ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 6, 2024

PRORODEO TOUR

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Canadian cowboys battle the bubble as season nears end Bronc Buster “This event in Rapid City is huge, there is so much money to be won here. A guy can come in here and really solidify their spot in the Top 15 and cruise right into the Finals.” – LAYTON GREEN “It happens, you can’t win them all. You honestly have to forget about them and roll on to the next one. We are blessed to be doing what we are do ing. A bad day bronc riding is better than a good day working probably. So, we’ll finish up the year strong and hopefully see you guys in Vegas.” – BEN ANDERSEN

BY TANNER BARTH L ife on the bubble of the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings isn’t for the faint of heart. The season is drawing to a close and the number of rodeos left to strike paydirt at is dwindling. The road to reach the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge is not always a straight and narrow road. Just ask Canadian standouts Layton Green and Ben Andersen. The two bronc riders have combined to make six trips to the Thomas & Mack Center since 2017. Even with prior success, a return to Las Vegas is never a given in the sport. Reaching rodeo’s pinnacle event requires more miles traveled than one cares to admit. In the thick of the hunt for the Top 15, Andersen and Green have found themselves searching for pennies and dollars at every PRCA Playoff Series stop during the summer months. That leaves cowboys trekking across the country looking to make the most of every opportunity. The PRCA Xtreme Broncs Finals in Rapid City, S.D., is a perfect example of that. With just six weeks left in the 2024 PRORODEO regular season, the top 24 saddle bronc riders in the world went head-to-head with the best bucking horses in the world and a $126,000 purse up for grabs. “This event in Rapid City is huge, there is so much money to be won here,” said Green, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “A guy can come in here and really solidify their spot in the Top 15 and cruise right into the Finals.” It’s easier said than done. Rodeo weekends during the summer run are packed full of action, leaving contestants hopping from city to city and state to state. To reach the Xtreme Broncs Finals, Andersen and Green endured an all-night 15-hour drive from Caldwell, Idaho, to Rapid City, S.D. The duo arrived in the Rushmore State with two hours to spare before climbing aboard their first-round draws.

ProRodeo Sports News 9/6/2024

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