Round One of NFR Brings Shattered Records and History Making Paychecks

It was an incredible night of professional rodeo under the dome of the Thomas and Mack Center. Night one of the NFR was memorable.

Round One 2024 NFR / PRCA

Jason Aldean started it off as star struck fans watched. Then the cowboys and cowgirls came in droves into the arena to showcase the incredible talent. The first round jitters are now over - some with have to shake it off and start over tomorrow while others can take a deep breath and know they did what the came to do.

In the bareback riding, the fringe was flying and the horses were bucking hard. When the last horse bucked, a rookie to the National Finals Rodeo took the first round win. Weston Timberman from Columbus, Mont. scored 87 points on J Bar J's Drunk Monkey. His efforts would earn him the first paycheck of the 2024 event worth $33,687.18.

The steer wrestling steers didn't want to play - or maybe that was exactly their game plan. They were strong and some were tough just to catch. Three of the strong men of rodeo went out of the average on night number one. Scott Guenthner just got outrun, J.D. Struxness and Dalton Massey both attempted to throw their steers but ended up with no times in the end. Massey took a bit of a spill but got up without injury.

Mississippi's own, Will Lummus was the fastest man of the night when he stopped the clock at 3.7-seconds. He was just one small click of the clock ahead of the field as there was a tie for second between Cash Robb and Rowdy Parrot at 3.8-seconds.

The team ropers set the arena on fire when they rode in. Fast time after fast time proved to make the round tough, but when it was said and done there was a new Professional Rodeo Cowboy's Association Round 1 record.

The previous round one record was a 4.0 second actually held by three different teams. In 2014 it was Turtle Powell and Dakota Kirchenschlager. Five years later, Tyler Wade and Cole Davison did it again in 2019. In 2021 Wade and Trey Yates tied the 4.0 second record yet again.

We can confidently say Wade enjoys round number one of the NFR. After holding the record since 2019, Wade partnered up with Wesley Thorp to rope the horns and heels in a smoking 3.7 seconds to write their names in the record books. For Wade it was just to etch his name in there yet another time.

Wade will pick up the biggest check of his round one wins though this year as he deposits the $33,687. The win also moved this team up into the number one position in the World Standings - with a lot of rodeo left.

The saddle bronc riders are always on point and they certainly didn't disappoint. Four-time World Champion cowboy Zeke Thurston showed why he has been at the NFR nine different times. Aboard Frontier Rodeo's Coffee Yellowstone, the Big Valley, Alberta, Canada man scored 86.5 points which was good for the round one win.

Just one half point behind was Utah's own Ryder Wright, keeping the family name right at the top of the pack. The second place chek moved him to just over $2,000 behind the World Standings leader, Damian Brennan.

The crowd goes wild for the tie down ropers. For years we watched the "Fred and Cody show." Then who can leave out 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile. Before that was a legacy of the "House that Joe built." Well, now the story is certainly surrounding the 20-year-old cowboy from Denton, Texas. The reigning World Champion Riley Webb is building his own legacy.

"After getting to watch some go tonight, the round was being won with a 7.7 and honestly with the calibur of ropers here, that was pretty soft. I knew if I just executed my plan and be faster I would get a good check. I just did my best to beat the calf, not the competition," Webb said.

He executed his plan and threw his hands up at 7-seconds flat. The win moved Webb up to the number two position in the World Champion standings.

Smoking fast! That's how you would explain the barrel race. Four-time World Champion Hailey Kinsel blew her round one record away. She previously held the record at 13.51 from 2018. She made that time look like a walk in the park when she finished up tonight. When DM Sissy Hayday and her incredible jockey finished the pattern on the kickoff run of 2024, the clock registered 13.38. She was first out and she stayed on top of the scoreboard through the entire field. A new record and another round win will be going home to Cotulla, Texas.

Trey Kimzey got the best of Burch Rodeo's Cookies and Cream. Together the talented duo put up a score of 87.5 points to earn the first round win. Cooper James from Erda, Utah earned second place with his 86 point score on Trump Train from the Dakota Rodeo string. In what might be a record, nine of the 15 stayed on for the full 8-seconds to get a qualified score.

Round two will bring more action, fast scores and surely broken records. Rodeo On SI will continue to bring you the best of the best coverage.