... Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho, Team Roper (Header) Chad Masters, Team ... have all received the PRCA's Excellence i
Winnie, TX Jerry Nelson, owner of Frontier Rodeo, is known in the Pro Rodeo world as the "Maverick". On October 31, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. he will continue to demonstrate his "Maverick style" in every since of the word. Jerry Nelson will host one of the largest events in Pro Rodeo history in Winnie, TX, when the fourth stop of the PRCA " Champions Challenge" arrives in Winnie, TX. The Champions Challenge will be held at the newly constructed 12,000 seat outdoor rodeo arena situated next to Mr Nelson's already popular Nutty Jerry's Entertainment Complex in Winnie, TX . The PRCA Champions Challenge in will be televised Nationally on GAC. Nov 10th @ 5 pm & Nov 16th @ 9 am. This event is scheduled to host 19 World Champion Cowboys and Cowgirls along with 62 National Finals qualifiers. Only one month preceding the National Finals Rodeo, this is sure to be the most talked about Rodeo event of the season in Southeast Texas! A Roster of the seven currently scheduled contenders are listed below. Not only will audiences see 80 of the top ranked contestants in the United States, they will also be entertained by recording artists Don Williams immediately following the Champions Challenge event Jerry Nelson and Frontier Rodeo will also host a two day Professional Rodeo on November 1st and 2nd at 7:30 p.m. nightly, which will showcase over 300 of the nation's top Professional Cowboys and Cowgirls from across the country. Many of the World Champions and National Finalists from the Champions Challenge are also scheduled to compete in this two day event as well. Live concerts by Jamey Johnson (Nov 1st) and Mel Tillis (Nov 2nd) will follow these Pro Rodeo performances For more information on the Champions Challenge event visit www.prorodeo.com To purchase tickets go to www.nuttyjerrys.com Information below is from the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association media department COLORADO SPRINGS – As part of its ongoing commitment to increasing the popularity of the cowboy sport, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will launch a special made-for-TV series of Champions Challenge rodeos this year on Great American Country (GAC), featuring 10 top competitors in each event and the sport’s best livestock. There will be four Champions Challenge rodeos aired in a one-hour format in 2013, starting with the May 18 Redding (Calif.) event, which will air at 5 p.m. (ET) on July 7 and then be rebroadcast at 9 a.m. on July 13. Subsequent events will be held in Amarillo, Texas; Kissimmee, Fla., and Winnie (October 31) Each of these events, except for Kissimmee, will be held in conjunction with a regularly-scheduled PRCA rodeo and will offer $80,000 in additional prize money which, at least initially, will not be counted in the world standings. “You have the best guys going against the best stock in a one-head event,” said four-time World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote. “From the competitor’s standpoint that’s exciting, knowing you are going against the best in every rodeo. And it’s a great opportunity for the fans to watch the same guys in each broadcast. It’s difficult to promote the sport when you might be seeing 12 totally different guys from one telecast to the next. That’s why the (Wrangler) NFR is so unique. You are seeing the 15 best guys every night. The Champions Challenge is a step in the right direction for the sport.”
Commitments have been received from all eight reigning PRCA World Champions – All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile, Bareback Rider Kaycee Feild, Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho, Team Roper (Header) Chad Masters, Team Roper (Heeler) Jade Corkill, Saddle Bronc Rider Jesse Wright, Tie-down Roper Tuf Cooper and Bull Rider Cody Teel. “This is the future of ProRodeo on television,” says PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman. “Over the last 70 years, we’ve tried to figure out the optimal method for TV coverage, and now we know: Showcasing our top athletes – contestants and livestock – is our greatest opportunity to create a new fan base as well as to reward our existing fans, by ensuring they see the best of the best.”
The top seven finishers in each event from the 2012 world standings were automatically invited to participate. ( See Roster below) Two of the remaining three spots will go to whoever is leading the 2013 world standings and the 2013 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour standings 30 days before each Champions Challenge event. The last spot will be awarded to the host rodeo’s defending champion. If, as is the case with Kissimmee, there is no defending champion, the final spot will go to the highest-ranked competitor in the 2013 standings who is not already in the field. The format will be a 10-person, single-round rodeo with the wins going to the fastest times and highest scores. GAC’s team of announcers for the series is the same one that works the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo each December with Jeff Medders, Joe Beaver and Butch Knowles in the booth and Suzanne Alexander handling interviews and feature inserts. Medders has announced the Wrangler NFR for the past 19 years while Knowles, who won the 1987 NFR saddle bronc riding average title, has been providing expert commentary for 24 years and eight-time World Champion Beaver for the last four years. Alexander joined the team in 2011, working the nightly pre-NFR reports from the ProRodeo Fan Zone. Medders, Knowles and Beaver have all received the PRCA’s Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Award.
Champions Challenge October 31st, 2013 Winnie, TX
7:30 p.m.
Roster of Contestants
Bareback
Saddle Bronc
Bull Riding
Kaycee Field (2011, 12 World Champion) Will Lowe (2003, 05, 06 World Champion) J R Verzain (1 X NFR) Steven Dent (5 X NFR) Caleb Bennett( 1 X NFR) Wes Stevenson (8 X NFR)
Jesse Wright (2012 World Champion) Cody DeMoss (9 X NFR) Cody Wright (2008,10 World Champion) Wade Sundell (4 X NFR) Taos Muncy (2007,11 World Champion) Jake Wright (1 X NFR) Cole Elshere( 1 X NFR)
Cody Teel (2012 World Champion) J W Harris (2008, 09, 10 World Champion) Seth Glause (4 X NFR) Beau Schroeder (1 X NFR) Trevor Kastner (2 X NFR) Clayton Savage (3 X NFR) Kanin Asay (5 X NFR)
Tie-Down
Steer Wrestling
Barrel Racing
Tuf Cooper(2011, 12 World Champion) Justin Maas(7 X NFR) Ryan Jarrett( AA World Champion) Clint Robinson (4 X NFR) Shane Hanchey (3 X NFR) Adam Gray( 3 X NFR) Bradley Bynum (1 X NFR)
Luke Branquinho(2004, 08,11,12 W Champion)
Casey Martin (2 X NFR) Les Shepperson (2 X NFR) Wade Sumpter (5 X NFR) Dean Gorsuch(2006,10 World Champion) Bray Armes (1 X NFR) Ethen Thouvenell (2 X NFR)
Mary Walker (2012 World Champion) Nikki Steffes (NFR) Fallon Taylor (NFR) Carlee Pierce (NFR) Brittany Pozzi (World Champion) Bennette Little( NFR) Christy Loflin (NFR)
Team Roping Headers
Team Roping Heelers
Bios on all contestants at prorodeo.com
Chad Masters(2007,12 World Champion) Kaleb Driggers (2 X NFR) Trevor Brazile (17 X World Champion) Keven Daniel( 4 X NFR) Luke Brown (5 X NFR) Clay Tryan (2005 World Champion) Brock Hanson(1 X NFR)
Jade Corkill (2012 World Champion) Martin Lucero (15 X NFR) Patrick Smith (2005, 2010 World Champion) Chase Tryan (1 X NFR) Kory Koontz (19 X NFR) Travis Graves (4 X NFR) Ryan Motes(2 X NFR)
Bobby Mote(2002, 07, 09, 10 World Champion)
Two of the remaining three spots will go to whoever is leading the 2013 world standing and the 2013 Million Dollar Tour standings 30 days before the event.
