FORT WORTH, Texas – As the Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo was down to one eligible athlete in the Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR), breakaway roping had the fans inside the Cowtown Coliseum on the edge of their seats.
Tacy Kay Webb, the 24-year-old ICU nurse, was the undeniable star of the rodeo, delivering what would be the most groundbreaking performance of the event. As only one of two athletes remaining TCR-eligible in the final round of competition, her 2.49-second effort elevated her to a $12,500 payday. For Webb, fresh off her win at July’s Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo, the event marked her second consecutive WCRA Major victory, putting her in contention to be a millionaire. If Webb triumphs at May’s Rodeo Corpus Christi, she will be the first victor of the WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo $1 million bonus.
Not only did Webb emerge victorious, but she did so by defeating Women’s Rodeo World Champion Hope Thompson (Decatur, TX) and Britta Strain (Davie, FL).
The bareback riding was a tightly contested battle, with two of three riders earning a 77-point score or higher. Tim O’Connell (Zwingle, IA) matched up against Stevie Knicks and found himself earning the highest-marked ride of the night with an 88.0-point score. The three-time world champ came in ahead of TCR contender Clayton Biglow’s (Clements, CA) 77.0 and Canada’s RC Landingham’s (Hat Creek, AB) 85.0.
Riley Webb (Decatur, LA) was unstoppable in the tie-down, where he delivered the fastest time the Cowtown Coliseum saw all week. The 18-year-old and now three-time WCRA champion recorded a 7.04-second run in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round before delivering a lightning-fast 7.58-second effort in the showdown round. Webb topped Pecos Tatum’s (La Plata, NM) 7.05-second time.
After no qualified rides in the saddle bronc riding and steer wrestling, Cole Elshere (Faith, SD) came out of the chute with a winner-take-all mentality. The South Dakota man notched an 88-point ride and walked away with $16,500 (ground money added).
As one of only three steer wrestlers to deliver a qualified run, Cash Robb (Altonah, UT) found himself in the same situation as Elshere. After failed attempts from Sterling Walton (Houston, TX) and Joe Wilson (Martin, SD), Robb tipped his calf with one of the fastest times of the week with a 4.98-second run.
In team roping, the duo of Jason Burson (Sealy, TX) and Corey Hendrick (Bedias, TX) delivered a 5.65-second run. They bested the team of Colby Lovell (Madisonville, TX) and Trey Johnson’s (Weatherford, TX) 6.22-second time along with two-time WCRA Champion Joe Mattern (Plantersville, TX) and Coy Brittian’s (Rockwall, TX) 12.74-second run.
Barrel racer Sherri Barnes (Pilot Point, TX) rode in the Coliseum after Britta Strain and London Gorham (Cotulla, TX) both received a five-second penalty. Barnes knew that all she needed to do was not knock down a barrel. She shattered the competition, running one of the best performances of the evening with a 13.99-second run and earning a $12,500 paycheck.
After three-time PBR World Finals qualifier Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, NY), Leonardo Lima (Vale Do Pariso, BR), and Deklan Garland (Foster, OK) did not cover in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round, no champion was crowned in the bull riding.
On Dec. 25 at 2 p.m. ET, fans will be able to tune into the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round at the Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo on a CBS network broadcast.
Since launching in May of 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $10,860,000 in new money to rodeo athletes.
Nominations are now open for WCRA’s next Major rodeo, Rodeo Corpus Christi (RCC22), on May 11-14. Athletes are eligible to nominate their competitive efforts in the Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) until April 10 to earn a spot in the $550,000 event.