Saturday, Dec. 12, 2013
Champion against Champion
(Action photos by Mike Copeman)The 2013 National Finals Rodeo has three champion barrel racers competing against each other. Sherry Cervi holds the most world titles of the three from 1995, 1999 and 2010. She is back again in 2013 leading the standings and hoping for another world title. Brittany Pozzi has qualified for the WNFR 10 times (2003, 2005-2013) taking away the gold buckle in 2007 and 2009. Mary Walker qualified for just one prior NFR, but she made it count taking the world title home last year in 2012. Barrel racers aren't alone in the champion against champion match-ups at the 2013 WNFR. Every event has at least 3 gold buckle holders pitted against each other.

2013 WNFR Qualifiers Holding World Titles Sherry Cervi holds the most world titles of any other 2013 WNFR barrel racer (1995, 1999, 2010). Brittany Pozzi hold world titles from both 2007 and 2009. Mary Walker is the reigning world champion barrel racer (2012)

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013
One Vest, Different Kinds of Judges
Rodeo judges wear black and white striped vests when they are officiating in the rodeo arena, but not all of the judges are the same. To become a rodeo judge a PRCA card holder attends a judging seminar and takes a test showing that they know the rodeo rules and understands how to evaluate animal wellness to keep the competition fair and the animals safe. Once this is complete they become a D-level rodeo judge. There are 4 levels from D to A with tenure and experience playing a major factor in their promotion from one level to the next. Rodeo Judges earn pay for each performance that they judge with A-level judges earning a higher rate than a D-level judge. There are also 8 pro officials who are salaried by the PRCA. If a vacancy opens in the eight positions then the supervisor reviews all of the A-level judges and consults with the pro officials to hire someone for this opening. All of the pro officials judge the WNFR and an additional 22 judges are brought in to keep an eye on everything that happens in the arena.

WNFR rodeo judges spread out inside and out of the Thomas & Mack arena to view every angle of the action. Travis Howe is officiating his first National Finals Rodeo. In addition to the judges on the ground in the arena, there are judges around the arena keeping an eye on the barrel race. Joe Bob Locke staked the NFR barrel pattern at the Thomas & Mack and serves as the flag judge for the barrel race.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013
From the Red Carpet to the Rodeo Arena
Top 15 Barrel Racer Shada Brazile and her husband Trevor will be presenting on television at the American Country Awards and then rushing over to the Thomas & Mack to compete in Round 6 of the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. With no time to spare between the ACA stage and the grand entry, Shada had to decide if she was going to go to the red carpet glammed out or rodeo ready. It appears that glam won.

Shada and Trevor Brazile are red carpet ready as they head over to present at the ACA Awards before rushing to the Thomas & Mack to compete in the barrel race and roping events.

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013
Barrel Patterns by the Book
The WPRA Rule book's definition of a standard pattern for a barrel race is set for a much larger sized arena than the WNFR pen at the Thomas & Mack, but it isn't the smallest pattern permitted by the rules. The Official Barrel Pattern Measurements for the National Finals Rodeo shows 60' between barrels one and two and 70 feet from the second barrel to the third. The score is listed as being 63.9', which may seem much longer than it appears from the stands or the telecast, which meets the minimum 60' requires for stopping distance. This is because the length of the alley can be included in the measurement.

The Pro Rodeo Officials set the barrel pattern at the WNFR. They use rope that is tied to a stake to mark the spot for each of the three barrels and to mark the two spots where the electronic eye sets to measure the barrel times.

Pro Official Butch Kirby checks the barrel stakes in the Thomas & Mack to be sure that the Coors barrels go in the same spot for each girl for every performance. The WPRA Official Rule Book defines as Standard Barrel Pattern, but allows for specified changes for smaller pens, like the NFR arena at the Thomas & Mack. The 2013 WNFR Barrel Pattern Measurements were signed off by Pro Rodeo Officials: Joe Bob Locke, George Gibbs and Cliff Overstreet. The NFR barrel patterns measures at: 60.3 feet between barrel one (1) and two (2); 70 feet between barrel one (1) and three (3) and between barrel two (2) and three (3); 63.9 feet from barrels one (1) and two (2) to the score line The electric eyes, which have no required measurements, are set at: 18' between the fence and the electric eye; 42.8' between the start line and the electric eye

Monday, Dec. 9, 2013
Girls are the Top Guns at NFR
The Ram Top Gun Award is presented to the contestant who wins the most money in a single event at the WNFR. Going into Round 4 cowgirl Sherry Cervi had won $43,570 in Rounds 1-3 and she is holding off tie-down roper Shane Hanchey who has racked up $41,166 and bareback rider Steven Peebles and bull rider Shane Procter who each have $37,260. With a Ram Truck on the line, Sherry has a lot of motivation to keep the go-round money coming so she can drive out of Las Vegas in a 3500 Ram Heavy Duty Longhorn Laramie truck wearing a special Montana Silversmith Top Gun buckle while brandishing a Top Gun-branded gun from Commemorative Firearms.
The Ram Top Gun award's inaugural year was in 2010 when Trevor Brazile won followed by Kacee Field in 2011. If the award had existed in 2009 Sherry Cervi would have won being the top earner in a single event at the NFR. Add this to the fact that Mary Walker won last year's award and, you see that there is a lot of girl power in the Ram Top Gun Award.

Ram Top Gun Winner Mary Walker receiving her Ram Truck and gun at the 2012 WNFR. ~PRCA Photo by Greg Westfall

Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013
A Long Haul to the NFR
The Top 15 cover a lot of miles during the rodeo season, but their haul doesn't stop when they get to Las Vegas. The barns that house the horses during the 10 days of the WNFR are set up behind the Thomas & Mack arena. It might be a surprise that it is over a quarter mile from the barns to the grand entry gate of the NFR arena. The timed event cowboys, who compete on the opposite end of the arena, log in over a half mile around the arena to the entrance of the timed event end.

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
Keeping an Eye on Things
The Barrel Race is a fast event where time is everything. The event is timed with wireless electric eyes that sit on tripods across the arena from each other and the time starts and stops when the horse crosses this invisible start/finish line. WPRA barrel racing is timed to the hundredth of a second, but if you cross the eye before finishing the required clover leaf pattern you get disqualified. A back up time is kept by a rodeo judge dropping a flag when the horse crosses the start/finish line and an official timer records the time with a stop watch. This back up time is only used in case the electric eye malfunctions.

And the time stops at 13.66 seconds

Friday, Dec. 6, 2013
Age - Making the Most of your Years

Mary Walker

Kaley Bass

Fallon Taylor

Reining champion Mary Walker is the oldest barrel racer at the 2013 National Finals Rodeo and Kaley Bass makes her second NFR appearance at just 20 years old coming in as this year's youngest qualifier. However, Fallon Taylor made it to the NFR before there was a minimum age of 18 to be a WPRA member making her debut in Las Vegas in 1995 at just 13 years of age.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013
NFR TELEVISION COVERAGE EXPANDS TO TWO NETWORKS
WPRA's STAR CELEBRATION WILL BE FEATURED ON RFD-TV

Most avid rodeo fans are aware that the performances of the National Finals Rodeo will be televised live each night on the Great American Country (GAC) network. You can find a full schedule for your area of the country by logging on to http://www.gactv.com/gac/shows_prca. The telecasts are also repeated so check your local cable company listings to find this schedule.

But, what most don't know is that this year, RFD-TV has dedicated 6 hours of daily programming time to cover events and happenings surrounding the National Finals Rodeo beginning Thursday, December 5th through Sunday, December 15th. RFD-TV will be taping the WPRA's Star Celebration, the event that spotlights the WPRA's Rodeo Committee and Contract Personnel Winners, the Justin Best Footing Award winners from each of the 12 designated circuit rodeo system and a one on one interview with the WPRA's NFR qualifiers. RFD-TV will broadcast the WPRA Star Celebration on Friday, Dec. 6th at 5:00 PM.

See entire RFD-TV Broadcast Schedule Below:


Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013
The Top 15 WPRA Barrel Racers shared the NFR experience by treating each of their fellow qualifiers in a gift exchange at a party hosted by Judd and Bennett Little and Byron Walker. Some of the gifts ranged from painted western belts and Tres Rios bracelets to gifts that they can use on their horses like engraved hoof picks and leather beaded over and unders.

Pictured here are Trula Churchill, Kaley Bass and Taylor Jacobs with Gypsy Soule flip flops.