PRORODEO Sports News - February 7, 2025

L as Vegas Events recently announced that the Junior World Finals will be rebranded as the Junior National Finals Rodeo, beginning in 2025. Celebrating its 10th year of competition in 2025, officials from LVE made it a priority to re-establish the youth rodeo as the Junior National Finals Rodeo. The YETI Junior World Finals features 800 of the top youth contestants 19-years-old and younger competing in many of the events the pros take part in at the Thomas & Mack Center, including bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, girls and boys breakaway, team roping, tie-down rop ing, pole bending and barrel racing. The PRCA has offered to provide information and other incen tives to those contestants seeking their PRCA Membership. “Providing opportunities for youth to enter our sport is very im portant. Las Vegas Events has been successful in growing youth rodeo and providing an arena for up-and-coming rodeo athletes to experience an atmosphere that has hallmarks of the National Finals Rodeo,” said PRCA CEO Tom Glause in a press release. “December is a time when the rodeo industry comes together, and we look forward to supporting the Junior National Finals Rodeo and the overall development of youth rodeo programs.” Due to the success of the youth competition in Las Vegas, the event has been able to provide more than $1 million in cash and prizes to the contestants for each of the last seven years. In addition, eight former contestants in the Junior World Finals have gone on to compete in the Wrangler NFR, including world champions Shad Mayfield and Riley Webb. JUNIOR WORLD FINALS TO BE REBRANDED AS THE JUNIOR NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

2,160 TONS The tons of soil put on the arena floor at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio so PRCA cowboys can compete at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. The 2025 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo takes place Feb. 6-12; Feb. 14-15; and Feb. 17-22. 2025 This year – 2025 – will be the 40th year that the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The NFR moved to Las Vegas in 1985 and was held there every year until 2020 when the NFR was moved to Arlington, Texas, because of COVID-19 restrictions in the state of Nevada. The NFR returned to Vegas in 2021. 1975 The Rodeo Cowboys Asso ciation changes its name to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association which it is still known as today.

ARRIVALS

Born Jan. 30, 2025 to The Cowboy Chan nel’s on-air talent Katy Lucas and her husband, Jens Berg. A boy, Hadley Hayes, weighed 5 pounds and 6 ounces. HADLEY HAYES BERG

42 ProRodeo Sports News