This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Three Wyoming athletes are performing in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas. The annual event is considered the Super Bowl of rodeo.
Wyoming’s top two saddle bronc riders are eyeing the number one spot in the world this week. Brody Wells, of Powell, ranked sixth going into the NFR this year. Brody Cress, of Hillsdale, stood firmly in 10th after winning Cheyenne Frontier Days earlier this year.
Saddle bronc riding is where a rider has to stay on a bucking horse for eight seconds. They’re judged on a 100-point scale, which includes both their form and the horse’s bucking power.
Meeteetse’s Dusty Tuckness is fighting bulls for his 17th consecutive year at NFR. Bull fighters protect and shield bull riders after they’ve been thrown from angry bulls.
The NFR kicked off Dec. 4, with 10 consecutive nights of rodeos through Dec. 13. The top 15 athletes in the world qualify for each event, including saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, tie down roping, team roping and bull riding. The top 15 is determined by highest money winners over the previous year.
Once at the NFR, checks are given out to top performers on each of the 10 nights. But it’s total winnings from the 10 nights, plus earnings from the year prior, that determine the world champion in each event.
A separate award homes in on just the NFR’s 10-day event. Winning the average is as it sounds, the best aggregate score or points over the 10 days.
In the fifth go-round on Dec. 8, Cress placed second, with 89.5 points and $28,980 for the performance. Wells came in 11th, which means no money, with 85.25 points.
For the current average so far, Cress is in seventh and Wells is in 12th. The leader is Stetson Wright, a member of Utah’s “legendary Wright rodeo family,” who is an eight-time world champion in both saddle bronc and bull riding.
Watch the NFR on the Cowboy Channel at 6:45 p.m. Mountain Time every night through Saturday. Follow Wyoming’s rodeo athletes’ journey on Team Wyoming’s Facebook page.
