Kaleb Driggers has replaced Matt Sherwood as the PRCA team ropers’ event representative, a position responsible for voting on decisions that affect ProRodeo contestants competition rules in everything from score length to cattle size and finals format.
Driggers—33, from Hoboken, Georgia—is in his 15th year of PRCA competition and is the reigning back-to-back heading world champion. PRCA team roping members voted Driggers into the role in March 2023.
The Team Roping Journal caught up with Driggers April 10 for his thoughts on the role in 2023:
Chelsea Shaffer: When did you start thinking about becoming team roping director?
Kaleb Driggers: It was a last-minute interest, to be honest.
CS: What are your biggest priorities as director?
KD: I’m just a spokesperson for the team ropers, whatever the majority agree on to do, that’s the way it will be.
CS: How do you plan to balance your personal interests as someone regularly within the top 15 with the interests of those in the circuits?
KD: I’m not going to pretend to know what the circuit guys want. I’m going to interact with them personally, and through my circuit directors, and allow them the opportunity to make their own decisions on what’s best for them.
CS: You mentioned that, as director, you want to stay out of judging disputes. With the crossfire/instant replay convo so hot right now, how will you handle phone calls from fellow contestants on that subject? Or how do you recommend fellow contestants handle themselves in those situations?
KD: Crossfire is a very large topic right now. Often the event rep and the judges’ duties seem to be intertwined, but I am merely the voice for the contestants. I am not the judge, so judgment calls at the rodeos is on the PRCA and their judging program. I can go to the PRCA and give them our insights on the rule and moving forward, but essentially my job isn’t to argue one way or another on a call that was made just because it is my personal opinion. But I am not the judge. Everyone’s opinion varies as to what is a crossfire and what isn’t. We have a general consensus between us all, but when given the decision on a particular instance, it varies. So in my opinion, that is the judges’ call, and my job is to try and give the judges the best opportunity to make the right calls through rule rewrites, judging seminars and constructive criticism.
CS: The instant replay rule that’s on the table right now that Sherwood shared earlier this month—how do you plan to vote on it?
KD: Instant replay is a very complex matter. I am the first one to question how easy it should be. But the more I have been informed on the subject, it is not black and white. There will have to be rules written on what is challengeable and what isn’t, and what happens in this situation or that situation. I am pro instant replay, but I believe in order for it to be successful we need to have all of our situations in line, and we should not introduce it before it is ready so there aren’t any grey areas involved.
