AUSTIN, TEXAS – Ahead of the 2022 Rodeo Corpus Christi, WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) has announced those athletes advancing directly to the Showdown Round on Saturday night May 14, courtesy of their No. 1 standing on the leaderboard.
Marking WCRA’s first leg of the 2022 Triple Crown of Rodeo, Rodeo Corpus Christi will be held from May 11-14, paying out more than $553,000 to top western sports athletes in ten disciplines: bareback riding, women’s breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, steer roping, team roping (heading and heeling), tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding.
Launched in 2019, the Triple Crown of Rodeo is an annual bonus that will pay $1 million to any one athlete, or collection of athletes, who win first place in any three consecutive WCRA Major Rodeos. The most recent Triple Crown of Rodeo event was held in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 15-18, 2022.
Those athletes that earned an automatic berth to the Showdown Round for Rodeo Corpus Christi are:
Bareback Riding: RC Landingham (Hat Creek, California)
Saddle Bronc: Wyatt Casper (Miami, Texas)
Bull Riding: Deklan Garland (Marlow, Oklahoma)
Steer Wrestling: Tanner Brunner (Ramona, Kansas)
Team Roping: Kaleb Driggers (Header | Stephenville, Texas) and Junior Nogueira (Heeler | Lipan, Texas)
Tie-Down Roping: Riley Webb (Denton, Texas)*
Barrel Racing: Sissy Winn (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Breakaway Roping: Josie Conner (Iowa, Louisiana)
Steer Roping: Trey Wallace (George West, Texas)
Read: Josie Conner clinches 2022 BFI All-Girl Breakaway Championship Title
*Denotes an athlete looking to remain Triple Crown eligible by winning their second WCRA Major.
These athletes secured their berths by achieving the No. 1 position on the WCRA’s Segment 7 leaderboard, which included nominated competition efforts at events held from November 2021 to April 2022. On May 14 at Rodeo Corpus Christi held at American Bank Center, these athletes will be joined in the Showdown Round by the top two 2 fastest times/highest score from each Progressive Round (May 11-13) performance.
From there, the Top 3 scores, or times, will advance to the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round where they will compete for their share of the more than $550,000 event purse.
Of the No. 1 athletes that advanced via their ranking on the leaderboard, tie-down roper Riley Webb is the lone athlete that remains in contention for the $1 million Triple Crown of Rodeo bonus.
At the most recent WCRA Major held in December 2021 in Fort Worth, the 18-year-old was unstoppable in the Tie-Down where he delivered the fastest time of the entire event in the Cowtown Coliseum. The Texas Native has now won three of four WCRA majors.
In July 2021, the then 17-year-old Tie-Down roper went into The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo with two consecutive wins under his belt to put him in contention to be the youngest millionaire in the history of rodeo. Webb did not triumph, knocking him out of the race to be the first victor of WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo- a $1 million bonus.
Currently- Tacy Kay Webb, a 24-year-old ICU Nurse has positioned herself to win the TCR. For her, fresh off the win at Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo, the event marked her second consecutive WCRA Major win, putting her in line to be a millionaire. If Tacy Kay triumphs at May’s Rodeo Corpus Christi, she will be the first victor of the WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo $1 Million Bonus and the first woman in rodeo to become an overnight millionaire.
About WCRA (World Champion’s Rodeo Alliance):
WCRA is a professional sport and entertainment entity, created to develop and advance the sport of rodeo by aligning all levels of competition. In association with the PBR, WCRA produces major rodeo events, developing additional opportunities for rodeo-industry competitors, stakeholders, and fans. To learn more, visit wcrarodeo.com. For athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system, visit app.wcrarodeo.com.
About Buccaneer Days:
The Buccaneer Commission, a non-profit organization, was established in 1938 and has annually staged Buccaneer Days in support of bringing entertaining, educational, and western events to the Coastal Bend. This 11 day event is held on the Corpus Christi Bayfront in the Spring, grabbing the attention of South Texas. It has something for everyone, including two weekends of western events, The PBR Velocity Tour Finals the first weekend followed by Rodeo Corpus Christi the second. The event also includes a Carnival, a shopping experience, BBQ and two Parades. To date, the Buccaneer Commission has awarded more than $1.4 million in scholarships and grants.
