The WCRA’s World Championship Junior Rodeo (WCJR) is taking over the Lazy E Arena July 22–26, 2025, and several breakaway ropers are taking advantage of the early bird discounts that come with a direct (open) entry to the event.
Check out who’s making sure they’ll be at the July event and dig into the early bird discount with the information below. (Early bird prices expire April 1.)
3 WCJR Entry/Qualification methods:
A few WCJR Breakaway Open Entries ⤵️
Harley Pryor
Reigning WCJR World Champion Pryor and her esteemed mare “Muffin” are entered up in the Junior Breakaway in Guthrie.
“Muffin fits my style perfectly,” Pryor told BRJ in 2022. “She scores great, runs hard and really rates off giving me the perfect opportunity every time.”
The WCRA, WCJR and WRC regular knows exactly how to nominate to maximize her point earning potential, winning more than $40K at The Patriot in 2024—all of which ran her up the WCRA Leaderboards.
But for her 2025 WCRJ Breakaway entry, Pryor decided an open entry was the move for Muffin.
Enter the 2025 WCJR via Open Entry here.
Sage Putnam
Putnam is no stranger to the WCRA family of events, competing at the WCJR in 2024 and qualifying for 2024 Rodeo Carolina. Putnam is staying busy in 2025, too, competing at The Patriot Event in Fort Worth, winning the 15-and-Under Breakaway Jackpot on “Peanut,” the same horse she plans to bring to Guthrie to rope on in the Junior Breakaway.
Hadley Thompson
Hadley Thompson is one of the fiercely competitive sisters from the Thompson family from Yoder, Wyoming. She breakaway ropes, team ropes, barrel races, pole bends and ties goats, recently topping the 19 and Under Goat Tying Jackpot at The Patriot Fort Worth.
Thompson got the early bird discount open entering the WCJR Junior Breakaway on CD Smokin Miss Kitty, a mare owned by her sister Haiden.
WCJR Early Entry Discount
The WCRA Division Youth (WCRA DY) and The Lazy E Arena are excited to announce that Discounted Early Bird Open Entry is now available for the 2025 Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo (WCJR) presented by Montana Silversmiths, set to take place July 22–26 in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Athletes who enter between March 17–31 will receive a $100 discount per entry. Starting April 1, all entry fees will return to full price.
In 2024, the WCJR paid out nearly $400,000, and the 2025 event will feature over $215,000 in guaranteed added money. Open Entry is available to youth athletes ages 10–19 across 11 disciplines.
Open Entry Details
- Junior Division (ages 13–19): $350 per entry
- Youth Division (ages 10–15): $250 per entry
- Required documents: Birth Certificate and W-9 (uploaded during entry)
Athletes must be of age on the first date of the competition (July 22, 2025).
Athletes can enter via NextGen Rodeo. Full entry details are available HERE. All Open Entry athletes will begin in the qualifying rounds.
In 2024, the payout in each discipline was as follows:
Event | Junior Payout | Youth Payout | |
Breakaway Roping | $40,520.00 | $15,000.00 | |
Tie Down Roping | $23,160.00 | $9,200.00 | |
Team Roping – Header | $30,720.00 | $10,000.00 | |
Team Roping – Heeler | $31,000.00 | $10,400.00 | |
Barrel Racing | $31,280.00 | $16,200.00 | |
Pole Bending | $18,400.00 | $9,200.00 | |
Goat Tying | $17,560.00 | $7,400.00 | |
Steer Wrestling | $18,400.00 | ||
Bareback Riding | $11,960.00 | ||
Saddle Bronc Riding | $13,080.00 | ||
Bull Riding | $19,240.00 | ||
World Champion Bonuses | $22,000.00 | $7,000.00 | |
All-Around Champion Bonuses | $8,000.00 | $4,000.00 | |
Event All-Around Champion Bonuses | $5,000.00 | $5,000.00 | |
IronMan Payout | $6,200.00 | ||
Total | $296,520.00 | $93,400.00 | |
Leaderboard Qualification:
All roughstock athletes must qualify for the WCJR through the WCRA Division Youth Leaderboard by securing a spot in the Top 12. These top-ranked roughstock athletes, along with the top leaderboard athletes in timed events, will be seeded directly into the Semi-Final Round and will receive a complimentary entry. To earn points and climb the leaderboard, athletes can nominate their rodeo performances through Sunday, June 22 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
Payment Plan Option:
Athletes who enter one or more disciplines between April 1 and May 1 will be eligible to spread their entry fee payments across 3-4 payments based on the date they enter within the Payment Plan window. Athletes are not required to use the Payment Plan feature and may opt to pay the entry fees in full at the time of entry.
At the 2024 WCJR, Open Entry athlete Dusky Lynn Hall dominated the Youth division, capturing the Youth Barrel Racing Championship with a blazing final-round time of 17.097 seconds. She led the event from start to finish, clocking 17.178 in Round 1 and 17.108 in the semifinals. Dusky also claimed top times in Youth Pole Bending, winning both rounds and leading the average with a combined time of 40.306 seconds. Her standout performances were powered by her talented partner, Aint Seen Famous Yet. Hall finished the event as the second-highest-earning youth athlete, taking home nearly $9,000 in winnings.
All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCJR can visit WCJRodeo.com.