2023 Wrangler NFR Round 8 News & Notes
Round 8 – Dec. 14, 2023 Round 8 Daysheet
Tonight is Canadian Night. Country singer Jake Worthington is the opening act, and singer/actress Lynnae Meyers will sing the Canadian national anthem and country music trio Old Hickory will sing the American national anthem. The performance sponsor is Durango Boots.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
The 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge airs nightly from Dec. 14-16 at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. (EST). There also was a matinee performance at 12 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 13. To maintain the tradition of the ten rounds of the NFR, an additional make up-round has been added. Due to the tragic events that occurred on the UNLV Campus on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the original starting date – Dec. 7 – was cancelled. The Cowboy Channel is the official network partner of PRORODEO® and the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of the NFR. Live coverage of the NFR is on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com.
TIE-DOWN ROPER HAVEN MEGED MAKES NFR HISTORY IN ROUND 7
Move over ProRodeo Hall of Famers Trevor Brazile and Cody Ohl and world champion Shad Mayfield. There’s a new tie-down roper who is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo record holder – Haven Meged. The Miles City, Mont., cowboy clocked a lightning fast 6.4-second run to win Round 7 Wednesday night before 17,185 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“Honestly, I don’t really know because it happened so fast,” said Meged about his historic run. “I had a good calf and just tried to take full advantage. It’s pretty cool to break an arena record because there’s been a lot of guys here. To be etched in the record books with the best guys in the world who have roped before me, it’s just a dream come true.” Meged, the 2019 PRCA Tie-Down Roping World Champion, broke the NFR record of 6.5 seconds shared by Ohl (2003); Brazile (2015) and Mayfield (2022). Speaking of Mayfield, he was the next roper to go in Round 7 after Meged and stopped the clock in an amazing 6.1 seconds, but his calf got up, which nullified the run.
BULL RIDER T PARKER OUT THROUGH ROUND 8 WITH SHOULDER INJURY
T Parker, the 2023 Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year, has been sidelined at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge with a right shoulder injury and right elbow sprain. Parker initially showed up on the Justin Sportsmedicine injury report after getting bucked off Cowtown Rodeo’s Kingdom in Round 5, Dec. 12. Parker was bucked off Big Stone Rodeo’s Dirty Dave in Round 6 Wednesday morning. That prompted Parker to doctor release out of Round 7 Wednesday night and as such he will also have to miss Round 8 Thursday. He’s eligible to return for Round 9 Friday.
“The same night he hurt his elbow, his shoulder slipped out and then slipped back in,” said Dr. Tandy Freeman, the medical director of the Justin Sportsmedicine team. “He’s had trouble with the shoulder (in the past).” Parker is 11th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $184,336. He has earned $31,544 at the NFR.
NEWS & NOTES
Bareback rider Clayton Biglow goes for back-to-back round wins in Round 8. He matches up with Dakota Rodeo’s Private Eyes. It will be the horse’s first out of this year’s Wrangler NFR. Garrett Shadbolt had an 88.5-point ride on the horse to win the Bucking Battle in Bismarck last October. Jess Pope looks to keep his hopes alive for his fourth straight NFR Average title in Round 8 when he goes toe to toe with Championship Pro Rodeo’s The Crow. Cole Reiner finished tied for second on the horse in Round 3 with an 87.5-point score…Saddle bronc rider Ryder Sanford will go second in Round 8, seeking his third-straight visit to the pay window. He drew Big Bend Rodeo’s Major Huckleberry Thursday night. Layton Green matched up with the horse in August, notching an 88.5-point trip. Dawson Hay looks to turn his NFR showing around, starting with a great opportunity in Round 8. Hay, 25, faces Calgary Stampede’s Weekend Departure. In Round 3, Sage Newman captured the win on the bucking horse with 89-point ride…Bull rider, Ky Hamilton has taken the rodeo world by storm, highlighted by his 88-point trip in Round 7 to collect the entire $99,053 purse. The Australian looks to pad his lead in pursuit of his first world title, pairing up with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s White Trash. His matchup has landed three qualified rides this season with an average score of 86.83 points. Josh Frost hopes to keep his momentum going after a split-round win in Wednesday morning’s performance. Tonight, Frost squares off with Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Let’s Gamble. Creek Young matched up with the bull in Round 3, topping the leaderboard with an 89.5-point ride.
Record times and scores for Round 8 of the 2023 Wrangler NFR:
Bareback Riding 90 points, Frontier Rodeo’s Showstomper, 2019
Steer Wrestling 3.1 seconds, Shawn Greenfield, 2004
Team Roping 3.5 seconds, Travis Tryan/Cory Petska, 2008; Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 2022
Saddle Bronc Riding 92 points, Ryder Wright, on Powder River Rodeo’s Show Me Again, 2017
Tie-Down Roping 6.5 seconds, Trevor Brazile, 2015
Barrel Racing 13.37 seconds, Amberleigh Moore, 2016
Bull Riding 95 points, Colby Yates, on Big Bend Rodeo’s Unforgiven, 2002
Courtesy of PRCA