Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The PRCA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. History. The organization was created in 1936 when a group of cowboys walked out of a rodeo at Boston Garden to protest the actions of rodeo promoter W.T. Johnson, who refused to add the cowboys' entry fees to the rodeo's total purse. Johnson finally  gave in to the cowboys' demands, and the successful "strike" led to the formation of the Cowboys' Turtle Association. That name was chosen because, while they were slow to organize, when required they were unafraid to stick out their necks to get what they wanted, like turtles might do. Among the organizers was a woman, a four-time national bronc champion, Alice Greenough Orr. In 1945, the Turtles changed their name to the Rodeo Cowboys Association, and in 1975, the organization became the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The PRCA staff consists of about 70 full-time employees, but grows to  nearly 100 during the peak rodeo season. The PRCA headquarters, established in 1979 in Colorado Springs, also houses the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy. In 2006, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame inducted the PRCA into its hall of fame. Events. 7 events and 9 championships are sanctioned by the PRCA. Note: Steer roping is publicized separately and its finals are held separately at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR). Tours and championships. Circuit System. There are 13 regional circuits in the PRCA. 12 of them American: Montana, Mountain States, Wilderness, Columbia River, California , Turquoise, Texas, Prairie, Badlands, Great Lakes, Southeast, and First Frontier, as well as Canada's Maple Leaf Circuit. Contestants compete in their respective circuits and the top ones qualify for each of the circuit finals rodeos. Points are achieved for the top competitors in each of the circuit rodeo events held throughout the year. At the conclusion of each circuit finals rodeo, the season champion, as well as the circuit finals average champion qualify for the main event of the circuit system, the NFR Open. The winner in each event at the NFR Open is the National Circuit Champion for  their respective event. In addition to the nine individual event winners, including heading and heeling team ropers, there is also the all-around cowboy champion, who wins the most money in two or more events. All ten winners receive the National Circuit championship belt-buckle. The event was previously known as the National Circuit Finals Rodeo (NCFR). The NCFR was held every spring from 1987 to 2010 in Pocatello, Idaho, before moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2011, Guthrie, Oklahoma in 2014, and then to Kissimmee, Florida, in 2015. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCFR had to  be moved to a different date and location. It was ultimately held in Greeley, Colorado in September. The event itself was closed to the public and the seats were filled with socially distanced cardboard cutouts of people. In 2021, The NCFR returned to Kissimmee, Florida and took place during its normal run in the springtime, but consisted of a limited and socially distanced crowd due to the continuity of the pandemic. As of 2022, the National Circuit Finals Rodeo will now be known as the NFR Open and will take place every July at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo  in Colorado Springs, Colorado. NFR Playoff Series. The top cowboys and cowgirls compete in 56 of the PRCA's largest regular season rodeos where they try to earn points for the tour finale, the NFR Playoff in September. The finale itself was previously held at the Puyallup Rodeo at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Washington. In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the finale was held in Rapid City, South Dakota. In 2021, the finale moved to the California Rodeo Salinas in Salinas, California. The finale will be returning to Puyallup in 2022. The top 23 contestants  in each of the rodeo events of the NFR Playoff Series standings, as well as the champions from each event at the NFR Open will compete at the NFR Playoff. The tour was previously known as the ProRodeo Tour before changing to the NFR Playoff Series in 2022. While money won on the tour does count toward the world standings for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), The NFR Playoff Series is points based. The competitor with the highest total points in each rodeo event at the end of the season is crowned the NFR Playoff Series Champion. World's Toughest  Rodeo. This tour consists of PRCA bareback bronc riders, saddle bronc riders, and bull riders, as well as barrel racers from the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) competing in select midwestern and southeastern cities of the United States as annual events. Money won at each tour stop counts towards the PRCA world standings. Xtreme Bulls. Since 2003, the PRCA has sanctioned events that feature bull riding alone called the Xtreme Bulls tour. These events are held in conjunction with less than a handful of the PRCA's several hundreds of annual rodeos. Forty PRCA bull riders compete in a  select rodeo arena in a one-two-day competition, and the top 12 riders based on scores come back to the championship round. The rider with the most points on two bulls wins the event. The PRCA crowns an Xtreme Bulls tour champion every year. This is the rider who wins the most money on tour. Bull riders must compete in at least forty complete PRCA rodeos if they want the money won on the Xtreme Bulls tour to count in the world standings towards the National Finals Rodeo. The Xtreme Bulls tour has Division 1 and Division 2 events . In 2003, the inaugural Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale was held in Kissimmee, Florida. In 2004, the tour finale was held in conjunction with the PRCA-sanctioned Ellensburg Rodeo in Ellensburg, Washington. In 2005, it was held in Reno, Nevada. From 2006 to 2008, it was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. From 2009 to 2019, it was consistently held in conjunction with the Ellensburg Rodeo. In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ellensburg Rodeo was cancelled, and thus the Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale had to be moved somewhere else. It was ultimately held in Nephi, Utah. In 2021, the Xtreme Bulls  Tour Finale moved to Pendleton, Oregon to be held in conjunction with the PRCA-sanctioned Pendleton Round-Up. Xtreme Broncs. First approved by the PRCA in 2016, this tour features only saddle bronc riding competition. Like the Xtreme Bulls tour, these events are held in conjunction with a very small amount of the PRCA's several hundreds of annual regular season rodeos. At the Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale, held every August since 2019 in Rapid City, South Dakota, the top 12 saddle bronc riders in the PRCA world standings, plus the top 12 saddle bronc riders in the Xtreme Broncs  tour standings not already in the top 12 PRCA world standings compete for the chance of winning the tour title. Money won on the Xtreme Broncs tour counts towards the PRCA world standings for the National Finals Rodeo. Legacy Steer Roping. Since 2019, the PRCA has sanctioned steer roping events for contestants aged 50 and over called the Legacy Steer Roping tour. Ropers must compete in at least four Legacy Steer Roping events and have won at least one dollar in each event in order to qualify for the Legacy Steer Roping Finals held in November in Mulvane, Kansas for  the chance of being crowned the tour champion. National Circuit Finals Steer Roping. The National Circuit Finals Steer Roping (NCFSR), takes place in Torrington, Wyoming. The top 35 steer ropers from the 12 PRCA regional American circuits compete at the annual two-day event for the chance of winning the National Circuit Steer Roping title. The inaugural NCFSR was in 2010. National Finals Steer Roping. At the end of the regular season, the top 15 steer ropers in the PRCA world standings compete at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR). This annual event held every November in Mulvane, Kansas, is  separate from the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and different from the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping (NCFSR). After two days of competition, the contestant who has won the most money throughout the season, including at the NFSR is crowned the PRCA world champion steer roper. Since 2019, the Legacy Steer Roping Finals have been held in conjunction with the NFSR. Permit Member of the Year Challenge. The top five permit holders in each of the standard male rodeo events at the end of the regular season compete at the PRCA Permit Member of the Year Challenge. This one-day event  is held every December at the South Point Hotel Arena & Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, just shortly before the National Finals Rodeo. However, because of COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada, the 2020 edition of the event took place at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The Permit Member of the Year Challenge returned to the South Point Hotel Arena & Equestrian Center in Las Vegas in 2021. First time PRCA members compete on a permit, and must win a certain amount of money before they earn their full-time PRCA membership card. The top five money-earning permit holders compete  in two rounds each and the ones who have earned the most money throughout the year are each crowned the PRCA Permit Member of the Year. The Permit Member of the Year Challenge has been held since 2009, although in its first five years, only the roughstock events (bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding) were featured. The timed events (steer wrestling, team roping and tie-down roping) were added in 2014. National Finals Rodeo. The top 15 money winners in each PRCA discipline (including the top 15 "headers" and "heelers" in team roping) at the end of the  regular season earn a trip to the National Finals Rodeo every December. The event is commonly called the National Finals or NFR. The inaugural National Finals Rodeo in 1959 took place in Dallas, Texas, and the event would remain there through 1961. From 1962 to 1964, the NFR took place in Los Angeles, California. From 1965 to 1984, it took place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since 1985, the NFR has been held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada, the NFR was temporarily moved to Globe Life Field in  Arlington, Texas with a limited and socially distanced crowd for each day of competition. The NFR returned to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in 2021. Rodeo action is held over 10 consecutive days at the National Finals, with the top money winner for the year crowned the year's PRCA World Champion in each discipline at the end of the NFR. Because of the large amount of money (10 million dollars) at stake in the NFR, the leaders in each event going into the NFR are often dethroned for the year's championship at that event. Television and  streaming. Throughout its history, PRCA events were televised on channels such as ESPN, TNN, the Outdoor Life Network, the Outdoor Channel, Fox Sports Networks, Great American Country, MAVTV and CBS Sports Network. Since 2020, PRCA events have been televised live on The Cowboy Channel and streamed live on the subscription-based The Cowboy Channel Plus application. Champions and hall of fame. The National Finals Rodeo and the National Finals Steer Roping award their champions and awards yearly at the end of the year and those awards are tracked in a separate article. The PRCA's board runs the Hall of  Fame. More than 100 people and livestock are nominated each year, but only a few are selected. Miss Rodeo America. The Miss Rodeo America pageant is held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada, every December. Miss Rodeo America is the official spokesperson for the PRCA. It is held alongside the National Finals Rodeo.