The WCRA Division Youth (WCRA DY) and the Lazy E Arena have announced that the Open Entries are now available for the 2024 Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo presented by Montana Silversmiths (WCJR) in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The event will take place from July 23-27, offering over $200,000 in guaranteed added money. It is open to any youth athlete aged 19 or under (as of the first day of competition). In 2023, the WCJR paid more than $407,000, creating the richest youth event in over two decades.
Entries for the youth world championship event opened on April 1 at 8 a.m. CT and will close on July 10. Entry fees for the Junior Division (ages 19-13) will be $350, while Youth Division (ages 15-10) will be $250 per entry. Athletes must submit a copy of their Birth Certificate and W-9 when entering. Birth Certificates and W-9 can be uploaded as part of the entry process through nextgenrodeo.com.
All athletes participating in the event through Open Entry will begin their competition in the qualifying rounds.
Athletes who enter one or more disciplines between April 1 and May 10 will be eligible to spread their entry fee payments across 3-4 payments based on the date they enter within the Payment Plan window. Athletes are not required to use the Payment Plan feature and may opt to pay the entry fees in full at the time of entry. All payment plan info is HERE.
In 2023, each discipline champion earned the following:
| Discipline | Earnings |
| Breakaway Roping | $58,920.00 |
| Tie Down Roping | $32,280.00 |
| Team Roping – Header | $44,320.00 |
| Team Roping – Heeler | $44,320.00 |
| Barrel Racing | $50,480.00 |
| Pole Bending | $30,640.00 |
| Goat Tying | $29,800.00 |
| Steer Wrestling | $18,960.00 |
| Bareback Riding | $10,840.00 |
| Saddle Bronc Riding | $11,960.00 |
| Bull Riding | $17,280.00 |
| World Champ Bonuses | $22,000.00 |
| World AA Champ Bonuses | $15,000.00 |
| Event AA Champ Bonuses | $9,000.00 |
| IronMan Payout | $11,400.00 |
Youth athletes can also get to the WCJR by earning a top 16 position in the 2024 WCRA Division Youth Leaderboard. Those leaderboard athletes will be seeded into the Semi-Final Round and earn a complimentary entry fee. Athletes can nominate their rodeo efforts and earn leaderboard points and positions until Sunday, June 26, at 11:59 p.m.
Athletes can earn a generic qualification to the WCJR by competing in a designated Qualifier Series event. The highest-placing nominated athlete at a Qualifier Series event earns a generic qualification to the 2024 WCJR regardless of leaderboard position.
All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCJR can visit WCJRodeo.com.
The 2024 event is open to youth athletes competing in 11 disciplines, which include – Bareback Riding, Ladies Breakaway Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping Heading, Team Roping Heeling, Tie-Down Roping, Ladies Barrel Racing, Ladies Pole Bending, Ladies Goat Tying, and Bull Riding. WCJR athletes can enter only one age division and once per discipline. Roughstock events are Junior Divisions only.
About WCRA DY (World Champions Rodeo Alliance Division Youth):
WCRA DY is a year-long leaderboard race of rodeo events worldwide, culminating at the World Championship Junior Rodeo (WCJR). The 2024 World Finals event will have over $200,000 in added money and will take place in Guthrie, OK at the Lazy E Arena July 23-27. The 2023 events paid out more than $407,000. Athletes can qualify by nominating their rodeo efforts and earning points for the WCRA DY leaderboard positions using the VRQ (Virtual Rodeo Qualifier). Athletes can nominate their rodeo efforts until Sunday, June 23, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. to nominate and earn points. The top 16 on the leaderboard will qualify for the event with no entry fees.
About Lazy E Arena:
The Fabulous Lazy E Arena – just southeast of Guthrie and northeast of Edmond/Oklahoma City – was established in December 1984, just in time for the ’84 National Finals Steer Roping Finals. Originator of the E, E.K. Gaylord II had a vision that both the National Finals Steer Roping Finals and the National Finals Rodeo would happen the same time, in the same area, creating the most epic days rodeo had seen. While the plan only worked for one year, as the NFR moved to Vegas in ’85, the legacy and standards E.K. set from the beginning still carry on today. From giving PBR its start to the Timed Event Championship of the World, the Lazy E has hosted world champions, world championships and personalities galore. In 2005, Gaylord sold the property to a partnership from Nevada, and in October 2013 the property was sold to the McKinney Family from Midland, Texas. The ownership group has long recognized not only the tremendous facility, but also the importance of the Lazy E’s place in Rodeo and Oklahoma history. The Family has committed to maintaining the Lazy E as the World’s premier western entertainment facility. Many updates and renovations are taking place at the Arena which will only enhance the lure of the Lazy E to the general population.
