The 127th Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo wrapped up its run Saturday night with an exciting final round in the FWSSR PRORODEO Tournament at Dickies Arena delivering $1.2 million in prize money to champions in eight categories of competition.
One of those champions was Rocker Steiner from nearby Weatherford who won his second consecutive bareback riding title in the Fort Worth tournament.
Steiner was the final rider of the night in his event and knew he had to score over 91.5 points to win. Early in his ride on Calgary Stampede’s Blasting Sand, Steiner experienced equipment failure, grabbed his bareback rigging, ran back to the bucking chutes and got ready to do it all again on a different horse.
Climbing onto J Bar J’s Straight Stick, Steiner rode to a 92.5 score and earned $28,000 – more than any other competitor in the tournament – while becoming the only repeat champion from last year.
In the breakaway roping event, Danielle Lowman and her mare She’Biz won the title and $24,750. Lowman is from Gilbert, Arizona, and proudly represents the Navajo Nation on the rodeo trail. Her win Saturday was her first Fort Worth championship. She set an arena record of 1.6 seconds earlier in the week and stopped the clock in 1.8 in the finale.
The steer wrestling competition produced a tie with both Tanner Brunner from Ramona, Kansas, and Dalton Massey from Hermiston, Oregon, posting a time of 3.7 seconds. Massey earned $21,500 – $500 more than Brunner because of success in early rounds.
Coleby Pane from Stephenville, Texas, was 17th in the world standings last year and had to watch his team roping partner compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) without him. In the Fort Worth finals, Pane and Clay Smith from Broken Bow, Oklahoma, stopped the clock in 4.5 seconds to win the championship. Each roper added $25,000 to his earnings for 2024.
Shad Mayfield from Clovis, New Mexico, won the tie-down roping championship, stopping the clock in 7.8 seconds and riding off with $26,000.
The women’s barrel racing title was captured by Sarah Winkelman from Big Lake, Minnesota. After posting the fastest time of the whole rodeo during semifinals B at 16.26 seconds, Winkelman came back as the first runner in the finals and stopped the clock in 16.40. She never left the top spot and won $27,000.
Bull rider Cody Teel won a world championship in 2012 and has won rodeos and bull riding competitions all across the United States but had never won the legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo – until Saturday night. The Bryan, Texas, competitor scored 87 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s bull Goin Brandon to take the championship and add $25,000 to his bank account.
Damian Brennan qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo in December and is well on his way to returning later this year after earning the saddle bronc riding title at FWSSR. Brennan, who tied for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association title last June for Western Texas College in Snyder, is originally from Injune, Queensland, Australia. His winning ride Saturday came aboard Andrews Rodeo’s horse All or Nothing. Brennan scored 91.5 points and earned $26,500.
Here’s the list of champions and prize money in the 2024 FWSSR Pro Rodeo Tournament:
- Bareback Riding: Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, $28,000
- Steer Wrestling: (tie) Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Oregon, $21,500, and Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kansas, $21,000
- Breakaway Roping: Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Arizona, $24,750
- Saddle Bronc Riding: Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, $26,500
- Tie-Down Roping: Shad Mayfield, Clovis, New Mexico, $26,500
- Team Roping: Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and Coleby Payne, Stephenville, Texas, $25,000 each
- Barrel Racing: Sarah Winkelman, Big Lake, Minnesota, $27,000
- Bull Riding: Cody Teel, Bryan, Texas, $25,000
