Clements caps NFR on strong note
ARLINGTON, Texas – As he reflected on the last 10 days, Mason Clements wasn’t too thrilled with how his third National Finals Rodeo appearance went. Still, he quietly found success. He placed in five rounds and finished fifth in the average race by scoring 810.5 cumulative points on 10 rides; that was worth nearly $23,000, […]
Champion rebounds in Round 9
ARLINGTON, Texas – If practice makes perfect, then Richmond Champion was very ready for Friday’s ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. He matched moves with Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Great Nation for 86.5 points to finish third in the go-round. The $15,654 he earned pushed his NFR salary to $77,974 with just one night remaining […]
Casper wins NFR’s ninth round
ARLINGTON, Texas – Wyatt Casper needed that in the worst way. The world standings leader for most of the year, Casper watched his advantage slip away after Thursday’s eighth round, when he finished in sixth place while Ryder Wright won the night and moved to the No. 1 spot on the saddle bronc riding money […]
Melvin ready to attack final night
ARLINGTON, Texas – The good comes with the bad and vice versa; that’s life, and that’s also the National Finals Rodeo. Steer wrestler Jace Melvin has experienced a bit of both over the past nine days inside Globe Life Field in Arlington. He earned his first paycheck on opening night, then waited four nights for […]
Jarrett cranking on all cylinders
ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Jarrett might want to get his engine checked; if it cranks a little slow but still has good power, it might need some fine-tuning. And, quite possibly, he’s been turning a few knobs here and there and put something together. On Friday night, he roped and tied his calf in 8.4 […]
Biglow gets back to himself at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – The 2020 National Finals Rodeo version of Clayton Biglow is much different than it was in 2019. A year ago, Biglow dominated the NFR, setting earnings and aggregate records on the way to his first world championship. This year, he’s placed in just four of nine rounds so far and has earned […]
Larsen places for 4th straight night
ARLINGTON, Texas – Orin Larsen is third in the bareback riding world standings, and he had high hopes of finishing this National Finals Rodeo with the world championship. His chances now are very slim heading into the final night of the season, but he’s still enjoying his time at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Tim […]
Clements adjusting to NFR cash
ARLINGTON, Texas – Bareback rider Mason Clements made a couple of necessary adjustments, and it paid off Friday during the ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I broke out a new rigging that I had worked on at home before I got here,” said Clements, who rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River for […]
Aus survives scary pen of horses
ARLINGTON, Texas – There was a bit of trepidation inside the bareback rider locker room prior to Thursday’s eighth go-round at the National Finals Rodeo. It was time for the “Eliminator Pen,” the nastiest bucking horses in the game, and the best of them were situated at Globe Life Field ready to release a bit […]
Jarrett makes his mark at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – Every athlete understands the need for a little bit of practice. Fundamentals are a vital part of success. Ryan Jarrett took that to heart, even during the National Finals Rodeo. Since he’s commuting from his Comanche, Oklahoma, home every day, he decided Thursday was a good day to tune himself and his […]
O’Connell celebrates big night
ARLINGTON, Texas – Thursday was a big night for bareback riders from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. Senior Jess Pope won the round, followed by two national champion alumni, Tim O’Connell in second and Tanner Aus, who finished tied for third. Combined, they pocketed more than $60,000 in one night of bareback riding. “That’s […]
Math is working out fine for Edler
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jacob Edler knows what his job is and how to handle his business. He’ll let everything else take care of itself. In the midst of a steer wrestling world championship race, the State Center, Iowa, cowboy is handling his tasks one night at a time at the National Finals Rodeo at Globe […]
Clements cashes in on rank night
ARLINGTON, Texas – It wasn’t pretty, but it worked out for Mason Clements during the second coming of the “Eliminator Pen” of bareback horses at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. Clements managed to get by Mental Illness of the Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics string for 77 points to tie for sixth place for […]
Pope scores first NFR round win
ARLINGTON, Texas – The smile on Jess Pope’s face won’t be leaving anytime soon. On Thursday night, Pope matched moves with Calgary Stampede’s Xplosive Skies for 89 points to win the sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo, pocketing $26,231 in the process. It was his first go-round victory at his first NFR qualification, and […]
Brunner finds NFR momentum
ARLINGTON, Texas – In just two nights, steer wrestler Tanner Brunner has produced his best National Finals Rodeo appearance to date. A big part of that came Thursday, when he stopped his steer in 3.7 seconds to finish as the runner-up in the eighth go-round. For that, he pocketed $20,731. It was his best run […]
Casper drops to second at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s not often that a cowboy can earn money at the National Finals Rodeo and not be happy about it. That’s exactly what happened Thursday for saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper, who rode Andrews Rodeo’s Brutus for 82.5 points to finish sixth in the eighth go-round, earning $4,231. Meanwhile, his closest competitor […]
Larsen remains on fire at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – In the rough-and-tumble world of bareback riding, Thursday night at the National Finals Rodeo is as tough of a day as any throughout each year. “It was a scary day to be a bareback rider,” Orin Larsen said while talking about facing the “Eliminator Pen” of bucking horses for the second time […]
Larsen claims Round 6 victory
ARLINGTON, Texas – On the eve of Canada Night at the National Finals Rodeo, bareback rider Orin Larsen and a Calgary Stampede bucking horse decided to celebrate early. “I’ve been on that horse in 2018 in the short round of Pendleton (Oregon), and I actually ended up winning Pendleton on him,” said Larsen, who rode […]
Brunner’s calm approach pays off
ARLINGTON, Texas – No matter what happened during the first six nights of the National Finals Rodeo, Tanner Brunner kept his head in the game. There were three nights when his time was too long for him to cash in. He also suffered a broken barrier, which added a 10-second penalty to an otherwise solid […]
Pope does a little Bar Talk at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s taken three nights for Jess Pope to find his way back to the pay window at the National Finals Rodeo. It’s part of being one of the 15 best bareback riders in rodeo; there are 14 other guys chasing those same dollars, and everyone is riding like it. “I feel like […]
Aus keeps to the basics at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – John Aus isn’t new to this bareback riding thing; he was a pretty handy cowboy about three decades ago, but he’ll be the first to say good things about his son. Tanner Aus is at the National Finals Rodeo for the fifth time in his career. John never played on a stage […]
Champion stays strong at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – Richmond Champion has been here before. Through seven nights of the National Finals Rodeo, he sits in contention for the prize he most covets: a world championship. To look at him, there is no worry or trepidation. He’s a man on a business trip, and his work involves riding bareback horses. He’s […]
Casper takes veteran stance at NFR
ARLINGTON, Texas – For a young man in the middle of a world-title race, Wyatt Casper isn’t too concerned about the things outside of his control. He’s handling it like a veteran, and that’s a good thing. “Toward the beginning of the week, I had been staying focused on the standings, looking at the money, […]
Edler atop NFR average standings
ARLINGTON, Texas – There’s nothing quite like feeling rushed when a world championship is on the line. That was the case for steer wrestler Jacob Edler, who felt a little pressure prior to his 3.9-second run during Wednesday’s seventh go-round of the National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Park in Arlington. His steer wasn’t cooperating […]