McBride Wins his First NCFSR
TORRINGTON, Wyo. – After more than 20 years of ProRodeo competition, Will McBride won his first National Circuit Finals Steer Roping, April 29.
“It’s the biggest roping I’ve ever won,” McBride said, noting that he’s come close to winning Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Pendleton Round-Up.
McBride has competed in ProRodeo since 1996, having switched from calf roping to steer roping in his early 30s. Now, 22 years after his rookie year, McBride bagged his first NCFSR win.
Although he lives in Ogallala, Neb., the 53-year-old cowboy competes in the Mountain States Circuit since his home is about 12 miles from the Colorado border. The logistics panned out for traveling to competitions, and so did the outcome, as McBride was at the top of the Mountain States Circuit for steer roping in 2017 and won the Earl Anderson Memorial Rodeo in Grover, Colo., June 17-18.
McBride’s no stranger to success. In 2005, he claimed the average title at the Mountain States Circuit Finals Steer Roping. Two years later, in 2007, he won the year-end steer roping title for the Mountain States and finished 29th in the world standings with $11,291.
The Nebraska cowboy has held on strong and stayed consistent since, finishing 26th in the world standings in 2015.
This year, he made his way to one of steer roping’s biggest competitions for the first time.
McBride placed fourth in the first round with a 12.9-second run, and although he didn’t place high in the following five rounds, he remained within the Top 8 in the average and qualified for the semifinals. Unlike many ProRodeo events, the slate is wiped clean for the semifinals and the finals at the NCFSR.
“I knew I needed to get the first six tied down before you get anything else, and then it’s anyone’s game,” McBride said.
McBride tied with Tuf Cooper for first place in the semifinals at 10.2 seconds to advance to the finals. With only three other cowboys in the finals, tension was high. McBride was the only roper to make a qualified run at 11.2 seconds.
McBride was competing on his 18-year-old American Quarter Horse named 8 Bills – a fitting name considering he was bought at a horse sale for $800 about 13 years ago. His investment came back eight-fold at the NCFSR, as 8 Bills and McBride netted $6,675.
“He’s highly intelligent and extremely athletic, and he’s real honest,” McBride said. “He’s just a freakish athlete, as far as a horse goes.”
Before winning the NCFSR, McBride was 42nd in the 2018 RAM PRCA World Standings with $3,506. Now, his total has more than doubled.
As far as how this win impacts his approach to the rest of the 2018 season, McBride wasn’t sure. For now, he’s focused on taking his nephew, Tate, to a youth rodeo next weekend.
Read more about the NCFSR in the May 4 online edition of ProRodeo Sports News on prorodeo.com.
Courtesy of PRCA