […]
Proctor earns first-round pay
LAS VEGAS – Coleman Proctor tried to change things up a bit in his seventh trip to the National Finals Rodeo. He’s only placed in the first go-round one other time, and that came six seasons ago. He and his partner, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 5.6 seconds to finish sixth on Night 1 […]
Bareback riders getting flashy
Cinch cowboys Reiner, Landingham, Franks ready for the NFR The road to the National Finals Rodeo is long and features two-lane highways, freeways and interstates. It also is paved by gravel and mountain passes, and it takes more than 14 months to complete. For Cinch bareback riders Cole Reiner, R.C. Landingham and Cole Franks, their […]
Casper is in the mix at the NFR
Texas cowboy is one of nine Cinch bronc riders going to Vegas For the final three months of the ProRodeo regular season, Cinch saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper tried to ride only a handful of horses. He’d suffered a partially torn right hamstring and was trying to manage the injury while still plying his trade. […]
Medlin in place to run at NFR
Cinch heeler capitalizes on his best year ever in return to Vegas When he reflects on the 2022 ProRodeo season, Cinch heeler Logan Medlin can look back on some amazing things. While roping with Coleman Proctor, Medlin accumulated $110,692 and qualified for his third straight National Finals Rodeo. He heads to Las Vegas as the […]
NFR history is on Beisel’s side
Cinch barrel racer hoping to expand on her extensive Vegas earnings Cinch barrel racer Emily Beisel didn’t want to stay in the Northwest through so much of September. She had to, though. It was one thing to be part of the Ellensburg Rodeo and the Pendleton Round-Up. It was quite another to know she needed […]
Proctor in position for a big NFR
PRYOR, Okla. – The 2022 ProRodeo regular season was one of the best of Coleman Proctor’s career. Roping with New Mexican Logan Medlin for the second straight year, Proctor battled his way to fourth in the heading world standings, earning $110,691 as he prepares to compete at his seventh National Finals Rodeo, set for Dec. […]
Larsen ready for NFR challenges
INGLIS, Manitoba – There’s something deep in the mind of bareback rider Orin Larsen that he pulls out when he needs it. Take the 2022 ProRodeo season, one in which he had to overcome more injuries than ever in order to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo for the eighth straight year. He suffered a […]
Breuer returning to NFR spotlight
MANDAN, N.D. – The bareback riding competition in ProRodeo continues to get tougher, with great young athletes stepping into the spotlight. Ty Breuer is a veteran who has been around for 13 years. He’s qualified for the National Finals Rodeo seven times in his career – an injury forced him out of the 2020 championship […]
Smith gaining confidence for NFR
REXBURG, Idaho – Garrett Smith wasn’t happy. He’d arrived in Heber City, Utah, the first weekend of November with hopes of a dominating performance in bull riding at the Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, the regional finale for contestants and rodeos primarily in Utah and Idaho. Things didn’t go as planned, so he opted for Plan […]
Pope to battle for title at NFR
WAVERLY, Kan. – The truest form of competitor comes out at the most unexpected of times. Michael Jordan’s defining moment came in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, when he battled the flu but still scored 38 points in the Chicago Bulls’ victory over the Utah Jazz. For bareback rider Jess Pope, that moment […]