With the Reno Rodeo in the books and signaling the start of the PRCA summer run — better known as "Cowboy Christmas" — Team Resistol athletes are hitting the road in pursuit of National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifications and world championship dreams.
From Reno to St. Paul and Prescott to Red Lodge, cowboys and cowgirls will crisscross the country chasing opportunities to earn critical dollars in the PRCA world standings. Logging thousands of miles and competing at multiple rodeos in a matter of days, many NFR campaigns are shaped during the intense stretch surrounding the Fourth of July holiday. With the stakes higher than ever, veteran competitors and Resistol Rookies alike will look to make their mark during one of professional rodeo's most demanding periods.
For Team Resistol athlete and world champion team roper Wesley Thorp, this year's Cowboy Christmas marks his 12th summer run as he pursues his 11th NFR qualification. Entering the summer, Thorp sits 27th in the PRCA Team Roping (Heeling) World Standings with more than $30,000 earned on the season. With many key rodeos remaining before the Sept. 30 regular-season deadline, Thorp will begin the summer run alongside a new partner — fellow Team Resistol athlete and NFR qualifier Tanner Tomlinson.
"Tanner is a new partnership that we just formed about a month ago," Thorp said. "We've gotten to go to several rodeos in Texas, gearing up for the summer run, and so far it's been really good. I was having trouble in the circuit, and within the last month I think we've about got the circuit finals made and have some confidence and momentum headed into the summer run. It's feeling pretty good so far."
With dozens of rodeos on the schedule, one of the biggest challenges of Cowboy Christmas is managing the travel and logistics required to maximize earning opportunities. Oftentimes, planning travel logistics is just as crucial– if not more– than the rodeo itself. Thorp, who departed his home state of Texas following the Parker County Sheriff's Posse Frontier Days Rodeo in Weatherford, outlined the team's plans for the opening weeks of the run.
"We'll go to Colorado first to a rodeo on the way to Utah and end up in Idaho at the end of the week," Thorp said. "We'll stay around Idaho and Utah for a couple of weeks, then work our way into Reno and the Fourth of July run and kind of spread out from there. We'll work our way into Canada for Ponoka, but my family will go with me. Tanner will go separately, but we'll use his rig to fly and meet up at certain places and use my rig for other trips. So we'll kind of make it a group effort."
While athletes can prepare extensively, the nature of professional rodeo often forces plans to change at a moment's notice.
"As far as logistics go, you just have to enter the first rodeo that opens and see how you draw up, then make your plan after that," Thorp said. "Everybody can have a plan until you draw bad at the first rodeo you enter — then you have to adjust. It's always a juggle. You might have two or three plans, and then it goes the exact opposite of what you want and your plans reverse. You just have to make a plan, know what it could look like, and then adjust and figure out what works best for everybody."
Drawing on more than a decade of experience competing during Cowboy Christmas, Thorp also offered advice to Resistol Rookies preparing for their first summer run.
"Going into the summer run, you want to be open-minded," Thorp said. "A bad week doesn't mean anything, and a good week doesn't mean anything either. Just because you had a good week doesn't mean you've got it figured out, and just because you had a bad week doesn't mean it's the end of the world. It's going to be a roller coaster no matter how you draw it up. It's probably never going to go according to plan. It's just about being able to adapt and having the confidence that you can do what you know you can do."
Thorp and Tomlinson will represent #TeamResistol throughout the summer alongside a roster of fellow Resistol endorsees, all working toward the same goal: qualifying for the NFR and competing for a coveted gold buckle while representing the Best All-Around — Resistol.