Rorey Maier

Rorey Maier – Timber Lake, S.D.
First-time WNFR qualifier

Rorey Maier is the youngest of three brothers that are all cowboys and bull riders. His older brothers say he is the toughest of the three and that is likely because of them.

Rorey is headed to his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in eighth place with $99,402 in regular season earnings. He joined the PRCA in 2008 but has never had a season like this one. He was ticking away, getting checks and on the edge of the top 15. Then he won the Ellensburg (Wash.) Xtreme Bulls competition, and $25,944. That moved him from 14th to first in the Xtreme Bulls standings where he was crowned the 2016 year-end champion.

It also moved Rorey from 18th to sixth in the worlds standings. It was the only win of his year and it couldn’t have been more important. The final t of three weeks of the season, he dropped in the standings to eighth place.

There is not a bull rider in this year’s field that has deeper rodeo roots than Rorey. His grandfather Bud Day competed in all the rodeo events he could, was a judge and was inducted into the South Dakota Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1992, 10 years before his death. World champion bareback riders Mark and Marvin Garrett are his cousins. And then there are his brothers.

The oldest of the three, Ardie Maier, qualified for the NFR twice in 2010 and 2012. Corey finished one spot out in 2012 and has won big rodeos like St. Paul, Ore., Caldwell, Idaho, and Reno, Nev. Their parents, Dale and Dency, are ranchers and raised the boys to be cowboys in and out of the arena. They also have a sister, Peggy.

As soon as Rorey won the title in Ellensburg, the Timberlake community started planning an NFR sendoff party for him. He also took time to visit first and second graders at their school in Timberlake. They are hoping for more success for Rorey and grateful for the positive way he is representing his hometown.