The American Rodeo is right around the corner, where rodeo superstars convey, including Teton Ridge rodeo competitors Hailey Kinsel and Jackie Crawford. The American Rodeo, taking place Saturday, March 11th, at the Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is the final round of the reimaged American Contender Tournament. To compete on this day, said to be the richest single day in rodeo, competitors have made their way through three rounds, beating out many other competitors or were in the top five from last year’s PRCA standing. This is no small feat in the barrel racing and breakaway fields of competitions, but with these household names, that’s no problem.
Hailey Kinsel
Hailey Kinsel is set to have another great year, and we are only a few months in. She is currently 5th in the WPRA standings with just a few rodeos under her belt for 2023. This gal is no stranger to the spotlight, with four World Barrel Racing Championships under her belt while also holding the unique distinction of being the only WPRA member to win the world title, Wrangler NFR average title, RAM Top Gun award, and fast-time award all in one year. Kinsel has deep roots in agriculture and rodeo, which shine through in her dedication and work ethic. As a 13-year-old girl, she was given her first horse solely dedicated to barrel racing, stipulating that it would not be used for ranch work. This horse was off the track and trained by her and her mother, Leslie Kinsel. This home-trained horse was Hailey’s middle school and high school rodeo partner and even stayed with her as she started on her professional WPRA journey.
Hailey and Leslie didn’t stop there! They purchased her current horse, DM Sissy Hayday, most commonly known as Sister when she was a filly. Any good horseperson is proud to ride a nice horse, but a horse that you’ve trained yourself and achieved what Sister has achieved brings a whole new meaning to the word proud. And that is precisely what Hailey and her mom did with Sister. Sister is by Sheri Cervi’s great stud horse PC Frenchman’s Hayday, known as Dinero, who has sired many champions. The pair had a horse bred similarly to Sister and wanted to stay close to those lines for obvious reasons.
Credit to Hailey’s Facebook Page
Kinsel filled her professional permit for the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association in 2015 and has made history ever since. To date, her career earnings are close to $1,900,000, and she has taken home the World Barrel Racing Championship four times. 2022 was a knockout year for Kinsel, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo for the 6th time and taking home the national championship. Leading up to this win, she and her team won the Ellensburg Rodeo, the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Jackie Crawford
Jackie Crawford, a powerhouse in her own right, is also making the trip to the American Rodeo. Her career earnings are just over $600,000, and she brings home winnings in more than just one event. The second most decorated member of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association with twenty overall world titles, coming in just behind Wanda Bush, who carries 32 world titles, this woman knows success and knows how to work hard to get it. Breakaway roping, team roping, and tie-down roping are events where this dynamite competitor draws checks in.
2020 was the first year we saw breakaway roping included in the National Finals Rodeo since 1959 and up until this point, only one event was open to women at this legendary event – barrel racing. Taking home the championship for this historical event, Jackie Crawford not only made sure her name would remain in the history books but also did it while she was 6 months pregnant. Jackie Crawford has become the face you think of when breakaway roping is brought up, but this event has long been a part of the rodeo world, with many faces who belong to the event. Lari Dee Guy is one of those faces who helped Jackie succeed in her career. Jackie worked for Lari after college, and this is not only where she picked up more skill and knowledge but also one of her winning horses, DS Sassy Shiner, aka T-Boy.
Jackie Crawford is a woman all other women can look up to for her great success, being a mother, and dedication and humbleness. We all watched in amazement as this woman won her 20th overall WPRA title in a saddle with no horn and an untucked shirt to accommodate her pregnancy. Whether involved in rodeo or not, mothers across the country took note. She rode this victory with grace and poise and became an inspiration for the moms who felt their dreams were put to the wayside by motherhood. With the highs come the lows, and in an article from the Breakaway Roping Journal, Jackie was asked, “What really happened to her in 2022?” She answered honestly, and with humbleness, which we all can learn from – she was stretched too thin and didn’t have her focus where it needed to be. She has since reorganized, prioritized, and is focused on her sport and her family, with a strong comeback expected from her and her fans in 2023.
You don’t want to miss out on a chance to see these athletes and many others during the American Rodeo, which kicks off on March 8th with the American Rodeo Contender Tournament Wild Card, with the Contender Finals the following day. March 10th brings you the American Performance Horseman, and then the big show, the one with the big chuck of cash on the line, March 11th, is The American Rodeo.
About the American Rodeo 2023
Hailed as The Crown Jewel of Rodeo™, The American Rodeo on Saturday, March 11 is an unrivaled celebration of the pioneering spirit of the American West. The national sporting event offers fans a unique choice – to cheer on Western sports’ finest, champion athletes, or root for the underdog “Contenders” chasing a $1 million bonus. The American changed the game for rodeo as we know it and is now changing the game for those who compete in it. Here’s how it’s going to work, the top five from the PRCA standings and the top five Contenders compete across eight rodeo events with the Contenders competing for a chance at ONE MILLION DOLLARS and the title of the American Rodeo Champion. A title that has changed the lives of those who achieve it. So, who will it be next?
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