ARLINGTON, Tex. (July 6, 2022) –To further advance the western sports industry and bring increased opportunities for athletes to compete in cities across the country, Teton Ridge has announced a newly revised qualification system for The American Rodeo 2023. The American Rodeo is an unrivaled celebration of the pioneering spirit of the American West and represents the richest single-day event in all of western sports.
The improved, re-imagined tournament-style format, The American Contender Tournament, features increased prize money as athletes make their way through the competition structure, and delivers more opportunities than ever before for athletes to advance toward the richest single-day in rodeo. The new format will also make it easier for fans at home to follow their favorite athletes on their path to The American Rodeo 2023.
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“Since Teton Ridge acquired The American Rodeo last year, our ambition has been to elevate western sports to a national stage,” stated Joe Loverro, President of Teton Ridge Sports. “The revitalized American Contender Tournament is a first step towards that long-term goal.”
Made up of multiple qualifying rounds dedicated to each of the eight disciplines of rodeo, the newly launched format will host more than 50 events in cities coast to coast, beginning in July 2022 through February 2023. Rodeo athletes will have the opportunity to earn a spot at The American Rodeo by going through a clearly defined, highly competitive tournament-style series of qualifiers that culminates at the Contender Tournament Finals in Texas. Teton Ridge has added guaranteed prize money to regional semi-finals and regional finals upwards of $900,000 which takes the total prize money opportunity to nearly $6 million. Rounds are outlined as follows:
· Round 1: The American Contender Tournament, consisting of three regions (East, Central and West) and hosting up to 54 qualifying events, is open to athletes of all levels and ages. The expanded selection of contender events will welcome thousands of new and existing athletes to compete for their chance to advance to the Regional Semi-Finals.
· Round 2: The American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals features up to 100 top athletes in each discipline joining the automatically seeded athletes from the 2022 PRCA/WPRA world standings, who will compete for the opportunity to advance to the Regional Finals.
· Round 3: The American Contender Tournament Regional Finals, which will be three nationally televised events, will host the Top 10 athletes advancing from the Semi-Finals plus two athletes who have earned a spot through the Redemption Round, a last chance qualifier after a regional Semi-Finals.
· Round 4: The American Contender Tournament Finals kicks off The American Rodeo week in Texas with nationally broadcast events, bringing the Top 4 athletes from each Regional Finals plus one athlete advancing through the Contender Tournament Wild Card event.
· The American Rodeo (www.americanrodeo.com) is where all roads ultimately lead to the richest single-day rodeo on March 11, 2023, as the chase for the $1 million bonus culminates. The nationally broadcast event will turn all eyes toward Texas as the Top 5 Contender Champions go head-to-head with the Top 5 in the world standings for a high-stakes showdown.
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About The American:
Hailed as The Crown Jewel of Rodeo™, The American Rodeo is an unrivaled celebration of the pioneering spirit of the American West. The national sporting event offers fans a unique choice – to cheer on rodeo’s finest, champion athletes, or root for the underdog “Contenders” chasing a $1 million bonus – through every rodeo, roping and riding effort. All combined with star-studded music, a western festival and more. Acquired by Teton Ridge in 2021, The American Rodeo is an annual western sports and entertainment celebration that matches professional rodeo’s top athletes against the world’s most aspirational cowboys and cowgirls, who have put up their own money to bet on themselves in this high-stakes showdown. For more information on The American Rodeo, please visit americanrodeo.com or @TheAmerican.TR on Instagram @TheAmericanTR on Facebook and Twitter.
About Teton Ridge:
Teton Ridge is a multi-platform, wholly American-owned brand and media company devoted to the iconic American western way of life and western sports. Teton Ridge’s Sports division was created with the singular focus of elevating classic Western sports and America’s western culture on the world stage, while broadening audiences around the globe as well as at home. In 2021, Teton Ridge acquired The American, the iconic event of the rodeo circuit, to continue to expand the audiences for rodeo sports and make it the world’s premier Western culture event. For more information about Teton Ridge, please visit tetonridge.com or @tetonridge on Instagram @tetonridgeusa on Facebook.
