World Champions Rodeo Alliance announced that qualifying for the next round of big-money WCRA rodeos will begin December 27 at 12:01 a.m. Rodeo athletes from around the globe will have the opportunity to nominate any participating rodeo or single-event competition through the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system for the chance to qualify to compete for a piece of more than $2,000,000 in payouts across multiple WCRA events offered in this next segment.
“Our first Semifinals in November at the Lazy E was a huge success,” WCRA President Bobby Mote said. “We qualified a stellar field of athletes to compete for $1 million at the upcoming Windy City Roundup in Chicago [on January 11 at Allstate Arena]. Now, we’re even more excited about opening qualifications for this next segment of competition and the seven-figure, new-money opportunities available to every rodeo athlete in the world”.
Qualifying through VRQ nominations will remain open until April 15, when the top 50 in WCRA points in each event will compete at the $500,000 WCRA Semifinals from May 15–19 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Following that next Semifinals, the top athletes in each event will advance to another one-day, $1 million major rodeo June 1.
In this next segment, rough stock contestants will have a new and unique qualifying opportunity through the WCRA, as the top 12 in VRQ points as of January 28 will qualify to compete in the 2019 Lewis Feild Bulls and Broncs presented by Komatsu Equipment in Salt Lake City on February 2 at the Maverik Center. This rough stock only event features a $45,000 purse and no entry fees. The top two in each event at the Lewis Feild Bulls & Broncs will receive an exemption into both the final round of the May 15–19 Semifinals and the $1 million Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo in Salt Lake City from July 19–24.
In addition, the WCRA is also pleased to announce a new opportunity open to the top 51-100 timed-event athletes on the WCRA leaderboard at the end of this next segment. They will compete at the Utah Timed Event Spectacular, a $120,000 WCRA Western Quarter-Finals from May 2–4 in Heber City, Utah, with every paid position (up to 16) advancing to the $500,000 May 15–19 Semifinals at the Lazy E.
“We’ve been listening to the suggestions of rodeo athletes throughout this process and are introducing new opportunities like the Western Quarter-Final, which will be hosted by our partners at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo,” Mote said. “This Quarter-Final impact is two-fold. One, it will help serve timed-event athletes in the Western states with a unique, six-figure event purse. Two, it will isolate competition for the lower portion of our leaderboard, allowing challengers an opportunity to compete with one another. The top performers from that lower half of contestants qualifying through the VRQ system will then advance to not only the $500,000 Semifinals at the Lazy E, but the champions will also have a direct qualification opportunity to compete at the $1 million Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo in July.”
Following the $1 million major rodeo in Chicago on January 11, the WCRA and its partners will have awarded more than $3,024,000 in new money to rodeo athletes since launching in May 2018.
Information provided courtesy the WCRA. For more, visit www.wcrarodeo.com.
About WCRA
WCRA is a professional sport and entertainment entity, created to develop and advance the sport of rodeo by aligning all levels of competition. In association with the PBR, WCRA produces major rodeo events, developing additional opportunities for rodeo-industry competitors, stakeholders, and fans. To learn more, visit www.wcrarodeo.com. For athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system, visit app.wcrarodeo.com.
