Standings Shuffle: 45 Cowboys Move Up
The weather may be cold for most of the U.S., but ProRodeo’s competition was hot as cowboys competed for $836,000 in prize money from Feb. 15-20. The bulk of the week’s winnings came from the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo, which boasted a $465,072 payout.
Veteran and rookie cowboys know it’s easier to maintain a position at the top than it is to play catch-up when trying to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Every dollar counts, and making the Top 15 early establishes a solid base and builds a cowboy’s confidence as the season picks up pace.
Nobody knows that better than bareback rider Logan Corbett and team roping header Cory Kidd, as neither were ranked in the Top 50 for their events before the week. Winning the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo earned Corbett $9,287 on Feb. 16 and launched him to 13th among the bareback riders.
Kidd and his partner Caleb Anderson won a grand total of $6,843 across three rodeos this week – $3,076 at the 140th Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., $2,059 at the Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo in Okeechobee, Fla., and $1,708 in San Angelo.
The following cowboys saw their position in the PRCA World Standings improve from Feb. 15-20.
20 Spots
• Westyn Hughes moved from 35th to 15th in tie-down roping.
16 Spots
• Tyler Waguespack moved from 25th to ninth in steer wrestling.
14 Spots
• Ryder Wright moved from 27th to 13th in saddle bronc riding.
12 Spots
• Evan Jayne moved from 18th to sixth in bareback riding.
• Tanner Aus moved from 22nd to 10th in bareback riding.
11 Spots
• Scott Guenthner moved from 18th to seventh in steer wrestling.
10 Spots
• Scott Kormos moved from 14th to fourth in tie-down roping.
• Trace Porter moved from 22nd to 12th in team roping heeling.
Nine Spots
• Clark Adcock moved from 18th to ninth in team roping heeling.
Seven Spots
• Trey Benton III moved from 12th to fifth in bull riding.
• Steven Duby moved from 14th to seventh in team roping heading.
• Garrett Hale moved from 14th to seventh in steer roping.
• Matt Kasner moved from 15th to eighth in team roping heeling.
• Billy Brunson moved from 16th to ninth in team roping heading.
Six Spots
• Dustin Egusquiza moved from 10th to fourth in team roping heading.
• Kory Koontz moved from 13th to seventh in team roping heeling.
• John Alley moved from 17th to 11th in team roping heading.
• Logan Olson moved from 18th to 12th in team roping heading.
Five Spots
• Kyle Irwin moved from 19th to 14th in steer wrestling.
Four Spots
• Taos Muncy moved from 10th to sixth in saddle bronc riding.
Three Spots
• Clayton Hass moved from eighth to fifth in steer wrestling.
• Ryan Thibodeaux moved from 17th to 14th in tie-down roping.
Two Spots
• Jacob Talley moved from third to first in steer wrestling.
• Blane Cox moved from third to first in tie-down roping.
• Cory Solomon moved from eighth to sixth in tie-down roping.
• Tuf Cooper moved from ninth to seventh in tie-down roping.
• Luke Creasy moved from 10th to eighth in bareback riding.
• Zeke Thurston moved from 13th to 11th in saddle bronc riding.
One Spot
• Jake Brown moved from second to first in bareback riding.
• Sage Kimzey moved from second to first in bull riding.
• Jake Long moved from third to second in team roping heeling.
• J.R. Vezain moved from fourth to third in bareback riding.
• Sterling Crawley moved from fourth to third in saddle bronc riding.
• Wesley Thorp moved from fifth to fourth in team roping heeling.
• Vin Fisher Jr. moved from fifth to fourth in steer roping.
• Tristan Mize moved from fifth to fourth in bull riding.
• Parker Breding moved from 10th to ninth in bull riding.
• Michael Riggs moved from 13th to 12th in bull riding.
• Heith DeMoss moved from 16th to 15th in saddle bronc riding.
• Eli Vastbinder moved from 16th to 15th in bull riding.
Cowboys on the bubble for a spot in the Top 15 can find themselves just a few dollars short of making a Wrangler NFR qualification. The following cowboys climbed the standings to No. 16 this past week:
• Steer roper Chad Mathis moved from 34th to 16th and is $207 away from breaking into the Top 15.
• Team roping header Loren Dorman moved from 28th to 16th and is $274 away from breaking into the Top 15.
• Steer wrestler Tom Lewis moved from 17th to 16th and is $296 away from breaking into the Top 15.
With the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., concluding Sunday, the outcomes of those rodeos and others are sure to impact the world standings.
Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see who the new leaders are in the world standings.
Courtesy of PRCA