ProRodeo Sports News - October 16, 2020

WRANGLER NFR GRAND ENTRY

PRCA ProRodeo photo by James Phifer Contestants are lined up during the grand entry at the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas. In the background, bareback riders are unable to take part in the grand entry because they are behind the chutes preparing to compete. Different View Bareback riders have alternate vantage point for entry

BY TRACY RENCK T here are 120 contestants who compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. However, none of the 15 bareback riders get to take part in the grand entry before each of the 10 rounds of the NFR because they are the first event of the rodeo and are preparing to compete. Although not part of the grand entry, bareback riders still get a front- row view of the electricity in the arena when cowboys and cowgirls ride into the arena. “When you’re standing behind the bucking chutes and the horses are loaded and they start rolling in there (for the grand entry) and you see your state flag roll by it sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it,” said three-time world champion bareback rider TimO’Connell, who has qualified for seven consecutive NFRs. “It (the grand entry) brings the energy to the house. I can only imagine what it would be like to ride in it, but I know what it does to me on the back of the bucking chutes.” In Round 9 at the 2019 NFR at theThomas &Mack Center in Las Vegas, O’Connell was the first cowboy out, and he still soaked in the grand entry.

“I watched the whole thing before I climbed on,” he said. “Whether you’re in it or you’re on the bucking chutes watching it at ground level, it is so special. It sparks the night.” Four-time world champion Kaycee Feild has enjoyed seeing the grand entry from a bareback rider’s point of view at 10 NFRs – 2008-15 and 2018-19. “When you’re standing on the back of the chutes and they are doing the grand entry and calling out states like Utah, Texas and Missouri, it’s fun to hear who is in the crowd when they announce the contestants,” Feild said. “Throughout the 10 days it seems like you always see two or three guys, and it is so awesome to see their hard work pay off. “Maybe it’s their first NFR or eighth NFR, but it’s always nice to see all the contestants in the grand entry who have fulfilled their goals. It’s a fun thing to see and brings a different magnitude to the event.” Bareback rider Tilden Hooper, a seven-time NFR qualifier, is fueled by the emotion that overcomes him during the grand entry. “It’s hard to put into words, but that’s the feeling I chase all year long,” said Hooper, 31. “You’re standing on the back of the chutes and you are at the best rodeo in the world competing against the very best guys on the biggest stage against the best livestock and it is just about to kick off. The electricity there is through the roof.”

ProRodeo Sports News 10/16/2020

ProRodeo.com

38