| World's Greatest Roper |
|
|
|
|
WORLD’S GREATEST ROPER presented by Silver Legacy Resort Casino heads west to Reno! Saturday, June 20th – 10:00AM / Qualifier Rounds Lazy E Arena Wrangler World's Greatest Roper RENO IS HOME TO THE 4th ANNUAL WORLD’S GREATEST ROPER! Reno, Nevada / March 31, 2009 – The World’s Greatest Roper is making Reno, Nevada again home to this one-of-a-kind world championship event. The top timed event cowboys in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) will compete for the prestigious title of The World’s Greatest Roper and an estimated purse of over $84,000. New in 2009, Lazy E Productions proudly announces a change in the event format from previous years. For the first time ever, the WGR is “OPEN TO THE WORLD”. Meaning, any contestant can enter this year’s event – thus making the WGR a true WORLD COMPETITION. Qualifying rounds will be held on Saturday, June 20th to determine who advances to the Sunday show and where the 2009 Champ will be crowned. Another interesting fact for 2009 will be the exemption of former PRCA World Champions and former Lazy E Event Champions. Contestants with those credentials will automatically qualify for the competition on Sunday, June 21st. All totaled, the WGR action should be fast and furious boasting over 330 runs in two days that showcases the best Timed Event cowboys on the planet competing for the title of the World’s Greatest Roper! The event is again being held in conjunction with two of the greatest western events in the world “The Reno Rodeo” and “The Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping”. Organizers from all three major forces in the rodeo industry are committed to making the first weekend of the Reno Rodeo one spectacular show by again combining the Reno Rodeo, the World’s Greatest Roper, and the Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping - all within 3 action-packed days. "The Reno Rodeo is really pleased to see the return of the World's Greatest Roping for year two in Reno. This is a world-class event having all the earmarks of gaining popularity in short order to the size of the fan base experienced by the BFI. The BFI and WGR are spectacular back-to-back events that have turned the Reno Rodeo into a roping Mecca and the place to be at the beginning of summer," said Reno Rodeo President Gordie Cowan. The World’s Greatest Roper is one of pro rodeo’s most unique events and is patterned after the highly successful Wrangler Timed Event Championship – which is a true all-around test of roping skills. At the WGR, each contestant is required to compete in all three roping disciplines: team roping heading, tie-down roping, and team roping heeling. The World’s Greatest Roper was developed by Lazy E Productions in 2006 to determine the best roper in the world - the man who could stand out in more than his specialty roping event, the man who could be consistent over multiple rounds of over-all competition. This event attracts the biggest names in the rodeo industry in addition to thousands of fans from across the country! Some of the cowboys scheduled to compete for the mega-jackpot purse are highlighted by 6-time PRCA All Around World Champion Trevor Brazile; two-time World’s Greatest Roper Daniel Green; 2008 WGR Champion K.C. Jones; eight-time World Champion Joe Beaver; PRCA World Champions Matt Sherwood, Chad Masters, and Randon Adams; multiple NFR qualifiers Kyle Lockett, Marty Becker, Kory Koontz and Josh Peek; and ProRodeo Hall of Famers, Paul Tierney and Jimmie Cooper. Each round of competition features excitement with leaders changing after every run, with only seconds separating them. The champion isn’t determined until the last rope is thrown, the flag is dropped and the clock has stopped. Last year in Reno, four-time WTEC Champion K.C. Jones of Burlington, Wyoming bested a field of 40 World Champion titles earning him a payday of $25,000 and the title of World’s Greatest Roper. In addition to this tremendous event, the Reno Rodeo Committee, Lazy E Productions and the Bob Feist Invitational has put together a three-event bonus called the “Reno Triple Crown” which would pay an extra $100,000 check to a roper who would win the World’s Greatest Roper, win the BFI on June 22nd, and then win either the tie-down roping or the team roping average at the Reno Rodeo. All together, officials from the three organizations anticipate that if attained, one roper could walk away from Reno with a staggering $225,000 in earnings. The World’s Greatest Roper is sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, Wrangler, the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Priefert Ranch & Rodeo Equipment, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Ariat Boots, Gist Silversmiths, RFD-TV, Rodeo Video, the Reno Rodeo, the Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic and Cactus Saddlery. The World’s Greatest Roper is a Lazy E Production. For more information and/or ticket sales for the World’s Greatest Roper, contact the Lazy E Arena at (800) 595-RIDE or log on to http://www.lazye.com/. Click here for Ground Rules and Entry Form # # # Press Contact: Robert Simpson About Lazy E Productions and the World’s Greatest Roper: Since 1984, Lazy E Productions has been promoting the sport of professional rodeo and professional bull riding with its famed events. Some of the marquee events include the Wrangler Timed Event Championship; PBR-Bullnanza events in Lexington, KY and Guthrie, OK; PBR-Built Ford Tough Series events in Oklahoma City, OK, Nashville, TN and Tulsa, OK; the World’s Greatest Roper in Reno, NV, and the Lazy E Dressage Classic. Past events include the Gold & Silver Cutting; the Bud Light Rough Stock Rodeo; the Xtreme Bulls National Finals in Reno, NV; PBR-Bullnanza events in Salt Lake City, UT, Wichita, KS, Birmingham, AL and Reno, NV; the Lazy E Ranch Rodeo; the Reba McEntire Pro Celebrity Rodeo; the Ben Johnson Pro Celebrity Rodeo; the 89er Days PRCA Rodeo; the OCA Range Round-Up; the Lazy E Spring Barrel Futurity; the National Finals Steer Roping; 14 major act concerts; the Lazy E Spring Team Roping and the Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. For additional information on Lazy E Productions, please visit http://www.lazye.com/ or call 800.595.RIDE. About Reno Rodeo: Reno Rodeo is a 9-day event in its 90th year and is a PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) sanctioned sporting event. Reno Rodeo is a non-profit organization made up over 350 volunteers. Over 120,000 fans will be in attendance for the 4th richest PRCA tour rodeo. The event impacts the Reno/Sparks area economy with $40 million going to hotels, casinos, restaurants and retail. Over $2 million in prize money is available to win during Reno Rodeo week. Events include: PRCA Dodge Xtreme Bulls, the Lazy E Arena’s World's Greatest Roper, Bob Feist Invitational Pro Team Roping, Perry DiLoreto/Reno Rodeo Invitational Amateur Team Roping, Perry DiLoreto/Reno Rodeo Women's Only Invitational Team Roping, Drill Teams, Team Penning and the "Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West," the Reno Rodeo - has been nationally televised on CBS Sports, Fox Sports, OLN, ESPN and ESPN2. For additional information on the Reno Rodeo Association, please visit http://www.renorodeo.com/. About Bob Feist Invitational (BFI): The Bob Feist Invitational (BFI) is heralded as the "Richest One Day Open To The World Team Roping". Now in its 32nd year, the idea of the BFI evolved from an idea that producer, Bob Feist had, inviting the best ropers in the world; have them compete against their peers and with spectators paying to watch them in action. Chowchilla, Calif. was the place of the first roping, held in 1977. Other locations have included Denton, Tex. and Las Vegas Nev. Monday, June 22, 2009 is the date for this year's event that will once again be held in Reno, Nev. in conjunction with the “Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West". This will mark the 26th year that the BFI has been held in the town of Reno. The BFI will pay an estimated $700,000 in cash and awards all in one day, a new record for the event. Including this year, payoff in cash and prizes since its inception will reach the $7 million mark. The BFI DVD, produced annually by Rodeo Video, remains one of the best selling DVDs in the team roping world. The event has also been nationally televised on The Roping Show and America's Horse. For additional information on the Bob Feist Invitational (BFI), please visit http://www.bobfeistinvitational.com/ or call 209.369.3626. |