ProRodeo Sports News - January 11, 2019

Newlyweds ask for donations to JCCF rather than wedding gifts MATT NABER T he gift of giving was all that was listed on the wedding registry for two-time Wrangler National Finals bareback rider Bill Tutor and his wife, Ashlyn. competed at the Wrangler NFR in 2017 and 2018. He ranked eighth in the average at the 2017Wrangler NFR and went on to place 11th in the 2017 world standings. Unfortunately, his second trip to theThomas &Mack Center wasn’t as good to the Texas cowboy. Bill Tutor was injured during the 2018Wrangler NFR, missing rounds 6-10 due to a broken collarbone. “We did this (gathered donations) and then Bill

Instead of gifts, the newlyweds asked for donations for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund at their Nov. 3 wedding. Their family and friends responded, donating more than $2,000 to the JCCF. “It helps cowboys,” Bill Tutor said. “Sometimes bad things happen, they’re inevitable. It just comes with the sport, so they are there to give a hand up, and that’s important. We are appreciative of them and what they do.” Unlike most professional sports, rodeo athletes don’t get paid for sitting on the bench. Cowboys only get paid if they win, and there’s no chance of getting paid if a cowboy is injured and unable to compete.

got hurt,” Ashlyn Tutor said. “Luckily, we have good insurance, and it all comes full circle to see it help people. I think it’s a really charitable cause because I see our good friends with all the crazy things going on with health insurance now. It’s nice to see it help real people out.” The 2018 Wrangler NFR wasn’t a total loss for

Bill Tutor. He earned $34,327 before his injury. He also posted an 88-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Onion Ring in Round 5 to tie for third. Onion Ring finished second in the 2018 Pendleton Whisky “Let ’er Buck” Bareback Horse of the Year voting. Despite his most recent Wrangler NFR being cut in half, Bill Tutor ended the 2018 season 11th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. Tutor went into surgery Dec. 18 and was on track to be ready to compete at the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of January. “It went great, it’s a pretty simple surgery,” Bill Tutor said. “I’m ready to get back to normal. I didn’t need therapy. Once the six weeks are up then I should be good to go.” To donate to the JCCF, visit www.justincowboycrisisfund.org.

The JCCF is the safety net for injured cowboys to provide financial assistance for everything from keeping the fridge full to medical bills to keeping a roof over their heads. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the JCCF has assisted more than 1,100 injured rodeo athletes and their families with more than $8 million. All that money was generated through donations with 100 percent of each donation going toward helping injured cowboys. “We knew with the Crisis Fund that it would go to fellow cowboys and cowgirls,” Ashlyn Tutor said. Although the 27-year-old Huntsville, Texas, cowboy hasn’t used the

JCCF for assistance while injured, Bill Tutor recognizes the impact the JCCF has for his fellow rodeo cowboys. “We just didn’t need anything,” he said. “I know sometimes people want to give when you get married, so we figured the JCCF is a great organization and that they could certainly use it more than we could.” PRCA CEOGeorge Taylor was truly appreciative of the Tutors’ generous act. “It’s amazing to see how unbelievably thoughtful our cowboys are,” Taylor said. “This is a wonderful sentiment from Bill and Ashlyn. They understand exactly what it takes to be a ProRodeo competitor, and they understand how critical a hand up can be for those in need. This isn’t a cowboy gesture, this is a human gesture, and that’s what the cowboy way is all about.” Donations came in before and after the wedding, totaling $2,170. Bill and Ashlyn were excited to hear from the donors, as the couple received letters from those who donated. “We got a ton of those letters, some with 20 people listed,” Ashlyn Tutor said. The outpouring of support comes as no surprise, as Bill Tutor has made quite an impact since joining the PRCA in 2013. In addition to winning some of the biggest rodeos in the country, he’s

Bill Tutor was injured and unable to compete halfway through the 2018 Wrangler NFR. He hasn’t used the JCCF before and plans on returning to competition in 2019. PRCA ProRodeo photo by James Phifer

ProRodeo Sports News 1/11/2019

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