Unpacking the Tournament Style Rodeos

Throughout the year, professional rodeo athletes participate in a variety of rodeos across the country, each featuring different formats. Some rodeos use a sudden-death format, where competitors have only one chance to perform and advance. Others employ a two-head average system, requiring athletes to compete in two rounds and the cumulative scores determine the winners. Additionally, many of the larger rodeos have adopted a tournament-style format, which involves a series of progressively challenging rounds and often finishes in a finals round where contestants go head to head for the title. Each format offers unique challenges and strategies for the competitors.

The shift towards tournament-style rodeos is reshaping major events, though the lack of a standardized format means each rodeo committee has its own approach. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s (PRCA) role is to approve these events while supporting diverse rule sets. Rodeo formatting is one of the most controversial conversations among rodeo athletes and committee's today. Cheyenne Frontier Days, Denver’s National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, and Rodeo Houston are a few examples of major rodeos employing a tournament style format.

The tournament style was created with contestants best interest in mind, however there are some who do not like these changes. Similarly to any sports tournament, contestants compete in brackets and have to defeat other athletes to get into the final rounds. Qualifying rounds, quarter and semi finals, and wild card rounds are all factors in who wins the rodeo.    

Qualifying Rounds and Limited Entries

At these major rodeos with big payouts there are typically hundreds of contestants per event that want to enter and get a shot at the big paychecks, however there are only so many performance spots available. Typically each performance will have 10-12 contestants per event. To fill these spots, committees either limit entries or hold qualifying rounds.

There are select rodeos that do not hold specific qualifying rounds, but use standings and previous winnings to determine who gets in. Everyone who holds a PRCA card can enter, but may not get in. It is not uncommon for the limit to be the top 50 in the world the previous year, top 12 in circuit finals standings, or some qualifications along those lines. Each rodeo and each event can have their own set of rules and limits. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days is a great example of the qualifying rounds that many tournament style rodeos include. They hold slack where around 200 contestants in each timed event compete trying to get into the top 60 that will advance to the performances. All contestants, regardless of previous earnings have to rope in the qualifying round. 

Some qualifying rounds at other rodeos are for contestants who did not get in to the rodeo through the previous requirements (standings, earnings, etc.) All of the qualifiers are to get into the performances and are paid as well. 

Wildcard Round 

Many rodeos offer a wildcard round, or redemption round. In Cheyenne for example, each timed event has a wild card round for the contestants who did not make the top 60 in the qualifying rounds. Each of those contestants get a second chance and they take the top 12 from that round into the performances as well. Some rodeos offer their wildcard round after the long round of performances to advance into the quarter finals, semi finals, or final round instead of into the perfs. 

Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, Final Round

Depending on the rodeo, there are often multiple levels of the finals, similar to any other tournament. Contestants who qualify for the performances will compete against a handful of other contestants in their same perf or bracket. Then they will take the top few from that into the next round. Some only take the top contestant, some take the top four from those perfs. If the rodeo has a semi finals then the same process will occur again until the final round is reached. 

It is not uncommon for the final round to hold only four contestants who will go head to head for the big money. Some rodeos treat the final round as a clean slate and sudden death where as some pay out on average times throughout the week. 

Typically, each perf and each round will pay as well as the big checks at the final round. This gives contestants lots of opportunties to win money towards their season earnings. This is one of the benefits of the tournament style that contestants enjoy. 

Rodeo Schedules and Traveling Conflicts  

One of the main drawbacks of tournament style rodeos is the extensive travel required for contestants. Unlike one round rodeos, where competitors can quickly participate and move on to the next event regardless of their performance, tournament style rodeos necessitate multiple returns to the same venue if the contestant advances. This can stretch over several weeks, complicating the scheduling of other rodeos and leading to a hectic travel schedule.

The unique structure, with multiple rounds and extended engagements of these events, not only adds to the excitement for fans but also elevates the level of competition for the rodeo athletes. As rodeo continues to evolve, we are likely to see more rodeos adapt to new formats that benefit everyone involved, especially the cowboys and cowgirls making a living going down the road.