WCRA athletes to watch ahead of Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo team selection
The Free Riders, coached by WCRA president Bobby Mote, will be comprised entirely of WCRA athletes.
12/13/2023
We can’t wait for a day of rank action and killer music by Kid Rock himself, so don’t forget to get your tickets now!
While five of the six teams will be formed by a draft, the roster of one of those teams – the Free Riders, coached by WCRA president and four-time PRCA bareback world champion Bobby Mote – will be comprised entirely of WCRA athletes.
Some of the best Western sports athletes in the world are on the table, so let’s take a look at some of those WCRA standouts who could be wearing Free Riders colors come May.
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A year ago, RC Landingham etched his name in the history books by becoming the first winner of the WCRA’s Triple Crown of Rodeo and accompanying $1 million bonus.
“It has taken me more than a decade to earn near $1 million,” Landingham said at the time. “Thanks to this organization, it only took me three rodeos. This award has done nothing but raise the rodeo bar, and I hope it opens the eyes of others because they are truly making million-dollar opportunities over here.”
Landingham’s career has been marked by tragedy and setbacks. He suffered a gruesome wreck in the arena in 2010 and a gruesome car wreck in 2011, lost his mother to cancer in 2017, and suffered another wreck shortly after that kept him largely out of action until 2021.
Landingham returned to riding again in February of 2021 and hit new heights in this comeback, which has included back-to-back return NFR trips in 2021-22.
Isaac Diaz – Saddle Bronc Riding
Isaac Diaz was just one win away from joining Landingham as a Triple Crown of Rodeo winner, but he fell short at Rodeo Carolina in October. Still, he’s won nearly $1.5 million in his career and qualified for the NFR seven times (2007, ’09, ’12, ’13, ’15, ’18 and ’20). He almost qualified for the NFR in 2023, finishing in the “heartbreak hole” – No. 16, when the Top 15 riders qualify.
Diaz is a three-time Florida High School Rodeo Association state champion and National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bronc riding titlist, and he’s been entering WCRA events since the beginning.
“We all want to see growth in this sport, and this is another avenue for rodeo athletes to win without having to travel as hard. I was in full support of what the WCRA is doing right away,” Diaz said in October.
“What’s not to like about the chance to win more money? It doesn’t change my goals at the end of the year, but it makes it a lot easier to pay my bills when I can go to one rodeo and win good money. There are very few professional rodeos where you can win what these WCRA events pay.”
Shad Mayfield – Tie-Down Roping
Shad Mayfield is currently in Las Vegas competing in the NFR, where he won Round 4 of the tie-down roping. The 23-year-old has already qualified for the NFR five times, winning the world title in 2020 at just 19 years old, and is the 2018 National High School Rodeo Association champion. During his world title season of 2020, he entered the NFR with an $89,479 lead over his competitors and won money at all but one rodeo he competed at.
Mayfield finished 2022 ranked No. 2 in the PRCA and is currently No. 1 on the WCRA’s tie-down roping leaderboard.
Bridger Anderson – Steer Wrestling
Also currently in Las Vegas competing in the NFR, Bridger Anderson is a two-time NFR qualifier, with the first coming in 2020. He most recently won Round 4 of the steer wrestling in 3.5 seconds, placing fourth in Round 3. He’s won five PRCA rodeos this year.
Kelsie Domer – Breakaway Roping
Kelsie Domer (née Chace) is a nine-time World Champion in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, winning in breakaway roping in 2017-2019, the all-around in 2012, 2017, and 2020-21, and tie-down roping in 2012 and 2018. She’s won ten WPRA rodeos in 2023 and is currently No. 2 on the WCRA breakaway roping leaderboard.
She also used to live with 19-time World Champion Jackie Crawford and her husband Charly, himself a nine-time NFR qualifier.
“It’s awesome. We get to feed off each other,” Domer said in 2020. “Of course, she’s one of the best in the business at riding horses and training horses and roping. And Charly as well. So it’s been good. I’ve learned a lot down there. It’s fun being around those two. We always say, ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ so I want to be down there around the best.”
Stephanie Fryar – Barrel Racing
Currently No. 5 on the WCRA barrel racing leaderboard, Stephanie Fryar has come on strong in 2023, placing second at Rodeo Corpus Christi and winning Rodeo Carolina – making her eligible for the Triple Crown of Rodeo should she win her next two events.
Buddy Hawkins and Andrew Ward – Team Roping
Buddy Hawkins and Andrew Ward are No. 1 and No. 2 on the heeler and header WCRA leaderboards, respectively. Currently competing at the NFR, they placed second in Rounds 3 and 6, third in Round 2, fifth in Round 5, and sixth in Round 4, and are the projected PRCA World Champions. They’ve won eight PRCA rodeos in 2023 and have qualified for the NFR four years in a row – all four years of their partnership.
Photo courtesy of Leo Loera/Bull Stock Media
