TETON RIDGE RE-INSTATES POINTS FOR 2024-2025 AMERICAN CONTENDER TOURNAMENT REGIONAL SEMI-FINALS QUALIFICATIONS

ARLINGTON, Texas (September 10, 2024) – Following careful consideration, The American Rodeo competition team will amend the Automatic Advancement scale for the 2024-25 season to include points, remaining consistent with the scale that has been in place for the past two seasons.

We respect athlete concerns and understand that points simply provide a cushion for those who do not achieve the Automatic Advancement. Based upon the valuable feedback of athletes in the western sports community it appears that inclusion of points is the consensus, particularly for our barrel racers.

For context with regard to the Automatic Advancement system, the decision to move away from points in 2024 came as the result of athletes expressing that the points system was too confusing. The American Rodeo competition team had hoped that exclusively using the Automatic Advancement would simplify the process and make it easier for people to follow.

As we began to institute the Automatic Advancement method, the Better Barrel Races continued to track points into 2024. To resolve this all 2024 results will be refigured to reflect the already achieved Automatic Advancement qualifications plus points and will be posted on AmericanRodeo.com in the coming weeks. 

The continued goal of this tournament is to provide more athletes from around the globe the unique chance to qualify for the American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals of their choice. Teton Ridge is committed to elevating western sports and working hand-in-hand with the athletes that make these events possible. Our goal with the three highly competitive American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals is to provide endless opportunities to athletes from all over to punch their ticket to Arlington in 2025 and a chance at $1 million.

In the coming weeks our team will amend and repost the American Contender Tournament Rulebook to include the points scale, as well as recalculated standings. Our competition team is working hard to ensure that this is done correctly.

The American Rodeo team works diligently to bring award-winning livestock, the most respected and capable ground team in the industry, and network broadcast production and commentary that is on par with any televised mainstream sport to each Regional. Each Regional Finals adds $180,000 and airs on a Fox channel. The Tournament includes a comprehensive path to the $360,000-added American Contender Tournament Finals on April 11, 2025, preceding The American Rodeo on April 12, which airs LIVE on FOX.

The addition of points will not penalize anyone who has already achieved an Automatic Advancement—it adds more athletes to the standings.

If you have questions or concerns on how the addition of points has or will impact your individual opportunity overall, please reach out to any of the following: 

Teton Ridge Sports:

James Miller 423.506.1879

Paul Crain 940.765.4641

Bonnie Wheatley 719.338.5263

Better Barrel Races:

Corky Barder 817.307.0405

Steve Wright 405.834.0687

Ross Wright 405.230.7167

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