Youth Movement
American Cowboy|December/January 2017

Las Vegas Events Adds Junior NFR as Newest Event to Cowboy Christmas Lineup.

Neal Reid
Youth Movement

The Junior NFR will take place on the second floor of the South Halls, within the footprint of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Hunter and Outdoor Christmas Expo. Talented juniors will compete in Miniature Bull Riding, 14-and-Under Tie-Down Roping, Mini Bareback Riding, 13-and-Under Girls Breakaway Roping, 18-and-Under Total Team Roping, 19-and-Under Tie-Down Roping, 11-and-Under Barrel Racing, and 16-and-Under Barrel Racing.

The event will consist of qualifiers Dec. 2–3 and Dec. 8–9, with championship finals taking place on Sunday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 10. Tickets with prices ranging from $10–$35 will be sold for the two championship finals, and all proceeds will go toward added money for the contestants.

It is the latest addition to the ever-evolving Wrangler NFR Cowboy Christmas entertainment lineup and will give the sport’s next generation of stars a chance to shine under the bright lights of Las Vegas.

“We’re continuing to build every opportunity and every asset, and the momentum just continues to grow,” says Bo Gardner, VP Corporate Marketing for Las Vegas Events (LVE). “We want the Convention Center to have better quality events and entertainment than anybody in Las Vegas. Our goal is to continue to make it bigger and better. We want people to show up and say, ‘Oh my God.’”...

Gardner says the idea for creating the Junior NFR came from a conversation he and LVE President Pat Christenson had with PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman in February, and the concept gained momentum from there. Cowboy Christmas featured mini bull riding each of the last four years and added mini bareback riding and the tie-down and breakaway events in 2015. The success of those events spurred the organizations’ desire to expand the rodeo’s scope.

This story is from the December/January 2017 edition of American Cowboy.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December/January 2017 edition of American Cowboy.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AMERICAN COWBOYView All
The Long Rope
American Cowboy

The Long Rope

For as long as people have owned cattle, other people have been stealing them. In the Old West, the consequence for anyone caught committing the crime was a tall tree and a short rope. States and territories developed various ways to discourage thievery, but as writer and photographer Carol Hutchison discovered, Texas created its own special ranger force to enforce agriculture ownership. Today, the tradition lives on, and every day, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger force tracks down cowboy criminals.

time-read
10 mins  |
December/January 2017
Youth Movement
American Cowboy

Youth Movement

Las Vegas Events Adds Junior NFR as Newest Event to Cowboy Christmas Lineup.

time-read
5 mins  |
December/January 2017
Cowboy Christmas Power Hours
American Cowboy

Cowboy Christmas Power Hours

Cowboy Christmas was once just a place to get some shopping done until the big show at the Thomas & Mack. Today, it’s a destination itself, featuring a full schedule of entertainment and events. Every afternoon, on the Rodeo Live presented by RODEO- HOUSTON® stage, jack-of-all-trades Western entertainer Flint Rasmussen and country music great Daryle Singletary host back-to-back talk shows where rodeo athletes, country music artists, and a few surprise guests get cozy with the crowd.

time-read
3 mins  |
December/January 2017
Trail Broke
American Cowboy

Trail Broke

Most cowboys rode the Chisholm Trail for adventure and money, but C.S. Robinson rode it for love.

time-read
6 mins  |
April/May 2017
The Last Prairie
American Cowboy

The Last Prairie

Read deep into the journey through Oklahoma’s Osage country, where tallgrass and community are rooted in history.

time-read
9 mins  |
June/July 2017
Broken Barriers
American Cowboy

Broken Barriers

Taylor Mason eases Spice into the roping box.

time-read
10 mins  |
June/July 2017
The Warrior Rides Again
American Cowboy

The Warrior Rides Again

FIVE-AND-A-HALF YEARS AGO, IN JANUARY OF 2012, MARINE CORPS GUNNERY SGT. THOMAS McRAE STEPPED ON A 20-LB. IED.

time-read
10+ mins  |
June/July 2017
Behind The Chutes
American Cowboy

Behind The Chutes

Rodeo secretaries keep the show running smoothly.

time-read
2 mins  |
June/July 2017
At Home With...
American Cowboy

At Home With...

Charlie Daniels has a rich discography of Southern-themed, outlaw country, gospel, and patriotic albums. His latest, Night Hawk, fulfills a long-held goal of producing a record of cowboy songs.

time-read
5 mins  |
December/January 2017
The Grand Dame Of Cowboy Poetry
American Cowboy

The Grand Dame Of Cowboy Poetry

It’s Saturday morning at the 32 nd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev., and the Ruby Mountain Ballroom is packed. The introductory applause has faded, but 91-yearold Elizabeth Ebert, “the Grand Dame of Cowboy Poetry,” in gold earrings and a navy blue pantsuit, is still pushing her way across the stage, two wrinkled hands on the walker, slightly stooped, a lariat of oxygen tubes peaking out from a small tank affied to the side. Seated behind her, fellow poets R.P. Smith and Yvonne Hollenbeck, soon to perform themselves, smile as though clued in to some inside joke.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2017