PRORODEO Sports News - August 5, 2026

MANAGER’S MESSAGE

Resistol Rookie bull riders taking PRORODEO by storm in 2026

W ith the summer run in full gear, there are countless stories developing in the world of PRORODEO. The one that makes the most sense to take a deeper dive into is bull riding. It is an event where Resistol Rookies are all the rage. Noah Lee, 18, is leading the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. He’s won a boatload of rodeos this season, including the lucrative Calgary Stam pede. His father Mike was the 2004 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion. Lee has proven time and time again this season that he’s a legitimate world championship contender. Nestled in the top with Lee is fellow Resistol Rookie Hayden Welsh, who is third in the world standings. Welsh shining in the spotlight with the best bull riders in PRORODEO is not surprising. Back in September of 2025, the Gillette, Wyo., cowboy – on his PRCA Permit – won the Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale in Pendleton, Ore. Welsh took first in the PRCA Permit standings with $147,137. That would have qualified him for the 2025 Wran gler National Finals Rodeo. This wasn’t a wasted opportunity based on what he’s done so far this season. If the Welsh name sounds familiar it should. Hayden’s father is Bobby Welsh. The elder Welsh qualified for the NFR seven times – 2005-2011. His best finish was third in the world standings in 2006 and 2008. He also

was fourth in 2009 and 2011. Bobby won six career rounds at the NFR. • 2005: (Round 4, 90-point ride on Sankey Rodeo’s Shock and Awe, and (Round 10, 89.5-point ride on Cervi & Guidry Rodeo’s Hot Damn) • 2006: (Round 9, 85-point ride on Cervi & Guidry Rodeo’s Multi-Chem Western Hauler) • 2008: (Round 1, 89.5-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s Reece’s Pieces) and (Round 4, 88-point ride on Corey & Horst Rodeo’s North Star) • 2009: (Round 4, 89.5-point ride on Silverado Rodeo’s Silent Image. Then, there’s Resistol Rookie John Crimber. He’s the 2026 PBR World Champion, who is seventh in the PRCA world standings. Crimber, 20, is trying to become the first bull rider to capture world championships in the PBR and PRCA in the same year. Like Hayden’s father, Crimber’s dad, Paulo Crimber, has ties to the NFR. Paulo qualified for the 2004 NFR and he won the average with 500.5 points on six head. He won Round 3 with a 93.5-point ride on Diamond G Rodeo’s Mr. Smokeless USA and Round 4 with a 92.5-ride on Burns Rodeo’s Black Sabbath; and Round 10 (89.5 points on Bad Company’s Smokeless Hammertime) and placed in three other rounds. There are also other Resistol Rook ies turning heads like bull rider Brax ton Whitesell is 13th in the standings. Rookies capturing PRCA World Championships are far from common. The only two cowboys to walk away as rookie bull riding world champi

ons are Bill Kornell (1963) and Sage Kimzey (2014). It’s also noteworthy that since 1959, there have only been nine cowboys who have won world championships in their rookie years. That list consists of steer wrestler Harry Charters (1959); bull rider Kornell (1963); tie-down roper Roy Cooper (1976); team roper Tee Wool man (1980); tie-down roper Joe Bea ver (1985); bull rider Kimzey (2014); all-around cowboy Stetson Wright (2019); tie-down roper Haven Meged (2019) and bareback rider Keenan Hayes (2023). One thing is for sure, when cow boys are squarely in the mix for world championships as Resistol Rookies it bodes well for the future of the sport. And when it comes to bull riding, don’t think for a second that reign ing world champion Stetson Wright is about to surrender his throne to a newcomer. This mixture of young and old should make this the best bull riding there has been in ages at the NFR Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas.

TRACY RENCK MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA

4 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE August 5, 2026