Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo (KRRR) is taking over AT&T Stadium May 16, where six teams, including the WCRA’s Free Riders, will complete for a $500,000 prize.
Five of the six teams are made up of hand-picked athletes; two in each event (four in team roping). The final team to compete is the WCRA’s Free Riders. Unlike the other teams, members of the Free Riders must win their way on to the team during Rodeo Corpus Christi.
Here are five reasons an athlete should be gunning to be on the WCRA Free Rider’s team, according to coach Linsay Rosser Sumpter.
5. The WCRA’s Free Riders Team is the last opportunity to compete at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo
Only 12 breakaway ropers compete at the KRRR, and 10 of them are selected in the draft. The final two win their way into Kid Rock at WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi. Haters may say the Free Rider’s team is built from the leftover athletes not selected in the draft—but that’s what makes the team so strong.
Not only are the WCRA Free Rider’s the reigning KRRR Champions, but they’re united by the underdog mentality. Overlooked in the draft? More fuel to the fire. They won their way into the opportunity to compete at AT&T Stadium, and that gives a little edge some other athletes may be missing.
Important dates:
— Nominations for Rodeo Corpus Christi close April 6, 2025
— Rodeo Corpus Christi is May 7–10
— Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo is May 16
Nominate your next event for WCRA RCC here
4. Free Riders get instant gratification
Say you win your way onto the Free Riders team by finishing in the top two of your event at WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi on May 10. Then, six days later, you’re at AT&T Stadium competing at Kid Rocks’s Rock N Rodeo on May 14. Things happen fast, but that’s the beauty of it.
“With Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, you go from Rodeo Corpus Christi in this amazing high of winning a very prestigious rodeo in its own, and then you have a couple of days to get your ducks in a row,” Free Rider’s coach Linsay Sumpter said. “Bobby Mote and I are really invested in the success of the team.”
3. Free Riders are refreshed on the stoplight system
Playing off of the momentum point, athletes coming off of the Rodeo Corpus Christi are not only familiar with the stoplight system—they just won a rodeo on it. Athletes on other KRRR teams may have practice setups at home, but high intensity experience with the stoplight system gives the Free Riders team an edge.
Mastering the stoplight system:
“You can almost disregard the lights and go completely off of the sound. There’s a rhythm to the sound that the lights make. So if you are listening to the rhythm of the sound, you can almost pace it. So it’s red, red, yellow, and then it goes to green.” – Linsay Sumpter
2. Coaches Linsay Sumpter and Bobby Mote implement thoughtful strategy
Sumpter coached college rodeo for 15 years, and is well-versed on how to assemble a successful team. Pair that with Motes’ analytical mind and experience with WCRA events, and the two are a dangerous coaching combination.
“We really pull the team together and make sure that they understand the format and of the rodeo,” Sumpter said. “It can be fast and furious, so we really we take that week to get the team camaraderie going and make sure everybody knows exactly what to expect when they get to the rodeo.”
Sumpter says she prioritizes ‘jobs’ for each athlete, whether it’s getting the box ready and standing in it, pushing a calf or making sure a barrel racer is rubber-banded in. Every team member is taken care of and feels like they’re a part of the Free Riders.
Sumpter and Motes also have some more secret strategies we won’t give too much away on, but it involves being informed on how the head-to-head matches are looking and adjusting strategies accordingly, much like the NFL.
1. The winning team members take home $27,778 each
Money talks, and nearly $30K does a lot of it. A Free Rider could come home with $45,000 or more depending on their performance at Rodeo Corpus Christi. There are big checks and medals involved, too, but we’ll let individuals decide what that’s worth.
