Regardless of the sport, even the superstar athletes spend countless hours, not only practicing, but competing before small crowds in small towns for small rewards before they reach the big time. It’s certainly true for a sport with rural roots. The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo brought many of these athletes out of the shadows to compete on some of rodeo’s biggest stages in 2026. Two new rodeo formats – the FWSSR Collegiate Rodeo and the PRORODEO Rookie Rally reinforced FWSSR’s role as the place where the future of the sport meets its storied past. “If you want to see what the future of rodeo looks like, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is the place to be,” said FWSSR President and General Manager, Matt Carter. “Tomorrow’s superstars invaded Dickies Arena and Will Rogers Coliseum to the delight of our loyal rodeo fans.” HIGH STAKES RODEO RETURNS TO WILL ROGERS COLISEUM The FWSSR Collegiate Rodeo marked a historic first, bringing the team competition into the FWSSR lineup for the first time in its 129-year history. Held Feb. 2–4 in the newly renovated Will Rogers Coliseum, the event presented by 7NOW Delivery returned evening rodeo to the fabled venue for the first time since professional rodeo moved to Dickies Arena. Tarleton State University rose from the field of seven colleges that included Ranger College, Cisco College, Sul Ross State University, Angelo State University, Vernon College and Weatherford College, claiming both men’s and women’s team titles. Three athletes captured clean sweeps in their respective events by winning the first round, finals and overall championships. Tarleton’s Devon Moore owned Bareback Bronc riding with rides of 84.5 and 87.5 points. Another Tarleton Texan named Devon – Devon Hay – won saddle bronc riding. Sul Ross State University steer wrestler Cameron Haumea matched times of 3.6 seconds in both rounds to claim his title, while Tarleton bull rider Zane Monnett stood out as one of only two TOMORROW’S RODEO STARS SHINE TODAY AT FWSSR competitors to ride both bulls, winning his event by 23 points. The tie-down roping title was earned by Angelo State University’s Sam Lewis and Ranger College team ropers Paycus Raulston and Duke Norby took their event championship. The women’s events brought added excitement. Tarleton teammates Emilee Charlesworth and Jenna Fulton tied for the breakaway roping championship, while Faith Lundberg secured the goat tying title. Weatherford College’s Emily Ward ran the fastest barrel racing time of the rodeo at 16.70 seconds and took the overall title with a time of 33:51 on two runs. WHERE PRO CAREERS LAUNCH The FWSSR PRORODEO Rookie Rally presented by HOLT CAT debuted as a spotlight for first-year professional rodeo athletes. The event featured top PRCA and WPRA rookie athletes who competed across eight events inside Dickies Arena. Each Rookie Rally champion earned an automatic qualification into the 2026 FWSSR PRORODEO Tournament. Leveraging the $100,000 purse, the event gave first-year professionals a rare opportunity to fast-track their path into the tournament field and its $1.5 million payout. Thayne Elshere of Sturgis, S.D., made the most of that opportunity, winning saddle bronc riding and placing second in bull riding to earn more than $8,000. Other Rookie Rally champions included: Bareback Riding – Daxtyn Field, Roosevelt, Utah; Steer Wrestling – Colin Fox, Manvel, Texas; Breakaway Roping – Lucy Richards, Hereford, Texas; TieDown Roping – Ace Reece, Aquilla, Texas; Team Roping – Jet Toberer, Lipan, Texas and Cody Eguisquiza, Uvalde, Texas; Barrel Racing – Jaylan Neatherlin, Brock, Texas; Bull Riding – Braxton Whitesell, Walker, La. Both the men’s and women’s teams from Tarleton State University won the team championships at the FWSSR College Rodeo. 10 11 Thayne Elshere of Sturgis, S.D., was the biggest money winner of the Rookie Rally. Elshere won the saddle bronc riding and was second in the bull riding. Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo January 15 - February 6, 2027 www.fwssr.com
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