ProRodeo Sports News - June 26, 2020

DIRECTOR’S CUT SCOTT KANIEWSKI

A different kind of Cowboy Christmas this year I t’s no surprise, but this year’s Cowboy Christmas will have a much different feel, much like the rest of the world, because of COVID-19. As some rodeos hold tight with their scheduled dates or rescheduled dates, plenty have fallen off the schedule, making for a lighter-than-normal Fourth of July run. proportionately it could count for more when it comes to the world standings and a berth in the Wrangler NFR. The movement of competitors in the world standings will be exciting. Every event has cowboys packed together, separated by mere dollars. The average margin of separation across bareback riding,

However, with about a dozen rodeos on the docket, there will be plenty of opportunity for cowboys to earn some decent cash and climb the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. While Cowboy Christmas isn’t an official time period, it’s one of the most significant 10-day stretches during the season for cowboys to earn big money and make a move in the standings. Among the bigger rodeos that are scheduled to go on are the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz. (June 29-July 5), Cody (Wyo.) Stampede (July 1-4), Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Oakley City, Utah (July 1-4) and Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, S.D. (July 1-4). All four rodeos will be broadcast or streamed onThe Cowboy Channel or the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. For more information go to cowboychannelplus.com. Last season, those four rodeos paid out a combined $910,000. With an expected larger number of entries at each place, there’s plenty of money to be had. No, this won’t be the same Cowboy Christmas we’ve seen in past seasons. But this year’s summer holiday could be even more important. With fewer rodeos, weeks like this year’s Cowboy Christmas will be more crucial. It will be the biggest stretch of rodeos in months. There might be less money earned, but

steer wrestling, team roping (headers and heelers), saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and bull riding between 25th place in the standings and 10th is less than $12,000. If you cut it down to 25th trailing that 15th and final spot for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, things get really interesting. The average margin of separation across those seven events is $6,600. The largest difference comes in bull riding, with a margin of $10,216 between 15th and 25th. Team roping heading has the smallest margin, less than $4,500. That kind of money can be snatched up at one rodeo. One of the most exciting prospects will be seeing how many rodeos some of these cowboys get to. In prior years, the planning was crucial. Now, it’s about getting to every rodeo possible. It’s doubtful that the cowboy who takes home the most money from this year’s Cowboy Christmas will come close to what happened last year, when then-freshman phenom and eventual All-AroundWorld Champion StetsonWright earned more than $35,000 between June 30 and July 9. But when Oct. 1 rolls around and the dust has settled to determine who is going to the Wrangler NFR, a number of cowboys are going to look back at Cowboy Christmas with a big smile.

Scott Kaniewski is the Media Director at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He previously served more than two years as the editor of ProRodeo Sports News. He has nearly two decades of experience in sports journalism, with the last few being consumed by ProRodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/26/2020

ProRodeo.com

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