From Washington to South Dakota: The Journey to the Governor's Cup

The next few weeks are crucial for many rodeo athletes, as cowboys and cowgirls hope to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo

Teal Stoll | Aug 28, 2024

The end of the regular season in professional rodeo is just over 30 days away. Throughout the next few weeks, cowboys and cowgirls "on the bubble" (those barely within or just outside of the top 15 in the world standings) will not be able to weaken in their approach for an NFR bid. Some are vying for a return trip, while others look to punch their first ticket to Las Vegas.

One of the most crucial factors for those competitors will be the Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup, Washington, leading to the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Cinch Playoffs have always played a key role in the race to the NFR, but the addition of the Governor's Cup in 2023 emphasized that importance.

The Governor's Cup will be September 26-28, set in the last week of the regular season, which ends September 30. In 2024, the event will pay out $1.3 million over three days.

Who can compete in the Cinch Playoffs and how does this all work? Let's dive in...

Throughout the rodeo season, athletes have had the chance to not only win money at the 60 richest rodeos in the PRCA, but also accumulate points towards the Cinch Playoffs Standings. The way these points are distributed depends on the structure of the rodeo.

The top 23 athletes in each event in the Playoffs Standings, plus the winners of each event in the NFR Open (held in Colorado Springs, Colorado July 9-13), will qualify to the first round of the Playoffs in Puyallup, September 5-8.

The top four in each event from Puyallup will automatically advance to the Governor's Cup, as well as the top eight in the Playoff Series Standings. If someone in the top eight already qualified in the top four at Puyallup, that spot will roll down to the next person in line who has not qualified for the Cup.

The Governor's Cup begins with two rounds of those twelve athletes. The top eight after two rounds will advance to the next round, with a clean slate. The top four will then compete for the championship.

The Playoffs will be a crucial deciding factor in many events, but the barrel racing is one in particular we will be watching. Less than $10,000 seperates the women in positions 16-21 in the WPRA standings as of August 26. While earning five figures in 30 days seems like a lot of ground to cover, it is quite feasible with the rodeo payouts coming up in September.

While many cowboys and cowgirls have earned enough money that they are relatively "safe" in the top 15 standings, many others will be battling it out in the last few rodeos of the season for those remaining spots. Throughout the next few weeks, we will be on the edge of our seats as we monitor these races and keep our readers informed.

Published Aug 28, 2024

TEAL STOLL

Teal Stoll is a lifelong Wyomingite from a working ranch family of several generations. Both sides of her family have deep roots in rodeo, as contestants and stock contractors. Teal grew up horseback and actively competes in rodeos and barrel races. She has degrees in both business and accounting, which she uses operating her own bookkeeping service. Teal enjoys spending time with her horses, training colts, and maintaining her string of athletes. When she isn’t at the barn, she can be found reading, doing yoga, or on her paddle board at the lake. Teal lives with her fiancee and a plethora of animals, because she can’t say no to a displaced critter with a sad story. When she isn’t on the road running barrels, she spends her time helping with day to day operations on the family ranch.