PRORODEO Sports News - July 12, 2024

MANAGER’S MESSAGE TRACY RENCK Ty Harris deserves praise; all-around race is wide open

C hristmas is Dec. 25 – but for tie-down roper Ty Harris – Christmas came early in the form of Cowboy Christmas. Upon further review, Harris set a Cowboy Christmas all events and single-event timed event earnings mark by earning $49,550, while team ropers Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira finished second in the 2024 Cowboy Christmas chart with $47,290 each. Harris is no stranger to success during the lucrative Cowboy Christmas run. Back in 2023, he set the then Cowboy Christmas single event timed-event earnings mark at $40,561. Harris accomplishments

over Cowboy Christmas are quite impressive considering prior to 2023 the top two cowboys on the Cowboy Christmas single-season earnings list were legends Ty Murray ($40,293 in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding in 1999) and Trevor Brazile ($39,993 in tie-down roping, team roping header and steer roping in 2011). Staying in the moment, there is an interesting storyline developing in the all-around race. Stetson Wright, the reigning five-time PRCA All Around World Champion has been out since December when he injured his hamstring in Round 2 of the NFR. Whether Wright will return this season is unknown, but his absence has opened the door for a compelling all-around battle. Shad Mayfield, the 2020

Tracy Renck is the Manager of Communications and Media. He previously served three years as the editor of the ProRodeo Sports News , and before that he spent seven years as a media coordinator at the

Robby Freeman photo Shad Mayfield earned all-around cowboy honors at the 2024 West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo, earning $3,220 in tie-down roping, team roping and steer roping. Mayfield is aiming to win his first PRCA All-Around World Championship this season.

PRCA. He has three decades of experience in sports journalism.

money won in bull riding and all his money earned at Xtreme Bulls events do not count toward the all-around standings. Veteran team roping header Coleman Proctor also finds himself in the all-around conversation. The key for Proctor is qualifying for the NFR and then finding a way to claim a bid to the National Finals Steer Roping in November in Mulvane, Kan. Resistol Rookie Wacey Schalla could be a factor as well if he can qualify for the NFR in at least one of his events bareback riding or bull riding. If the Oklahoma cowboy can earn NFR bids in both his events, then he would put him squarely in all-around title hunt. Cowboys who have competed in two roughstock events at the NFR are great candidates to win the all-around, look no further than Wright. Then, there may be other unexpected cowboys who enter the all around race like tie-down roper John Douch, who was a quality steer wrestler back in the day. One thing is for sure this will be the most intriguing and exciting all around race in several years.

PRCA World Champion Tie-Down Roper, is leading the all-around race for the first time in his career since has banked at least $3,000 in another event, which in his case is steer roping. Mayfield has become the early favorite – if Wright doesn’t return to action – to win the all-around title, but it is not a slam dunk. Why? Simple. At the NFR in 2024, round winners will receive $33,687 and the average winners will take home $86,391. No lead in the all-around is safe until the curtain drops on Round 10 at the NFR at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. A cowboy in the all-around race – if he wins Round 10 and the average – with take home $120,078 in one night. Other cowboys to consider in the all-around chase are bull rider Josh Frost. Frost also dabbles in tie-down roping and steer wrestling. The one thing fans need to understand with Frost is his ground

ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2024

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