WNFR Profile #8 – Cole Melancon – South Texas Strong
Malcolm Cole Melancon qualifies for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the number 8 position with $103,619.28 loaded in his PRCA bank account. Statistically the Liberty, Texas resident is having the best year of his career riding 50 percent of his draws in PRCA and CBR competition combined.
The 23 year old graduate of Hull Dasietta High School was born in Beaumont and currently resides in Liberty, Texas, a small town rich in rodeo culture and located 30 miles south west of Beaumont. Texas. He joined the PRCA in 2014 after competing in just five rodeos in 2013.
The right handed bull rider’s climb to the largest rodeo of the year originated from a close call last year when he finished 25th in the PRCA World Standings with 2016 earnings of $46,275.
“Coming close was my inspiration for 2017, I had to get the confidence in myself that I could hang with the top 15 riders – every weekend,” said Melancon after returning from representing USA in the inaugural Global Cup PBR bull riding competition.
In 2015 he ranked sixth in the Resistol Rookie Standings for bull riding; and won the Xtreme Bull Riding (Albuquerque, N.M.) with a 70th place that year in the world standings with $18,703 earned in rodeo. As an amateur he won the southern region for college rodeo in 2016 representing Hill College and qualified for the 2017 College National Finals Rodeo. He competed at the Texas State High School Finals Rodeo in 2009-12.
Melancon jumped into CBR competition in 2017 – competing in Fort Worth where he rode two and Del Rio where he rode one.
“I was trying to get on the Road to Cheyenne tour, but didn’t have time to ride in the Horizon Series qualifying too much around the rodeo schedule, but I got in Fort Worth as an alternate and that led to Del Rio and the CBR World Finals,” said Melacon.
He qualified for the CBR World Finals riding one in the first round of competition. He made the most of his time in Cheyenne earning two qualified rides in the CFD rodeo including 86 points in the final championship round and finished fourth in the CFD Rodeo average.
Melancon attributes his good finish at the All American and Texas Circuit Finals last year as his good foundation for the year. That bump allowed him to stay inside the top 15 rankings for PRCA bull riders throughout the entire year – an accomplishment in itself.
“My best and most memorable performance this season was a 3 day earnings of about $11,000 that included a big win in Rapid City.”
As far as stock goes Melancon would like a shot at Bruiser during the NFR competition, but he also rodeo J10 Crime Spree for 87.5 points at the CBR World Finals at CFD last summer and probably would not mind a rematch in December.
The 5’9 145 pound athletes’ preparation schedule includes getting on some practice bulls in Dayton and probably sparing with NFR qualifier Boudreaux Campbell at his house before heading to Vegas for the ten rounds of NFR competition.
PRCA Career Highlights
• Won the PRCA Xtreme Bulls (Rapid City, S.D.); Won the Wrangler Champions Challenge presented by Justin Boots (Rapid City, S.D.);• Won the Wrangler Champions Challenge presented by Justin Boots (Grand Island, Neb.)
• Won the Mandan (N.D.) Rodeo Days
• 2016: Won the San Patricio County PRCA Rodeo (Sinton, Texas), the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo , the Santa Rosa Roundup (Vernon, Texas), the Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo (Garden City, Kan.), the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Vernal, Utah) and the Farm-City Pro Rodeo (Hermiston, Ore.). Co-champion at the Benny Binion Bucking Bull Sale (Las Vegas, Nev.).
Courtesy of CBR