With the richest purse of the rodeo season on the line, the Super Series format once again gives competitors the chance to change the course of their year.
The cowboys and cowgirls have officially returned to H-Town.
RODEOHOUSTON is underway inside NRG Stadium. The first performances of Super Series 1 have only just begun, but the impact of this rodeo on a cowboy or cowgirls season is already being felt.
There is no question about it, RODEOHOUSTON offers the largest purse PRCA/WPRA competitors will have the chance to win throughout the year outside of the National Finals Rodeo. A big win in March at Houston can push a cowboy or cowgirl straight to the top of the standings.
Any rodeo competitor dreams of the day that they get to back in the box, climb down in the chute, or run down the alley of NRG Stadium in front of that huge Houston crowd.
RODEOHOUSTON this year runs March 2 through March 21.
How the Super Series Works
RODEOHOUSTON is structured differently than most rodeos on the schedule. Similar to the other winter rodeos, this is a tournament style format that demands consistency from rodeos best athletes. Instead of a single performance or average determining a champion, contestants must navigate a multi tier bracket system known as the Super Series in Houston.
There are five Super Series brackets that will take place, each consisting of eight competitors per event. Those eight contestants compete in three rounds within their bracket, earning money each time they compete.
When the three rounds are complete, the top four competitors in each bracket advance to the Semifinals. The top four are determined strictly by money won, not an average time or round win.
That process then narrows the field from 40 original contestants down to 20.
The Semifinals then feature two performances with 10 competitors each, and the format resets. Only one round in the semis, and nothing carries forward from the brackets. From each Semifinal performance, the top four times or scores advance to the finals. That leaves eight finalists.
The final two positions are decided in the Wildcard round, where the 12 contestants who failed to advance out of the Semifinals receive one final opportunity. The Wildcard is split into two performances with six competitors each, only one athlete of each event in each perf advances.
That leaves ten finalists who will battle for one of rodeos most coveted titles. The finals round is unique here too. After the original finals 10 man round, the top 4 of each event will return for the Championship Shootout Round the same day. The Shootout will follow right after the Championship Round. This is what crowns the champs.
Why Houston Matters
The format alone makes RODEOHOUSTON one of the most demanding and unique rodeos of the year, but it’s the payout that truly changes seasons and careers.
With a $65,000 bonus awarded to each event champion after the finals, on top of the money that can be earned during bracket rounds, Houston routinely reshapes the world standings dramatically.
Athletes who arrive outside the Top 15 can suddenly find themselves firmly inside it by the end of the rodeo, and often at the very top. We have seen many World Champions catch their momentum and jumpstart their season in Houston. In fact, the money is so good, that a big win in Houston can change the entire plan for the summer run and the rest of the season.
It’s why many in the sport consider Houston one of the most pivotal stops of the entire season. Not very many get in to NRG, but if you do, it is a huge opportunity to capitalize.
Super Series 1 is just getting underway, meaning every athlete there is beginning the same climb with three rounds to build momentum and earn enough money to survive the first part of the tournament.
With four additional Super Series still to come, the leaderboard and trajectory of the rodeo will shift repeatedly over the next three weeks. Regardless, if these athletes made it to Houston, they belong there and sure to put on a show.
The cowboys are back in H-Town, and someone’s season is about to change in a big way.
Tune in to the Cowboy Channel, and stay tuned here on Rodeo Roundtable for all your RODEOHOUSTON coverage.