Now that the 2017 Junior NFR is in the books, let’s reflect on some of the aspects of the event that were world-class, and truly stood out at the Wrangler Rodeo Arena in Las Vegas.

All of these point to rodeo having a bright future, and a future that will see the sport grow, advance, and produce athletes that continue to break records and set the bar higher for the next generation.

Horsepower

Many of the horses gracing the arena at the 2017 Junior NFR were drool-worthy, but by the end of the week what was most surprising was that the young competitors could actually ride them. It wasn’t just kids on really good horses that a parent strapped them to — these were little horse-persons who knew reins weren’t just for pulling and feet for kicking the horses that were under them. The majority of the kids entered had great horsemanship skills that saw them being a partner to their horse, not just a passenger.

What was also apparent was that these kids were generally safe on the horses, and even on the roughstock animals they rode. There were barrel horses only going as fast as their little riders could handle, bucking stock that didn’t wipe out the kids trying to ride them, and while there was a wreck or two, the animals involved didn’t create a situation that escalated into anything that the arena crew couldn’t get them out of quickly.

Innovative Formats

Every event of the 2017 Junior NFR had a different format and a different qualification system, which may have made things a little complicated, but allowed for the host of each event to put a lot of care into deciding on a format that they believed would help the competitors of their event succeed.

That was very apparent in the steer wrestling, hosted by four-time world champion steer wrestler Ote Berry. He chose a three-run format, with two long rounds and a top-20 short round for the finals. His reasoning was that if a kid happened to draw a tougher steer in one round, he had a second chance in another round to pull through to the short round.

His qualifiers, though, were the really interesting part. He hosted 12 jackpot qualifiers in nine states throughout the season that not only gave points as steer wrestlers placed in the go-rounds and average at each event, but also weighted points based on how many contestants were entered. As a rule of thumb, the more contestants, the tougher the competition, so this point system gave more reward to the contestants that had to beat a greater number of steer wrestlers at their event.

Professionals Supporting The Next Generation

Luke Branquino, Heith DeMoss, Dustin Bird, Tyler Waguespack, and Cody Snow — that’s just a few National Finals Rodeo cowboys who came out to show their support of the next generation of rodeo athletes.

They sat in the front row, pulled cinches, clapped louder than anyone else at times, posed for pictures looking just as proud of the young competitor’s accomplishments as they were their own, and made sure that the next generation was well-supported.

That’s the cowboy way.

Everyone Loves A Little Cowboy

The video of 4-year-old Bronc Ryder DeMers all but broke the internet after he made his first ride at the 2017 Junior NFR. The little cowboy was merely there to make an exhibition ride for the crowd, as he was too young to be entered in the competition, but the roar from the crowd, and the resulting social media storm, was tremendous.

At the time of writing, his video has received over 1.7 million views.

The Level Of Professionalism

Sure, there were ropes and helmets thrown and some sad faces, but time and time again we saw future professionals. These kids dressed the part, kept it together under pressure, and all-in-all acted like the professionals that some of them will become.

No world title came easy, the level of competition was high, and the 2017 JrNFR World Champions should be proud of what they have accomplished.

Congratulations to the 2017 Junior NFR World Champions:

• Peewee Bareback Riding: Kash Lloyd
• Junior Bareback Riding: Tuker Carricato
• Senior Bareback Riding: Bradlee Miller

• Peewee Saddle Bronc Riding: Stratton Schoonover
• Junior Saddle Bronc Riding: Colby Stark
• Senior Saddle Bronc Riding: Garrett Cunningham

• 10-11 Year Old Mini Bull Riding: Avery Mullins
• 12-13 Year Old Mini Bull Riding: Bradlee Miller
• 14-15 Year Old Mini Bull Riding: Chris Villanueva
• 16-17 Year Old Mini Bull Riding: Hadley Miller

• Senior Barrel Racing: Jordan Morman
• Junior Barrel Racing: Emily Ward

• Steer Wrestling: Bridger Anderson

• 10 and Under Girls and Boys Breakaway Roping: Coleman Canton
• 14 and Under Girls Breakaway Roping: Madison Outhier
• 19 and Under Girls Breakaway Roping: McKenna Hickson
• 13 and Under Tie Down Roping: Riley Webb
• 19 and Under Tie Down Roping: King Pickett

• 15 and Under Team Roping Header: Luke Williams
• 15 and Under Team Roping Heeler: Kayden Little
• 16-19 Team Roping Header: Kade Smith
• 16-19 Team Roping Heeler: Hayden Cape