COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Wrangler ProRodeo Tour is expanding from 21 to 26 elite events for the 2008 season, including three of the top four prize money rodeos sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association -- Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo.
The 26 rodeos in this year's lineup combined to offer prize money of nearly $8.3 million in 2007 and will project at something closer to $9 million in 2008, without taking into account the highly-successful Ariat Playoffs series at season's end, which this year paid out $1.62 million to the contestants who qualified.
For the third consecutive year, the Wrangle ProRodeo Tour will begin at the SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, Jan. 4-12. It will be followed by the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Jan. 12-27; the Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo, in Rapid City, S.D., Jan. 31-Feb. 3 and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Feb. 1-16.
The Wrangler ProRodeo Tour again concludes with the Dodge City (Kan.) Round-Up, in early August.
Contestants choose which 15 of the 26 rodeos they want to have counted toward their Wrangler ProRodeo Tour standings and the top 35 finishers in each event qualify for the first round of the four-tiered Ariat Playoffs, along with the winners of the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, in March.
Participating rodeo committees have until 120 days before the beginning of their event to finalize dates. The accompanying list shows the rodeo dates from 2007 and any already confirmed dates for 2008.
Wrangler ProRodeo Tour - 2008 Schedule (Events are set - Date are tenative or show last years dates)
Event City 2008 dates
Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo Odessa, Texas 01/04 - 01/12
National Western Stock Show Denver, Colo. 01/12 - 01/27
Blackhills Stock Show Rodeo Rapid City, S.D. 01/31 - 02/03
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo San Antonio, Texas 02/01 - 02/16
San Angelo Rodeo San Angelo, Texas 02/21 - 03/01
Rodeo Austin Austin, Texas 03/11/2007 03/24/2007 03/03/2008 03/10/2008
Laughlin River Stampede Laughlin, Nev. 03/29/2007 04/01/2007
Clark County Fair and Rodeo Logandale, Nev. 04/12/2007 04/15/2007
Grand National Rodeo Horse & Stock Show San Fransico, Calif. 04/06/2007 04/16/2007
Red Bluff Round-Up Red Bluff, Calif. 04/20/2008 04/22/2008
Clovis Rodeo Clovis, Calif. 04/27/2007 04/29/2007
Buc Days ProRodeo Corpus Christi, Texas 04/25/2007 04/28/2007
Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo Guymon, Okla. 05/05/2007 05/06/2007
Redding Rodeo Redding, Calif. 05/17/2007 05/19/2007
Reno Rodeo Reno, Nev. 06/15/2007 06/23/2007
Cody Stampede Cody, Wyo. 07/01/2007 07/04/2007
St. Paul Rodeo St. Paul, Ore. 07/01/2007 07/04/2007
World's Oldest Rodeo Prescott, Ariz. 06/29/2007 07/03/2007
4th of July Youth Celebration & PRCA ProRodeo Window Rock, Ariz. 07/04/2007 07/07/2007
Rodeo of the Ozarks Springdale, Ark. 07/01/2007 07/04/2007
Dinosaur Roundup Vernal, Utah 07/11/2007 07/14/2007
Snake River Stampede Nampa, Idaho 07/17/2007 07/21/2007
California Rodeo Salinas Salinas, Calif. 07/19/2007 07/21/2007
Days of 47 Rodeo Salt Lake City, Utah 07/18/2007 07/24/2007
Cheyenne Frontier Days Cheyenne, Wyo. 07/21/2007 07/29/2007
Dodge City Round-Up Dodge City, Kan. 08/01/2007 08/05/2007
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