With just 10 ProRodeos under her belt for the 2023 season including two big wins at the NFR Open and the Cinch Playoffs at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Washington, the murmurs of, ‘Can Maddy Deerman REALLY make the NFBR?’ are swirling.
The 23-year-old Texas Tech graduate student from Hope, New Mexico, wasn’t planning on earning more than $34,000 and advancing to the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls in 2023—she was focused on her summer internship at Mewbourne Oil in Midland, Texas.
But the win in Puyallup, Washington, saw Deerman earn $13,000, putting her about $30,000 off the No. 15 position.
Is the NFBR possible?
Sioux Falls is projected to pay $12,099 to win a round and $16,355 to win the average, so even though $30,000 is a large amount in breakaway land, Sioux Falls could make it possible. But with less than 20 days left in the ProRodeo season, Deerman is being pinched by a little thing called the rodeo count. According to the WPRA, the breakaway rodeo count is as follows:
“15.2.3. There will be a minimum rodeo count for NFR eligibility of 25 WPRA approved rodeos and the WPRA World Finals.”
Deerman’s competed in 10 ProRodeos—including Puyallup—and is entered in an additional seven including the Amarillo Tri-State Fair and Rodeo, the West Texas Fair & Rodeo in Abilene, Texas, and the Cowboy Capital of the World PRCA Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas.
“I may try to walk up and replace in Pendleton and other places in the Northwest if there are some turn outs,” Deerman said. “I just look at my schedule and I have no idea how I can make the rodeo count. I can probably get to 20, but I have college rodeo as well and I feel like I have an obligation to be at those, too.”
Aside from starting college again for her graduate degree and being a teaching assistant in undergraduate classes, Deerman’s commitment to the Texas Tech rodeo team means she can’t drop everything and start driving across the country to make the count.
So while it’s not impossible Deerman can make the NFBR, it’s very unlikely.
“I don’t regret doing my internship this summer, but I do wish I had snuck off and done more ProRodeos,” Deerman said. “Rodeos were my vacation this year, and it was nice to have that mindset. The NFBR wasn’t even supposed to be in a fraction of our cards this year, so being able to consider is has been exciting, but I can’t see myself making the count.”
While Deerman plans on hitting up some more Turquoise Circuit rodeos and keeping a watchful eye on Fort Worth’s Cowtown Rodeo schedule for easy rodeo entries, she’s content to go have fun in Sioux Falls come the end of September and try to make the NFBR in 2024.
More on Puyallup, Washington
Deerman qualified for the WPRA Cinch Tour Playoff Finale via her NFR Open win in July. Amid a field of 23 other breakaway ropers, Deerman advanced to the eight-woman short round on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
She did it on her “BeeBop,” her gelding she hadn’t ridden all summer.
“I loaned BeeBop to my boyfriend Garrett Jacobs for the summer because I had too many horses,” Deerman explained. “I jumped on him for Puyallup, and I was a little rusty on him.”
Maddy Deerman’s Puyallup Results
Round 1: 3.9 seconds
Round 2: 12.6 seconds
Eight-man: 2.8 seconds
Four-man: 3.1 seconds
“For the four-man, I wasn’t too safe on the start, but I knew Garrett would give my calf a good push,” Deerman said. “I saw an ear and was right on the start. I took my first good shot, and it played out in my favor. BeeBop did so good for me, he’s such a great horse.”
