Mama, roper, and first-time circuit finalist—Tiffany Schieck checked every box in Davie, Florida, when she jumped from No. 3 in the standings to win the 2025 WPRA Southeastern Circuit Year-End Championship, sealing her first trip to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs.
Schieck entered the Southeastern Circuit Finals with $10,111 won, trailing leader Josey Murphy by roughly $4,000. But by the end of three gritty rounds—each with its own challenges—Schieck had added $7,068 to her season total, finished No. 2 in the average, and edged Murphy for the year-end title.
Joining Schieck in Colorado Springs will be Ashten Denney, from Quitman, Georgia. Denney topped the Southeastern Average with a time of 19 seconds on three head, earning a total of $5,952 and earning a trip to the NFR Open.
A First-Year Circuit and a Family-Forward Strategy
This season marked Schieck’s first year competing in the Southeastern Circuit—a deliberate decision she and her husband, heeler Matt Schieck, made to keep their family together after welcoming their son, Chisum.
“With me having Chisum, we had to change how we rodeoed,” Schieck explained. “The Southeastern Circuit lets me rodeo in the winter and spring, and Matt gets to rodeo in Montana during the summer. It just works better for the family.”
Schieck formerly worked for the WCRA remotely, helping athletes nominate events and answer questions. When the association sunsetted operations in the summer, the timing pushed Schieck to simplify even further.
“Now, I just focused on being a mom and rodeoing,” Schieck said. “It’s been really nice.”
Finding Her Run on “Dee”
Nearly all of Schieck’s season earnings came aboard Dee, a bay mare she bought in December from Delaney Kunau. The mare was talented, but green—and hot.
“She acted more like a barrel horse than a breakaway horse when I got her,” Schieck laughed. “She needed seasoning—a lot of seasoning.”
Managing the mare early on took patience and problem-solving, but the turning point came over the summer.
“Getting her seasoned in the circuit and then going up to Montana did her a lot of good,” she said. “She’s finally getting her mind in the middle.”
A Win-Or-Nothing Start to the Season
If Schieck’s mare needed consistency, her roping year needed the same.
“I either won the rodeo or did nothing,” Schieck admitted. “Except for one rodeo, I won every one I placed at. That’s not good in my mind—I left a lot of money on the table.”
After a mentally tough spring, Schieck reset her goals. When Matt headed to his Montana circuit rodeos, she entered sparingly—only when it worked for the family—and focused on one mission:
“Be between a 2.5 and a 3-flat,” Schieck said. “That was my goal all summer.”
The strategy paid off. She returned for the first-of-the-year circuit rodeos placing second or third at more than half of the ProRodeos she entered, marking a significant shift.
“We’re catching,” Schieck said. “That was the goal.”
Three Wild Rounds—and a Year-End Title
Schieck’s first Southeastern Circuit Finals was anything but simple.
- Round 1: A breakout
- Round 2: A calf that took her on a full victory lap, 11.6 seconds
- Round 3: A clean run and the round win, 2.1 seconds
“I stuck with my goal,” Schieck said. “After the second round, I told myself everything from here on out is going to be fine.”
It was. The final round win and steady average finish kept her in striking distance as the math-heavy drama unfolded.
“We were all in the back trying to figure out who won, but none of us are very mathy,” Schieck joked. “I just waited for someone to tell me.”
When they did, she learned she’d done it: Southeastern Circuit Year-End Champion.
Looking Ahead: NFR Open and a Focused 2026
Next stop: her first ever trip to Colorado Springs.
“I get to go somewhere I’ve never been,” Schieck said. “It’s exciting.”
With strong first-of-the-year earnings and improved consistency, Schieck is tentatively eyeing qualifiers like San Antonio and Houston—but keeping her goals intentionally manageable.
“When life has been going a hundred miles an hour, sometimes you need to step back and reassess what you actually want,” Schieck said. “This year has been a lot better.”
For Schieck, the title wasn’t just a standings shake-up—it was confirmation that slowing down, listening, and rebuilding works.
