My favorite sporting event of the year has commenced. From last night through December 13th, for the next ten nights I will participating from the comforts of my recliner. This is the 50th Annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo broadcast from beautiful downtown Las Vegas. Each rodeo season, from January to November, thousands of rodeo cowboys travel across our nation to participate in professional rodeo. Their goal is to make some money, but the ultimate goal is to earn a berth at the National Finals Rodeo.

With the aide of the airplane, some of these cowboys will participate in two or three rodeos per day, dependent on scheduling. To win a place in the National Finals, they must qualify in the top fifteen of their respective events. The world standings is based on the amount of prize money that they accumulate throughout the rodeo season. The big money is at the National Finals, daily money is paid for each event dependent on their placement. The World Champion will be declared after the last event of the finals based on total prize money earned during the season and at the National Finals.

Like any sporting event, you always have your favorites. I have two contestants that I have been following for years. There are several reasons for this, each of them are very humble men yet exemplify professionalism as a rodeo cowboy. These two men, do not have to participate, their lifetime earnings put them at the top of their sport. They participate because they love the sport. The impressive thing is that they are two of the older cowboys on the circuit and are setting the example for the younger rodeo riders that are entering the competition.

Saddle Bronc Rider: Billy Etbauer: Riding saddle broncs is the only competitive event that Bill Etbauer participates in, which is considered as rough stock and a young man's event. Etbauer is forty five years old and lives in Oklahoma.
He become a member of the Professional Rodeo Association in 1988. Since that time, his total earnings has been $2,800,000.00 (rounded). In the fifty year history of the rodeo finals, he has participated in 20 events and earned himself the title of World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider five times. This year, he entered the National Finals ranked as #2 in the world. By winning second place in the event last night, he has now moved to #1 in the world with a total earnings this year of $153,624 with nine more nights remaining. For several years, his brothers, Robert and Dan also rode the rodeo circuit as Saddle Bronc riders and won several world championships. There are very few bronc riders that are smaller than Billy Etbauer but when he sits down on the back of that horse in the chute, he rides tall in the saddle. A place in the Cowboy Hall of Fame awaits his arrival.

Tie Down Roper: Fred Whitfield: Calf roping is the only event that Fred Whitfield participates in, primarily tie down roping however on occasion he will rope "head and heel". Whitfield is 41 years of age and lives in Texas. He joined the Professional Rodeo Association in 1990. Since that time, he has also earned $2,800,000.00 in professional rodeo, making himself and Billy Etbauer, two of the top money earners in professional rodeo. During his tenure in the rodeo association he has qualified to participate in 18 National Finals. He was won the title of World Champion Tie Down Roper eight times during his career. Currently, he is ranked 9th in the world and out of the fifteen calf ropers last night, he finished fourth earning $7,031.25 in day money. Whitfield is also one of the oldest calf ropers on the circuit, but when he comes off his horse and down the rope to the calf, his speed and agility is that of a junior roper. It is likely, he is probably the most respected roper in the circuit, he is never out of the competition until that final calf is down and tied. Although he is still very active in the rodeo circuit, he has already been enshrined into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 2004.