Where to Watch: American Rodeo Central Regional Contender Tournament

The countdown is on to one of the most watched rodeos of the entire year. The American Rodeo, now presented by Teton Ridge, made waves with its inception in 2014. Boasting huge payouts and a $1 million prize for eligible athletes, the format of the rodeo is unlike any other.

Designed to encourage a wider group of contestants to compete at an elite level, there are fewer restrictions for age and gender across the events, as compared to traditional professional rodeos. Not only are younger competitors and weekend warriors welcomed at American events, the qualification process is unique.

Athletes first compete at local events designated as American qualifiers. If they place high enough, they move on to a regional contender tournament. There are three regional events. The American Contender West Regional was held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the South Point Hotel and Casino. The East event was held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

One more regional event remains and that is the American Contender Central Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. The rodeo kicked off February 13. The timed events, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, team roping, tie down roping, and barrel racing, have two rounds. The top 10 aggregate times in each event will move on to the finals. The rough stock events, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding, only have one round and the top 10 competitors in each event will move on to the finals.

In the final night of competition, it will be a "clean slate." The top five fastest times or highest scores in each event will move on to the Contender Finals at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, April 11.

Round 1 of the semi-finals for the timed events wrapped up on Thursday and Round 2 will start at 8 AM CST on Friday, February 14. The "redemption rounds" where competitors can buy-back one final chance to make it into the finals will follow the second round. The top three athletes in this round will punch their ticket to the finals. The single round rough stock semi-finals will be Friday, as well, at 8 PM CST.

The final round of competition, determining who moves on to the Contender Finals in Arlington, Texas, will be Saturday, February 15, at 7 PM CST.

Where to Watch

The semi-finals rounds (Thursday 2/13 and Friday 2/14) are available on Teton Ridge Plus, where they can be watched live for free. Users are required to create an account, but the livestreams are available at no charge.

The final night of competition (Saturday, 2/15) will be live on FS1, with a pre-show and post-show. If you are looking for a little extra entertainment, rodeo stories, and great interviews during the rodeo, be sure to catch up with The Mauney Cast on Teton Ridge Plus.

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