ProRodeo Sports News - Feb. 7, 2020

Qualifiers, Wild Cards upping the ante for cowboys EDITOR’S LETTER SCOTT KANIEWSKI Y ou know when a rodeo like the historic San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo alters its format – even if just a little – there must be a good reason. San Antonio joined a growing number header Clay Smith is into the Fort Worth semifinals thanks to the wild card. It also paid off for Kimzey again after the six-time defending world champ won the round with an 88.5-point ride on J Bar J Rodeo’s Little Big Man. Tyson Durfey, the 2016 tie-down roping world champ,

of rodeos who have recently either added wild-card performances or qualifiers to add some excitement and more opportunity to a greater number of cowboys. In San Antonio’s case, the rodeo that routinely ranks second in committee purse in ProRodeo added both. Last year, we saw qualifiers at The American in Arlington, Texas, contribute directly to team ropers Coleman Proctor and Ryan Motes taking home their share of a $1 million bonus. (They each took home an extra $333,333.) It was the first timeThe American had been part of the PRCA. We also saw RodeoHouston, back in the PRCA fold for the first time since 2010, bring its wild-card performance. Bull rider Sage Kimzey, tie-down roper Tuf Cooper and team roping partners Jake Cooper (header) and Caleb

and 2014 Saddle Bronc RidingWorld Champion Spencer Wright won their respective wild-card rounds to get to the semifinals. Now they need to take advantage of an extra chance at the FortWorth title paying out $20,000 per winner. In San Antonio, while the wild-card competitors in the roughstock events will be semifinalists who didn’t make the finals, the timed-event wild-card competitors will come out of a first-time qualifying event in San Antonio. The qualifiers will be at the Expo Hall and will be three, one-day competitions for each timed event – steer wrestling Feb. 12, tie-down roping Feb. 13 and team roping Feb. 16. (You can read more about that on page 36). The wild-card performance Feb. 21 will add another day of action at the AT&T Center, making for 22 performances for the 14-time PRCA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year. The fact is with qualifiers and wild-card events more cowboys are getting chances to win more money. If a wild-card winner in Houston can advance to win the championship shootout and have $50,000 count toward the world standings, all of a sudden, they are thick in the hunt

Scott Kaniewski has been the editor of ProRodeo Sports News since August 2017. He has nearly two decades of experience in sports journalism,

with the last several being consumed by ProRodeo.

Anderson (heeler) got into the wild card, won the wild-card round to work their way into the Houston championship round, won the championship round and ultimately got into the championship shootout round. Kimzey, Jake Cooper and Anderson each finished second in their respective events in the shootout to take home an additional $20,000. All three qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, as did Tuf Cooper. This season, the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo added a wild-card performance. Two-time defending world champion team roping

for a Wrangler NFR berth. And more cowboys battling for a chance at the Wrangler NFR makes for better ProRodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 2/7/2020

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