Josie Conner is the new No. 1 in the breakaway World Standings with $125,766 in season earnings thanks to a win at the Ellensburg Rodeo, overtaking Jackie Crawford, who’s been leading the field since a RodeoHouston win in March.
With times of 2.7, 2.5 and 2.4 seconds, Conner rounded up a total of $11,015 in Ellensburg, WA.
Conner’s new position is no surprise to those on the rodeo trail—she’s been winning big nearly every weekend starting in early June at the Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Arizona. Over Cowboy Christmas, she was the leading money-earner with $15,815 garnered.
But the 20-year-olds’ year hasn’t always been peachy keen, as she detailed following her win at the Caldwell Night Rodeo.
“I had a horrible winter,” Conner said. “I don’t even know what I came out of the winter with, but it wasn’t a lot. I took that and reflected on some things.”
From there, riding her main gelding “Dutch,” Conner’s been in the zone.
Josie Conner’s big rodeo paydays:
June:
- Home of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, AZ: $4,117
- Parker County Sheriffs Posse Frontier Days And PRCA Rodeo, Weatherford, TX: $3,006
- Crooked River Roundup, Prineville, OR: $5,302
July:
- St. Paul Rodeo, St. Paul, OR: $4,745
- Killdeer Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo, Killdeer, ND: $6,322
- Fiesta Days Rodeo, Spanish Fork, UT: $7,134
August:
- Lea County Fair and Rodeo, Lovington, NM: $7,102
- Caldwell Night Rodeo, Caldwell, ID: $9,360
- Horse Haven Round-Up, Kennewick, WA: $6,793
September:
- Ellensburg Rodeo, Ellensburg, WA: $10,311
Goodbye, bubble
For a competitor who’s faced—and defeated—the dreaded Top 15 bubble in the past 2 years, sitting in the drivers seat is a welcome change.
“In a way, I feel like I’ve worked my whole life for this, and it’s all paying off,” Conner said following Caldwell. “I really credit Dutch, he gives me those looks every time and makes bad calves look good. The success has really been him, and I’ve taken it one calf at a time.”
With 66 rodeos on her count, Conner has averaged $1,895 won per rodeo. For a year that originally started with her aiming to be inside the top 10 for an invite to the Kimes Million Dollar Breakaway, things are turning out well.
Conner is in at Puyallup, Washington, where a breakaway roper can earn nearly $20K. And on the chance she doesn’t make it through to Sioux Falls via Puyallup, she’s leading the Playoff Series standings, too, where they’ll take an additional eight ropers.
Find full information on Puyallup and Sioux Falls qualifications below.
All said, Conner has plenty of opportunities to keep her No. 1 position with less than a month to go in the ProRodeo regular season.
The Breakaway Roping Journal will continue to cover the World Standings race thanks to support from Top Hand Ropes.
