The time that we all have been waiting for has finally arrived as the 2017 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series World Finals begins tonight!  The entire Rodeo Round Up team is in place to bring you even more expanded coverage than you have seen in previous years along with the same timely round by round recaps and rider interviews that you expect to see throughout the weekend’s events here in Las Vegas, Nevada.  We are all excited about what is in store for each and every one of you, as fans of both the Rodeo Round-Up and the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series.

Although the World Finals are just beginning, the PBR has been in town all week giving many cowboys not in the top 35 in the world a chance at competing here this weekend.  Beginning last Saturday the PBR’s Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour World Finals took place across town at the South Point Hotel and Casino.  The action was jam-packed that included some major moments in PBR history with 3-time PRCA Bull Riding World Champion Sage Kimzey winning the event, giving him an invitation to compete at this year’s Built Ford Tough Series World Finals.

Jess Lockwood Strikes First With The Round One Win

Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos / Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease

As the doors opened and the exciting atmosphere that had been surrounding today outside made its way inside of the beautiful T-Mobile Arena it signified the beginning of the end of the 2017 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series season.  The 2017 PBR World Finals was set to begin as round one kicked off with a pen of bovine athletes that have given the top 35 bull riders in the world standings hell all season long.  Tonight’s round one we would feature those bucking bulls that are part of the ABBI Classic division, and throughout the season the cowboys could not get a handle on them but looked to change that statistic here tonight!

As round one began, nearly 40 bull riders would come into this World Finals event chasing a world title of their own or an event win, either way, EVERY one of the cowboys here this week had something to work towards.  That being said, tonight 13 qualified rides were made with three of the top five in the world standings making qualified rides of their own.  After everything was said and done, it would be Jess Lockwood who would come out ahead of the rest of the field after earning a round one win earlier tonight.  He was able to put up a 90.25 point ride aboard Ravenscroft/Vos/Boyd-Floyd’s Big Dutch to head into tomorrow night’s second round as the man on top of the leaderboard!

Complete List Of Round One Qualified Rides Listed Below:

                                                                                                                      Jess Lockwood (90.25)                                     Fabiano Vieira (88.00)

Derek Kolbaba (87.75)                                      Dakota Buttar (87.75)

Silvano Alves (87.50)                                        Sage Kimzey (87.00)

J.B. Mauney (86.75)                                         Jose Vitor Leme (86.00)

Gage Gay (85.75)                                              Guilherme Marchi (85.50)

Cooper Davis (85.25)                                      Stetson Lawrence (84.00)

Marco Eguchi (81.75)

                                                 The World Title Race Is Still Very Much Up For Grabs

This year’s world title race is a close as we have ever seen it throughout the history of the Professional Bull Riders organization and every one of the top five guys in the world know they have a chance on leaving Las Vegas as the 2017 PBR World Champion.  Earlier this week, many of these same cowboys risked injuries to try and earn any extra world title race points that they could while competing at the Velocity Tour World Finals.  After the last bull bucked it would be Jess Lockwood that you make the biggest move of the week while the top five still separated by a mere 492.50 points.

After tonight’s round one where four of the top ten were able to make qualified rides, the world title race is still the center of attention here in Las Vegas.  Everyone knows that the world title race will come down to the last bull being bucked on Sunday afternoon.  Although this is the center of attention, there are still two other titles up for grabs as the season winds down.  The Rookie of the Year title race, as well as the World Champion Bucking Bull titles, are also up for grabs which should make for a very entertaining week here in Las Vegas!                                         

Now that the 2017 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series World Finals has a round underneath its belt means that the Rodeo Round Up’s team coverage ramps up the power to bring you even more exciting options.  Remember to visit our friends at the Fans Of The PBR – Behind The Chutes to get signed up to play the free World Finals Fantasy League to earn some great prizes and bragging rights.  Along with that, tune into the Rodeo Round Up each day at 10 A.M. CST for our Rodeo Round Up LIVE daily pre-show that will feature special guests, fantasy league updates, round recaps and previews and chances to win some fun prizes just by tuning in each day during the 2017 PBR World Finals!

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews!

 

 

 

 

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The 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was really all about one person. 53  year old Mary Walker.  Who went from a wheelchair to the winners circle in one year.

What Was Said

Gretchen Kirchmann: Gretchen Kirchmann here for 4theride.com and The Rodeo Round Up. Wow what an emotional week. Mary Walker is our World Champion Barrel Racer. You started off 1 – 2 – 3 and you’re ending up with a brand new truck. How does it feel and has it even sunk in?

Mary Walker: You know I kind of knew last night that I had a really good shot of winning the world. It…it…no I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I was very emotional back in the back and just can’t imagine. And to win the truck, a barrel racer to win the truck, that’s just amazing so I’m so excited.

Gretchen: And we talked earlier about how you had to put $14,000 into your vehicle and now you’ve got a brand new truck to drive. When do you think you will break it in?

Mary: Hopefully, as soon as I get it.

Gretchen: And do you have the keys? Will you drive it back or will you have to bring a driver out?

Mary: You know… do I get to take it home with me? Oh yes! We have plenty of drivers. We brought eight people out here, and all their luggage, so surely one of them would love to drive it back.

Gretchen: So when the announcers announced you, they mentioned how you were in a wheelchair last time and this year you’re driving the truck out of the arena. Just talk about, I don’t even know if you can put it into words.

Mary: There are no words. I’m just so thankful and just so grateful for everybody who’s been through this with me and has helped me through the emotional times and the good and the bad times. I’m just so thankful to be here.

Gretchen: And we know that you have a guardian angel, Reagon, up in heaven. Talk to us just a moment about the Reagon Foundation. How people can find out more information about your son.

Mary: We have a Reagon Walker Foundation and actually this year we did calendars. The top 15 barrel racers and rookies did calendars and so the calendars are for sale for $20 and the proceeds go to Reagon’s Foundation. And so, hopefully, we can get it built up pretty good and give rodeo kids scholarships to go to college.

Gretchen: Fabulous. Now I have to ask, do you have someone who is building you a new trophy cases at home with all this loot to go back with?

Mary: Well no, there is nobody building anything but I sure will start as soon as I get home.

Gretchen: Congratulations, World Champion Barrel Racer, Mary Walker. This is Gretchen Kirchmann and you’re watching 4theride.com.

 

How’s this for a story?

• Married to NFR Fan favorite and World Champion Steer Wrestler Byron Walker
• April 23, 2011, her 21 year old son gets killed in a auto accident
• June 2011, her new bay horse Latte, slipped as they were going around the final barrel at a rodeo in Crosby, Texas. Mary broke her pelvis, her hip in three places, two vertebrae and a pair of toes in the fall. Doctors used eight plates and 11 pins to stabilize her hip.

How do you bounce back from such a year like that, at age 53?  You get back on the horse (literally) and go win some competitions!  Like the Cheyenne Days Rodeo (the one event your husband never could win) and end it by qualifying for your first ever WNFR.

It would be enough just to end it there.  Just knowing you are competing with some of the best ladies in the business.  Women who make this trek annually and walk away with the buckles.

But that would not be Mary Walker.  Nope.  she goes and wins the first round of barrel racing at the 2012 Wrangler NFR, with a sweet 13.75 second ride around the clover leaf.

What Was Said:

Gretchen:  Gretchen Kirchmann here for the 4theride.com with me is Mary Walker. This is your first finals, your first go around win, talk about that today.

Mary: Walker  It was just so exciting when I went up the tunnel and, you know, heard my time and thought, “oh my goodness” and I still had Lindsay Sears and Brittnay Pozzi behind me. Um, they told me to get on the horse and I said no just wait till they run and then I’ll get on.  But to be here and my first year, it’s something you dream about your whole life.

Gretchen:  So this is your first year competing but your husband has been here for 16 times so talk a little about the role reversal.

Mary:  The role reversal has been really funny this year because he’s got to sleep late in the morning while I’ve been into meetings or to banquets.  Ah, he got to go shopping today and I didn’t get to go shopping.  Usually I was the one who shopped and slept late in the mornings and let him do everything and so this year it’s changed but I think he was a little more nervous than I was today.

Gretchen:  So a year ago you were in a wheelchair, came out to the finals for 3 days, you were doing rehab, it’s got to be kind of surreal?

Mary:  It is amazing because we laughed when we drove up here because last year I got to park in the handicap parking so it is.  It’s a 360 degree turn right here and just to imagine that I’m here talking to everybody and knowing I just won the first round and now I get to go to the South Point and receive my go around buckle, I just can’t imagine it.

Gretchen:  Well you have been on stage because you got horse of the year.

Mary:  Yes I did

Gretchen:  And that was just amazing and so congratulations, good luck, and we hope to see you back here many times this week.

Mary:  Thank you, Thank you.  I appreciate it so much.

Gretchen:  4theride.com this is Gretchen Kirchmann with Mary Walker