BIG SPRING The good news is out.
Hundreds of ProRodeo’s stars are aligning for this week’s Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at the Rodeo Bowl.
Among them are nearly three dozen cowboys and cowgirls who have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo or the National Finals Breakaway Roping, and they are ready to put on a show. It’s a chance for them to collect some big-time cash as they begin their summer run.
“We strive to be the kind of rodeo contestants want to come to,” said Cash Berry, president of the volunteer committee that produces the event, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary. “We’ve increased our added money as an incentive, and we’ve got Pete Carr as our stock contractor, so I think we’re doing all the right things.”
It looks to be paying off. Among the contingent of athletes who have put their names in the hat to compete in Big Spring are 11 world champions, including team ropers Kaleb Driggers, Junior Nogueira, Patrick Smith and Wesley Thorp. They will be joined by bull rider Cody Teel, barrel racer Fallon Taylor and women’s roping titlists Martha Angelone, Shelby Boisjoili-Meged, Jackie Crawford, Lari Dee Guy and Hope Thompson.
“I like to think it says something about what we’re doing when you have that many world champions who want to come to Big Spring,” Berry said. “Every one of them comes from Texas, so it brings us a lot of pride to know they want to be here.”
This year’s purse features $5,000 in local dollars per event. That money is mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the entire payout. Many of the hundreds of competitors who will make their runs or rides in Howard County rodeo for a living, so every penny counts.
Money isn’t just how they take care of expenses and feed their families; it’s also how points are tabulated. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the end of the season advance to ProRodeo’s grand finale in Las Vegas. The highest earners in each discipline when 2024 comes to a close will be crowned world titlists.
Many of those sporting gold buckles also claimed the second-most prestigious title in rodeo: the National Finals average champion. The top hand during the 10-round championship is awarded the honor. There are four average winners – steer wrestlers Don Payne and Matt Reeves and team ropers Cody Snow and Tanner Tomlinson – who also will test their skills inside the Rodeo Bowl.
“We love having the best in rodeo at Big Spring, and our fans know who they are,” Berry said. “We are rodeo-savvy out here, so seeing the top names competing here is a big deal to everyone.”
