Back in the day when we were rodeoing, everybody was eligible to enter the winter rodeos. It’s not like that anymore, with today’s limited-entry rodeos keeping a lot of guys from getting to go. So whether you didn’t get into the big winter rodeos or you just didn’t have much luck at them, there are a lot of teams who are headed into May and the summer run starting from scratch, with little to nothing won.
Those big winter rodeos now can give guys such a huge start on the season. But if for one reason or another it didn’t happen for you at them, and you’ll be going to Reno next month without much money won in the world standings, you’re kind of behind the eight ball.
The first thing on my mind if I found myself in that position right now would be to make sure I get myself into the top 40 this year, so it doesn’t happen again next year. That seems to be almost a must nowadays to me, so I’d make it a priority.
Late start or not, set yourself a goal. Is it to get into that top 40, so you can go to Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Austin in 2026? Those rodeos are so big now that they’re a major factor in who makes the NFR (National Finals Rodeo). Sets your sights higher, if you want, but start there.
Another route to remember for next year is that they take the top few guys from the new year at some of the big rodeos, so you might want to get after it come October 1. You have to official those rodeos to count them—and there are only so many really good rodeos that time of year—but there’s a tradeoff there, if you can get into the big buildings.
I made the NFR a couple times, including one year I made it with Walt (Woodard), after starting at Reno. But we had a really big hit at Cheyenne that summer. So even if you don’t have much won going into the summer, it’s not impossible to make the Finals.
You could take Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, Kaleb Driggers and Junior (Nogueira) or Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, send them to Reno with zero money won and my money would be on them making the NFR every time.
It’s also pretty cool to see the next generation coming up. The Tyler Tryans, Denton Dunnings, Ketch Keltons, Michael Calmelots and Nicky Northcotts will be jockeying themselves into position sooner than later. They’re just kids, but here they come. The young bulls rise up, and the old bulls fall away. Those guys are here to try and knock the old guys off the throne.
I know what it’s like to be young and tunnel-visioned, and I made my first Finals starting at North Platte, Nebraska, in June. If I had to do it again now, I’m not sure I’d want to butt heads with all the big dogs every day. It’s pretty hard to sneak off anymore with so many great ropers everywhere. But my strategy might include places I don’t think would be quite as tough, with my sights being set on positioning myself for 2026. Making the Finals after a late start can be done, but you have to be pretty dominant when you do get out there.
If you happen to gather up enough points to get into Puyallup (Washington) and Sioux Falls (South Dakota) toward the end of the regular season, hey, you might make it. But I’d be more about cruising along and holding my finances together. I’ve seen a lot of guys go broke not paying attention to reality. And I’m more of a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race guy.
I’d cruise along, go over the Fourth of July, and if you’re dinging them pretty good and have a shot, roll on. If not, pull back and focus on being in the top 40. A lot of teams re-evaluate after Cheyenne every year, and use what it took to make the Finals the year before as the gauge.
No matter where you’re at with money won this year, if you’ve got the roping disease, it can be hard to look at a business plan when all you’re thinking about is trying to make the NFR. When we were young, we wore those same blinders, and had a one-track mind for winning world championships.
—TRJ—
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