By Jim
Bainbridge, ProRodeo.com
In its relentless efforts to grow the cowboy
sport and increase prize money for contestants,
the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is
launching an ambitious new enterprise with the
start of the 2008 season in October – the
Heartland ProRodeo Series.
The concept offers added support to the majority
of PRCA rodeos, those with a total added
committee purse of up to $30,000, by bringing
them together in a series that concludes with a
rich and prestigious championship event. The
Heartland ProRodeo Series Championships in Waco,
Texas, scheduled for Oct. 3-11, 2008, will have
minimum prize money of $400,000 and as much as
$500,000.
The PRCA Board of Directors pledged its
unanimous support of the Heartland ProRodeo
Series on Aug. 29. The first event is the
Leesville Lions Club Rodeo in Leesville, La.,
just over a month from now, on Oct. 4-6, 2007.
To date, 163 rodeos have pledged to take part in
the series – including 14 in Canada – and PRCA
officials are projecting 300 rodeos will be on
board by the May 1 filing deadline. Rodeo
committees may elect to join the series at the
time of rodeo approval or by May 1, 2008,
whichever comes first.
“Our goal is to improve this sport and all our
great rodeos for everyone involved, rodeo
committees to contestants, contract personnel to
stock contractors,” said Keith Martin, Chairman
of the PRCA Board of Directors and the PRCA’s
interim Chief Executive Officer. “We believe the
appeal of the season-ending championships will
help Heartland ProRodeo Series rodeos draw
bigger and better fields across the board, so
it''s a win-win situation. I think this series
will be a huge hit with our fans, too, and
pleasing the people who love this sport like we
do is always a top priority.”
The Heartland ProRodeo Series Championships
in Waco will become the fourth leg of the PRCA’s
already abundant championship season, joining
the $366,000 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo
in Pocatello, Idaho, the $1.62 million Ariat
Playoffs of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour and the
$5.5 million Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in
Las Vegas.
In order to qualify for that big season-ending
payday at the Heartland ProRodeo Series
Championships, cowboys will be required to
participate in a minimum of 30 Heartland events.
There will be no cap. Every Heartland rodeo a
cowboy or cowgirl enters will count toward the
series standings.
The top 30 Heartland series contestants in each
event (30 team roping teams) will qualify for
the championships in Waco, which will be
produced by the Heart ’O Texas Fair and Rodeo
committee.
“This series offers a great opportunity to
expand the outreach of ProRodeo,” said Wes
Allison, President and CEO of the Heart ’O Texas
Fair and Rodeo. “It is an opportunity for
contestants to compete on a regional level and
then be part of a rodeo that could pay out as
much as $500,000. It is great for the fans, who
get to see the best rodeo cowboys and cowgirls
compete in a different series. And it is great
for Waco.
“We are very proud that the PRCA looked to us to
host this event at the Heart ’O Texas Fair
Complex and that we are part of this effort.”
The PRCA is putting up $150,000 toward the
Heartland ProRodeo Series Championships prize
money fund. The Heart ’O Texas committee is
matching that, as well as paying all production
costs for the nine-day rodeo. The remainder of
the purse will come from the participating
regular-season rodeos -- there is a $500 fee to
be part of the series, all of which goes
directly to the purse at the Series
Championships -- and the contestants'' entry
fees.
The ground-breaking first event in Leesville
will be followed by the Austin County Fair and
Rodeo in Bellville, Texas, Oct. 10-13; Guadalupe
County PRCA Rodeo in Seguin, Texas, Oct. 11-13;
Trinity Valley Exposition in Liberty, Texas,
Oct. 17-20; Arkansas State Fair and Rodeo in
Little Rock, Oct. 18-20; Harris County Fair and
Rodeo in Houston, Oct. 19-20, and the First
Chance Bonanza in Brookings, S.D., Oct. 26-27.
Any contestant who is a non-notified or notified
turnout at a series rodeo will be docked 100
points in the series standings. Any contestant
who is a doctor release, visible injury, vet
release or official draw out will not be docked
points, but the rodeo will not count toward one
of the 30 needed to qualify for the Series
Championships. If the rodeo is multiple
go-rounds, a contestant must compete in at least
one go-round for the rodeo to count. If the
contestant competes in at least one go-round, no
points will be deducted.