This weekend, cowboys and cowgirls competed in Barrel Racing and Bull Riding qualifing events. The Barrel Racing event was held at the Diamond W Arena in Alvarado, Texas where the top 10 finishers advance to THE AMERICAN Semifinals. Bull Riding took place at the Springfield Fairgrounds in Springfield, Mo, the first place finisher advances directly to THE AMERICAN. THE AMERICAN Semifinals will take place in Mesquite, TX on Feb. 22-23. The top finishers from each event after the qualifier will advance to RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN Presented by Polaris RANGER on March 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. THE AMERICAN is the richest one-day rodeo in history, with a payout of $2 million.
See below for the latest qualifier results and some additional story ideas to include in your coverage of RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN Presented by Polaris RANGER rodeo.
Barrel Racing event held in Alvarado, Texas on Nov. 9.
Top 10 qualifiers advance: 1st Callie Rios, 2nd Jolene Montgomery, 3rd Andrea Cline, 4th Christine Laughlin, 5th Kay Blandford, 6th Lauren Sparks,7th Morgann McDonald, 8th Kenna Squires, 9th Shelby Frasier, 10th Katelyn McLeod
· First place finisher, Callie Rios, has been barrel racing her whole life but didn’t start seriously competing until 2011 when she left her job at an El Paso accounting firm to follow her passion.
· Christine Laughlin started riding horses at 3 years old. She competed in junior rodeos, qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals three times and competed in college rodeos while attending West Texas A&M.
· Kay Blanford won the WPRA World Championship in 2007 and in 2010 she was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.
· Shelby Frasier finds inspiration in her mother, Deb Frasier, a two time NFR qualifier in Barrel Racing.
Bull Riding event held in Springfield, MO on Nov. 8-9.
First place qualifier advances: Jory Markiss
· Jory has only been competing in Bull Riding for six years and already qualified for the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in 2012. Markiss also has been featured in a Nike’s commercial titled “Possibilities.”
RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN Presented by Polaris RANGER will take place on March 2nd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Tickets are on sale and prices range from $20 to $150, not including taxes. They can be purchased at the AT&T Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations and online at www.americanrodeo.com <http://www.americanrodeo.com> .
The Semifinals is the last opportunity for an athlete to qualify to compete in RFD-TV’S THE AMERICAN Presented by Polaris RANGER. It takes place on Feb. 22-23 in Mesquite, TX. Tickets for The Semifinals are available now for $14, $20 and $30 not including taxes. They can be purchased at the Mesquite Arena’s box office and online at www.americanrodeo.com <http://www.americanrodeo.com> .
