It’s a big deal to win RodeoHouston. First place pays $50,000.
And winning takes place on a big stage before thousands of fans in packed house at Reliant Stadium to watch the rodeo finals and Texas legend George Strait concert.Two Fort Worth area competitors rode out of the renowned venue with $50,000 checks after winning titles in a tournament competition called the BP Super Series. They were bareback rider Tom McFarland of Bowie and steer wrestler K.C. Jones of Decatur.McFarland clinched the title with a score of 93 after busting a bronc named Virgal (owned by the Mo’ Betta Rodeo Co). After earning $7,200 in the prelims and the $50,000 in the finals, McFarland pocketed $57,200. Jones paced the bulldogging field with a time of 5.4 seconds and earned an accumulated $53,950.In bull riding, J.W. Harris of Mullin clinched the title with an 89 ($56,300). Other 2013 RodeoHouston champions were Fred Whitfield, Hockley, tie-down roping; Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, saddle bronc riding; Justin Davis, of Madisonville, and Clay Cooper, of Gardnerville, Nev., team roping; and Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah, barrel racing.Another RodeoHouston cash cow is the Super Shootout. That competition was March 9 and it featured the sport’s elite in three bucking stock riding events and barrel racing. Each champion received $25,000.Mary Walker of Ennis, the defending world champion, clinched the barrel racing title. Other $25,000 winners were Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., bareback riding; Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, saddle bronc riding and Wes Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, bull riding.The Houston Rodeo is an invitational, all-star competition. It mostly features Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association stars. However, it is classified as an independent rodeo and earnings do not count in the PRCA world standingsPBR updateDefending Professional Bull Riders world champion Silvano Alves, a Brazilian national who lives in Decatur, earned $35,640 after winning the Fresno, Calif., tour stop on Sunday.Alves clinched the title despite being bucked off in the 10-man final round. He entered the finale with the lead and remained in the No. 1 spot after the other nine finalists were also disqualified.Alves finished with a two-ride score of 174.75. L.J. Jenkins, a former World Finals average winner, finished second with a 171.5.Both Shane Proctor, who is ranked No. 1 in the world standings, and Marco Eguchi, who currently sits in second place, went 1-for-2 on the weekend, which helped Alves gain ground.In the Built Ford Tough Series world standings, Proctor is ranked No. 1 with 4,423.37 points. Eguchi, another Brazilian with a Decatur residence, is No. 2 with 4,402, and Alves is No. 3 with 4,165.91.This weekend, the tour stops in Albuquerque, N.M., where riders will compete in the Ty Murray Invitational. The show is named after the seven-time world all-around champion from Stephenville.More information
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