ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2024

WRANGLER NFR SCENE

Barrel racer Kassie Mowry clocked the fast est run of the Wrangler NFR in Round 7. Mowry put together a 13.19-sec ond run on her standout horse Jarvis. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Hailey Rae

Unforgettable 2024 NFR pulls out contestants’ raw emotions

Dean Thompson pumps his fist after his second-place finish in Round 10 of the NFR. His 88.5-point ride on J Bar J’s Straight Stick proved enough to clinch the NFR Average and PRCA World Championship.

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know I was already in the hunt from Round 1,” Thompson said. “This is what dreams are made of, I mean are you kidding me,” Thompson said. “You almost have to start your career with a naive arrogance that you’re going to win. When someone says you have a bad horse you have to say maybe for you but not for me. You have to learn it’s not luck it’s just perseverance.” Perseverance was a common theme this year in Las Vegas. Perseverance inside the arena but also outside of it as well. Dublin, Texas, cowgirl Kassie Mowry was a prime example of that during the 2024 PRORODEO season. Mowry faced devastation head on during the heart of the rodeo season when she lost her fiancé Michae Boone to an accident in early June. She pushed through, qualifying for the NFR with just

Bradlee Miller began piling round money on top of round money, putting himself in position for a gold buckle in his NFR debut. But the man not many people were talking about entering Round 10 was Altamont, Utah, cowboy Dean Thompson. He was fourth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings at the start of the competition. But he didn’t back down from the challenge. Thompson did all he needed to do, and everything fell into place for the young Utah cowboy to walk away with his first PRCA World Championship. He never once doubted his chances to win a gold buckle even when the lights were dim at times throughout the 10 nights. You could tell he carried a chip on his shoulder. “Like I said all week, people say you’re in the hunt for the world title right now, and it kind of shocks me that they didn’t

BY TANNER BARTH T he 10-day marathon that is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge is not for the faint of heart. It’s full of emotional ups and downs that put even legendary cowboys and cowgirls to the ultimate test. The 2024 edition inside the Thomas & Mack Center was no different.

Each year going into the NFR we all think we have an idea of who will leave Las Vegas as the world champion. I’ve learned that those predictions rarely come to fruition. Take the bareback riding race for example. All eyes were on defending PRCA World Champion Keenan Hayes and the No. 1 ranked cowboy in the world headed into the NFR, Rocker Steiner. After a few nights under the bright lights in Vegas a different story started to

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Click Thompson

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ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

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