ProRodeo Sports News - June 11, 2021

YOUTH RODEO

Photos courtesy Riley Webb

Riley Webb, 17, is already having success at both the youth and professional levels in rodeo.

Young tie-down roper making name for himself in rodeo On the Rise

BY NEAL REID, Courtesy Jr. Rodeo C hances are good rodeo fans have heard the name Riley Webb. The 17-year-old tie-down roper fromDenton, Texas, has been a regular at the top of the youth rankings and leaderboards in recent years and has performed well at some ProRodeo events, winning the 2020 National High School Finals Rodeo and advancing to the top five of RFD-TV’s The American last year. The 2020 Texas state reserve tie-down roping champ can light up a scoreboard, breaking the 7-second mark more than once recently. He’ll be one of the favorites when the Jr. National Finals Rodeo makes its run June 28 to July 3 at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. For Webb – who has been roping on horseback since he was 6 – competing at the highest level has become the norm, and being battle-tested has helped him develop as a roper. “That’s awesome to get to go to (The American) twice,” saidWebb, who also competed in this year’s event at AT&T Stadium. “The big rodeos

with the guys from ProRodeo that I get to compete against next year when I buy my card are great. Every

run you make that’s a good run gives you confidence, and when you do well at the big events, it gives you a lot more confidence to compete on the biggest stages.” Webb plans to buy his PRCA card after turning 18 in August, fill his permit and make a full run in ProRodeo in 2022. But first, he’ll have a busy summer competing in high school and junior rodeo, with the Jr. NFR as a highlight on his schedule. “I’m really excited about all the opportunities I’ll get this summer, and (the Jr. NFR) will be one of the big stops,” Webb said. “Everybody qualified to get there and earned the opportunity to be there, so no one was just given anything.” High school and junior rodeo have been important for Webb’s development as a roper, and he’ll never forget winning the high school

ProRodeo Sports News 6/11/2021

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