As I’m packing up my camera case to head to Dallas for the ERA Finals, I’ve been thinking about how much busier this time of year feels than it ever has in the six years I’ve been here at Spin To Win Rodeo. 

That probably has something to do with the fact that I’ve got a 2-month-old little girl I’ll be packing for and toting around Dallas and Vegas this year. But that’s definitely not the only reason we’ll be busier. 

This weekend’s ERA Finals come after the USTRC Finals a few weeks ago, during the Working Ranch Cowboys Association Finals and and during the Indian National Finals Rodeo. Our team at our sister publication, American Cowboy, will be on hand at the WRCA Finals while we’ll have a trusted photographer on the ground in Las Vegas during the Indian Finals. We’ll be busy gathering all of that coverage while we’re at the American Airlines Center taking in the action at the ERA Finals and catching up with plenty of guys I haven’t seen all summer, mostly because I was on maternity leave but partially because they weren’t on the rodeo road, either. 

While I’m in Dallas, I’m going to try to catch the ERA’s team roping Friday and then scoot down to Tyler Wade’s place to catch the memorial roping he’s having and sit down with him for some extended interviews about what it’s like to be a first-time WNFR qualifier. 

We’ll be providing you with lead-up coverage, too, of what’s going to happen in Las Vegas. Our #RoadtoNFR16 campaign is in its fifth year now, this year highlighting so many first-timers with our sponsors at CSI Saddlepads. CSI has put together an Elite Team of so many top ropers, we’ll check in with them throughout the course of our coverage. 

But shoot that’s not all. Vegas is crazier than ever this year, and our long-time supporters at Soft Ride Equine Comfort Boots will help us bring you more coverage than ever before with our #RopeVegas campaign. The World Series Finale, of course, is paying out well over $10 million, and there will be more pros joining the amateurs there than ever before. Elise (my 2-month-old) and I will spend a lot of our days bopping around the arena at the South Point checking out the action there and bringing you updates from the arena floor. Plus, we won’t miss the Boyd Chute-Out at the Orleans Arena because so many greats will be headlining there this year. 

And while we’re at it, we’re giving away a two-night VIP experience at the Mirage. (I know, right?!) Did someone say unlimited cocktails in a VIP suite with WNFR contestants? You bet! 

Last but not least, we’ve got the Spinnies going on once again. You get to choose your favorites in Pro team roping to receive the Gist buckles we give every year–plus the winners end up on our cover each February. 

So, keep up! Lots to follow, and if you see me, flag me down and meet Elise! She’ll never be very far away.