The World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) recently announced that nominations for Rodeo Corpus Christi will open October 10 and close April 9. The segment opening at an earlier date is part of an ongoing effort to create consistency to keep each segment open for six months allowing athletes to have more opportunity to earn points.

“Previously, one segment would close and the next would open creating a limited timeframe to nominate and earn points pending the time of year,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “This six-month window will not only allow athletes a better opportunity to qualify, but it gives athletes a greater opportunity to climb the ranks and compete for a top spot.”  

WCRA also announced that all Rodeo Corpus Christi nomination points earned from October 10 – November 27, 2022, will count towards the 2022 Reliance Ranches VRQ Points Champion Bonus leaderboard; an annual award that will pay a $25,000 cash bonus to each athlete who earns the most VRQ (Virtual Rodeo Qualifier) points in their discipline. All points earned after November 27, 2022 will count towards the 2023 VRQ Points Champion Bonus. Details on the 2023 bonus will be released at a later date.

This effort will not affect the year-long segments including the Women’s Rodeo World Championship segment, the Rodeo Corpus Christi Steer Roping segment, or the WCRA Division Youth segment.

Rodeo Corpus Christi will play host to the first stop to the 2023 WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR). The first 2023 WCRA Major Rodeo will be held May 10-13 and historically has paid out $550,000 with each champion earning $15,000. Format information to be released at a later date.

The TCR is a series of annual major rodeo events which includes 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. WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo events are all featured in CBS Television network broadcasts each year.

Rodeo athletes from all over the globe are eligible to qualify to compete at Rodeo Corpus Christi through the innovative WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ).  The top athletes on the WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi Leaderboard in each discipline will compete for their piece of the over $550,000 purse, across 10 disciplines which include – 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. The top eight timed events athletes from the DY23 Junior leaderboard will also be able to enter 2023 Rodeo Corpus Christi.

Rodeo Corpus Christi, hosted on the Corpus Christi Bayfront, takes place during the annual Buccaneer Days Festival in early-May, bringing together more than 120,000 attendees to promote tradition and community pride in the Coastal Bend by producing exceptional family entertainment that results in educational scholarships.