PRORODEO Sports News | Roy Cooper 1955-2025 | May 2, 2025

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

From Feb. 8, when the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo concluded to April 19, when the curtain dropped on the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out - there were plenty of movers and shakers in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. The cowboys who rocketed up the standings - from nowhere - to or near the top received a jolt by winning RodeoHouston on March 23. The champions at RodeoHouston received a $65,000 payday. With that kind of haul, the champs who

left NRG Stadium – bareback rider Rocker Steiner; steer wrestler Tuck er Allen; team ropers Derek Begay/ Colter Todd; reigning PRCA World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Ryder Wright; Reigning World Champion Tie-Down Roper Riley Webb; and bull rider Tristen Hutchings – put themselves in prime position to make reservations to compete at the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo pre sented by Teton Ridge. All the 2024 RodeoHouston champs qualified for the NFR. Pause for a moment and digest how much money was available for contes tants from Feb. 8 until April 19. In that 10-week timespan the top event money earners were Steiner ($83,854); Allen ($83,856); Be gay/Todd ($82,761 each); Wright ($97,556); Webb ($85,036); and bull rider Wacey Schalla ($104,600). Those kinds of earnings are a testa ment to the committees and sponsors who spend countless hours finding ways to increase their prize money. Consider this, the earnings of Stein er; Allen; Begay; Todd; Wright and Schalla in that most recent 10-week Texas Swing would have qualified all of them for the 2019 Wrangler NFR - except Schalla. The No. 15 qualifiers to Vegas that year were bareback rider Taylor Broussard ($79,271); steer wrestler Tanner Brunner ($74,950); team roping header Jake Cooper ($73,191); team roping heeler Tyler Worley ($71,190); saddle bronc rider J.J. Elshere ($90,811); tie-down roper Cooper Martin ($86,260); and bull rider Trey Kimzey ($108,160). But the RodeoHouston champs can’t rest easy. There’s still five months

remaining before the regular season ends on Sept. 30. That is good news for cowboys who had less than fruitful winter runs. There are countless lucrative rodeos throughout the spring and summer for cowboys to make up lost ground. The fact of the matter is a cowboy just needs to do whatever it takes to get to the NFR because whoever qualifies for Vegas, whether it be as the No. 1 cowboy in the standings or the No. 15 cowboy - they all have a legitimate chance to take home that coveted gold buckle on Dec. 13. That’s because the prize money at the NFR will increase from $16.2 million in 2024 to $17. 5 million in 2025. Crunching numbers that will be $13,501,505 to contestants and $4,050,451 to stock contractors. In the meantime, watch the drama unfold and enjoy the ride.

TRACY RENCK Manager of Communications and Media

Two-time World Champion Riley Webb is now two-time RodeoHouston Champion. PRCA photo by Mallory Beinborn

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