Athletes will start vying for a qualification position to The American by competing in the Contender Tournament. Events for the first round of the Contender Tournament start in July 2022 and run through February 2023. Athletes that finish in the 6th-20th positions in the 2022 PRCA/WPRA year-end standings will have an opportunity to enter the Contender Tournament at the Regional Semi-Finals (Round 2 level) while athletes that finish in the Top 5 of the 2022 PRCA/WPRA year-end standings will have an automatic invite to The American. All other athletes will have to begin the advancement process at Round 1.
It will include 8 disciplines of rodeo and will begin July 2022 and run through to February 2023. The Top 5 athletes in the 2022 PRCA/WPRA standings will automatically be qualified and given invitations to THE AMERICAN Rodeo.
All athletes who finish outside of the Top 5 (FIVE) in 2022 PRCA/WPRA year-end standings will be considered a Contender and eligible for the $1 Million bonus.
Barrel Racing, Breakaway Roping, Team Roping, Steer Wrestling, Bareback Riding, Tie Down Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding and runs from July 2022 through February 2023. Rodeo athletes will have the opportunity to earn a spot at THE AMERICAN RODEO by going through a clearly defined, highly competitive tournament-style format that culminates at the Contender Tournament Finals in Texas.
BARREL RACING
BREAK AWAY ROPING
TEAM ROPING
STEER WRESTLING
BAREBACK RIDING
TIE DOWN ROPING
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
BULL RIDING
The American Contender Tournament, consisting of three regions and hosting up to 54 annual qualifying events, is open to athletes of all levels and ages. The contender events welcome thousands of athletes who will compete for their chance to advance to Regional Semi-Finals.
The American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals features up to 100 top athletes in each discipline including the automatically seeded athletes from the 2022 PRCA/WPRA world standings*, who will compete for the opportunity to advance to the Regional Finals.
The automatically seeded positions are determined by the previous year's PRCA/WPRA year-end standings. Athletes ranked 6-20 will be seeded into the Regional Semi-Finals (Round 2) while the Top 5 advance directly to the THE AMERICAN RODEO.
The American Contender Tournament Regional Finals will feature the top 10 athletes from the Regional Semi-Finals plus 2 additional athletes that advance from the Regional Redemption Round.
The automatically seeded positions are determined by the previous year's PRCA/WPRA year-end standings. Athletes ranked 6-20 will be seeded into the Regional Semi-Finals (Round 2) while the Top 5 advance directly to the THE AMERICAN RODEO.
***The Wild Card event brings together the 30 athletes from each Semi-Final, the 8 from each Regional Final, and the 4 from each Regional Redemption Round. The top performer in each discipline advances to the Finals.
A nationally-broadcast event, the Finals kicks off The American Rodeo, March 11, 2023. The Contender Tournament Finals vets the Top 4 athletes from each Regional Finals +1 athlete with a Wild Card.