ProRodeo Sports News - November 19, 2021

LATE ENTRANTS

Zach Hibler won the Wolf Point (Mont.) Wild Horse Stampede with an 86.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Current Times.

Hailey Rae photo

Rocky Road Cowboys make a late push to Wrangler NFR

BY TANNER BARTH T he road to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, presented by Teton Ridge, is never an easy one. The top cowboys in the world battle it out for 12 months, with just 15 spots up for grabs at the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Months and months of rodeo and the season can come down to a single run or single ride for those cowboys on the bubble. The stories that come out of a late season push towards the NFR are ones that will never be forgotten. “It’s probably the most fun I’ve had in a single week during my rodeo career,” said Zach Hibler, a first time NFR bareback riding qualifier. “I quit worrying about so many things and just started having fun again riding

bareback horses.” Hibler was one of those cowboys who just snuck into the NFR. He finished 15th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings, edging out Wyatt Denny for the final spot by $683. He wasn’t the only competitor that had to sweat out their fate until the ProRodeo regular season came to an end on Sept. 30. “Punching your ticket to the NFR is one thing that never gets old in this sport in all my years of doing it,” said Curtis Cassidy, who qualified for his eight NFR by a merely $183. “I didn’t even know if I made the NFR after the season was even done. “They still had to do the final audit and everything else. Then shortly after that a couple days later they did the final audit and they’re like ‘yeah you’re in’. I was sweating it right until the bitter end that’s for sure.”

ProRodeo Sports News 11/19/2021

WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

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