With just four days left in Salt Lake City’s Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo’s qualifying period, Bob Feist Invitational Champion Kolton Schmidt is on the bubble.
“I thought I had it made,” Schmidt admitted. “I didn’t nominate the BFI last weekend because I didn’t realize where I was on the WCRA’s leaderboard. It was bad business on my part.”
The two-time NFR header from Canada is on the outside looking in at number 25 on the WCRA leaderboard, and is only entered at Springdale, Arkansas June 23 before the WCRA’s qualifying segment ends at 11:59 p.m. June 27. He trails Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo champion header Coy Rahlmann by 76.25 points. Schmidt, who roped at the Finals in 2021 with Hunter Koch and is rodeoing in 2021 with Wyatt Cox, is outside the top 50 int he PRCA world standings.
The top 24 on the WCRA’s leaderboard in each event get to compete for the $562,500 in prize money this July 20-24, plus guaranteed $500 checks to every competitor who makes the semifinals and another $750 to competitors making the finals there. The event will also take the top five in the PRCA, WPRA and PBR world standings as of June 28.
On the heel side, Cutter Thomison is in the number-25 spot, 30.25 points behind Gary Lovelady at number 24.
“I plan on nominating the couple UPRA rodeos I’m going to—one tonight and two tomorrow,” Thomison, an 8.5 heeler from Hermleigh, Texas, said. “Hopefully it will work out.”
Thomison, 20, is amateur rodeoing this year in between his horse shoeing schedule, so a WCRA boost at Salt Lake would be a highpoint on his schedule. TRJ
