New Era of Rodeo Underway in Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas — A new era of rodeo began Friday, January 24 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR) with the inaugural performance of the FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament at the brand new Dickies Arena. The event features 56 of the top rodeo athletes in North America competing for more than $1 million in prize money in eight events.

Yes, you read that right eight as along with the new tournament format, the FWSSR rodeo committee added women’s breakaway roping to the event lineup. The Women’s Pro Rodeo Association (WPRA) event has been exploding in popularity during the past year. While breakaway roping had been part of the horse show arena action in Fort Worth for several years, Friday night marked its debut as part of the rodeo.

Wyoming native Shai Schaefer, who now lives in Lake Creek, Texas, won the first round of breakaway with a time of 2.3 seconds, edging reigning WPRA World Champion Breakaway Roper Kelsie Chace of Cherokee, Okla., who clocked a time of 2.5. Hope Thompson, who was the very first WPRA breakaway roper to run a calf in Dickies Arena finished fourth on the night with a time of 3.4 seconds.

“It was just such a thrill to rope tonight and I am so blessed to be here,” said Schaefer, after winning the first round of bracket 1 on a horse she trained herself. “He was a gift from some family friends, the Gibson’s, and it took countless hours to get to where we are today, so to get the win tonight was a huge accomplishment for both of us.”

In each event, seven groups of eight athletes will compete in two rodeo performances. The top two money winners from each group qualify for one of two semifinal rounds.

The third-highest money winner in each set will qualify for a berth in the wild card round. The other four competitors go into a non-qualifiers pool and the highest remaining money winner in each event also gets to move to the wild card round. The winner of that second-chance round moves on to the semifinals as well. Then, the top four from each semifinal move on to the finals on Saturday, February 8 when the champions will be crowned.

Finishing atop the leaderboard in the barrel racing on the first night of PRCA Rodeo in Dickies Arena was Amanda Harris of Spearfish, S.D. She stopped the clock in 16.69 seconds to outdistance Cheyenne Allan with a 16.91.

Harris and Allan returned the following night and just swapped places on the leaderboard with Allan getting the win in a time of 16.55 seconds, while Harris was second in 16.63 seconds. They both easily advance to the semifinal round after winning $3,080 each. Hallie Hanssen was third on night two and she earned a spot in the wild card round after turning in a faster time than Michelle Darling did on opening night.

Jessica Holmes won the breakaway roping on the second day with a time of 2.2 seconds, while Joey Williams and Hope Thompson tied for second with 2.4-second runs. Holmes and Schaefer advance to the semifinal round after both collecting a win and Thompson earned a spot in the wild card round after earning $1,540 over two nights.

In the second bracket of competition, barrel racer Jill Wilson of Snyder, Texas, earned a semifinals berth, but she did it the hard way. Wilson knocked over a barrel Saturday night during the first round competition of bracket #2, taking her out of the prize money quest. Her only chance to continue in the tournament was to perform well Sunday and she did.

She was the second cowgirl to run and her time of 16.45 seconds was just one-hundredth off the fastest time thus far in Dickies Arena. She won $1,760 and that was enough to put her in the semifinals along with Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, S.D., who won Saturday night’s round and finished fourth on Sunday.

Wilson, the mother of three teenage sons, is currently ranked 17th in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s world championship standings. She finished 2019 ranked 26th and started 2020 well when she won the Texas Circuit Finals January 2-4 in Waco. Wilson is a big fan of Western Texas College since her sons Blaise and Tanner both compete on the school’s rodeo team.

On the breakaway roping side, Jackie Crawford placed in both rounds winning the second round of bracket 2 in a time of 2.1 seconds to easily advance to the semifinals picking up a total of $2,420. Crawford, who has 19 WPRA World Titles on her resume but only one of those is a breakaway title, is looking to add Fort Worth Breakaway Roping Champion to her list of accomplishments and she is now one step closer. Joining Crawford from the second bracket is Martha Angelone, with Samantha Jorgenson moving to the wild card round after winning the first round of bracket 2 with a 2.1-second run.

Bracket 3 got underway on Monday night and will conclude on Tuesday. Cassidy Boggs took the early lead winning the first round in a time of 2.1 seconds, while two-time world champion barrel racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi lead the way with a time of 16.42 seconds around the cloverleaf pattern, the fastest time of the first five performances.

Pozzi Tonozzi chose her 10-year old sorrel mare KissKiss BangBang “Mona” from her herd of winners to run on Monday night, January 27. Drawing up last of the eight elite barrel racers competing in Round 1 of Bracket 3, the champion made her decision based on prior experience.

“Mona had always ran good at the Will Rogers Coliseum and since this is basically a modern version of that same arena, I felt she was the one I should run here,” said the $2 million barrel racer. Her plan worked to perfection and hopes to continue her winning ways on Tuesday night and advance to the semifinal round.

For more information on the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, visit www.fwssr.com.

Results as of Jan. 27, 2020

Breakaway Roping: Bracket 1 – First round: 1. Shai Schaefer, Torrington, Wyo, 2.3 seconds, $1,760, 2. Kelsie Chace, Cherokee, Okla. 2.5, $1,320. 3, Brandy Gilbert, Springtown, Texas, 3.0, $880. 4, Hope Thompson, Abilene, Texas, 3.4, $440. Second round: 1. Jessica Holmes, Buffalo, S.D., 2.2 seconds, $1,760. 2, (tie) Joey Williams, Volborg, Mont., and Hope Thompson, Abilene, Texas, 2.4, $1,100 each. 4, (tie) Kelsie Chace, Cherokee, Okla., and Brandy Gilbert, Springtown, Texas, 2.6, $220 each.

Bracket 2 – First round: 1. Samantha Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., 2.1, seconds, $1,760; 2. Martha Angelone, Aledo, Texas, 2.3, $1,320; 3. (tie) Jackie Crawford, Stephenville, Texas and Cheyenne Britain, Stephenville, Texas, 2.7, $660 each. Second round: 1, Jackie Crawford, Stephenville, Texas, 2.1 seconds, $1,760. 2, Taylor Munsell, Alva, Okla., 2.3, $1,320. 3, (tie) Tierra Grey, Lovington, N.M., and Martha Angelone, Aledo, Texas, 2.5, $660 each.

Bracket 3 – Firs round: 1. Cassidy Boggs, Stephenville, Texas, 2.1 seconds, $1,760; 2. Loni Lester, Gonzales, Texas, 2.5, $1,320; 3. Sarah Morrissey, Ephrata, Wash., 12.2, $880; no other qualified times.

Barrel Racing: Bracket 1 – First round: 1, Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D., 16.69 seconds, $1,760. 2, Cheyenne Allan, Mabton, Wash. 16.91, $1,320. 3, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 17.16, $880. 4, Kathryn Hawkins, Morrilton, Ark., 17.77, $440. Second round: 1, Cheyenne Allan, Mabton, Wash. 16.55, $1,760. 2, Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D., 16.63 seconds, $1,320. 3, Hallie Hanssen, Hermosa, S.D., 16.73, $880. 4, Abby Pursifull, 16.91, $440.

Bracket 2 – First round: 1. Lisa Lockhart, 16.59, $1,760; 2. Cindy Smith, 16.70, $1,320; 3. Cranna Roberts, 16.74, $880; 4. Teri Bangart, 16.86, $440. Second round: 1. Jill Wilson, Snyder, Texas, 16.45 seconds, $1,760; 2. (tie) Kricket Gintner, Eau Claire, Wis., and Teri Bangart, Olympia, Wash., 16.58, $1,100 each; 4. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 16.60, $440

Bracket 3 – First round: 1. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 16.42 seconds, $1,760; 2. Sabra O’Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 16.53, $1,320; 3. Emily Miller, Weatherford, Okla., 16.57, $880; 4. Megan Champion, Ukiah, Calif., 16.64, $440.

Breakaway Semifinals Qualifiers:

Shai Schaefer, Torrington, Wyo., $1,760 – Bracket 1

Jessica Holmes, Buffalo, S.D., $1,760– Bracket 1

Jackie Crawford, Stephenville, Texas, $2,420 – Bracket 2

Martha Angelone, Aledo, Texas, $1,980 – Bracket 2

Wild Card Qualifier:

Hope Thompson, Abilene, Texas, $1,540 – Bracket 1

Samantha Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., $1,760 – Bracket 2

Barrel Racing Semifinals Qualifiers:

Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D. – $3,080 – Bracket 1

Cheyenne Allan, Mabton, Wash. – $3,080 – Bracket 1.

Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. – $3,520- Bracket 2

Cindy Smith, $2,640 – Bracket 2

Wild Card Qualifiers:

Hallie Hanssen, Hermosa, S.D., $880 – Bracket 1

Cranna Roberts, $1,760 – Bracket 2

Courtesy of WPRA