OFTEDAHL LEADS BRACKET 2 WINNERS AT FORT WORTH’S PRORODEO TOURNAMENT

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 27, 2025) – Chance Oftedahl of Pemberton, Minnesota, was the only contestant in Bracket 2 of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo’s (FWSSR) $1.5 million ProRodeo Tournament to win both quarterfinals rounds in his event.

The tie-down roper turned in a time of 8.1 seconds to win round two of his bracket Monday night in Dickies Arena. The former Odessa College rodeo team member who spends his non-rodeo time training horses also won the first round on Sunday.

He will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for February 6 and 7 along with former world champion Shane Hanchey of Sulphur, Louisiana, who placed in both rounds.

A highlight of Monday’s performance came in breakaway roping when fan favorite JJ Hampton roped her calf in 2.2 seconds. Hampton, a 17-time world champion and National Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee, did not record a time in round one and any chance of advancing in Fort Worth hinged on her second-round efforts.

The crowd roared when Hampton’s time was announced as it put her in first by one-tenth of a second. Fellow Stephenville resident Rylee George, who had tied for the first-round win with Louisiana’s Josie Conner on Sunday, was the last cowgirl to rope and stopped the clock in 2.4 seconds for third in the round. Conner’s time of 2.3 on Monday finished second.

Both George and Conner advanced to the semi-finals, but Hampton’s win kept her alive in the tournament as she advanced to the wild card round.

The biggest money winner on Monday was bull rider Gavin Mitchell of Graford, Texas. Mitchell qualified for the Fort Worth rodeo by winning the Palo Pinto Livestock Association Rodeo in Mineral Wells last spring. He was the first cowboy from the chute and had drawn a previously unridden bull from Rafter G Rodeo Company named Bucking for Cash. Mitchell stayed aboard for the full eight seconds, scored 85.5 points and earned $7,000 after no other bull rider made a qualified ride.

Wenda Johnson of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, holds the Dickies Arena barrel racing record at 16.08 seconds. While she wasn’t quite that fast on Monday, her time of 16.27 was nearly two-tenths of a second quicker than any other cowgirl and gave her the round win.

Tuesday is Stock Show Goes Pink Day in Fort Worth to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Bracket 3 will bring in a new slate of competitors who will compete Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Dickies Arena.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial results from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Pro Rodeo Tournament, Bracket 1, Round 2, January 25, 2025.

Bareback riding: 1, Gavin French, College Station, Texas, 85 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Cash & Carry, $2,300. 2, Spur Lacasse, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 85.5, $1,800. 3, Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 83.5, $1,400. 4, Kody Lamb, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, 81, $1,000.

Semi-finals qualifiers: French, $4,118, and Clements, $3,718. Wild Card qualifier: Kody Lamb, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, $2,018.

Steer wrestling: 1, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 4.4 seconds, $2,318. 2, Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas, 4.5, $1,818. 3, Ty Allred, Tooele, Utah, 4.6, $1,418. 4, Travis Munro, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 4.9, $1,018.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Lord, $4,160, and Payne, $3,260. Wild Card qualifier: Seth Peterson, Minot, N.D., $2,485.

Breakaway roping: 1, JJ Hampton, Stephenville, Texas, 2.2 seconds, $2,425. 2, Josie Conner, Iowa, La., 2.3, $1,925. 3, Rylee George, Stephenville, Texas, 2.4, $1,525. 4, MaryBeth Beam, Poetry, Texas, 2.8, $1,125.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Conner, $4,018, and George, $3,617. Wild Card qualifier: Hampton, $2,525.

Saddle bronc riding: 1, (tie) Blaise Freeman, on Dakota Rodeo’s Carney Girl, and Ross Griffin, Tularosa, N.M., on Dakota Rodeo’s Richie’s High, 84 points, $2,068 each. 3, (tie) Cash Wilson, Wall, S.D., and Kyle Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, 85, $1,218 each.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Freeman, $3,110, and Wilson, $2,660. Wild Card qualifier: Jarrod Hammons, Stephenville, Texas, $2,342.

Tie-down roping: 1, Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn., 8.1 seconds, $2,375. 2, Shane Han75chey, Sulphur, La., 10.0, $1,875. 3, Weldon Watson, Huntsville, Texas, 11.3, $1,475. 4, Cole Walker, Sparta, Tenn., 12.6, $1,042.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Oftedahl, $4,717, and Hanchey, $2,917. Wild Card qualifier: Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., $2,042.

Team Roping: 1, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 3.9 seconds, $2,375 each. 2, Dawson and Dillon Graham, Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, 4.3, $1,875 each. 3, Reno Stoebner, Bastrop, Texas, and Cole Walker, Sparta, Tenn., 4.5, $1,475 each. 4, Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz., and Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla., 5.1, $1,075 each.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Graham and Graham; and Rogers and VonAhn, $2,917 each. and Wild Card qualifiers: Derrick Begay, Seba Dalki, Arizona, and Colter Todd, $2,542 each.

Barrel Racing: 1, Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Okla., 16.27 seconds, $2,300. 2, Julie Plourde, Saint-Gedeon, Quebec, Canada, 16.46, $1,800. 3, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas., 16.48, $1,000. 4, Paige Jones, Wayne, Okla., 16.59. $1,000.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Schuster, $3,200, and Plourde, $2,800. Wild Card qualifier: Johnson, $2,425. (Johnson wins tiebreaker with Jymmy Kay Cox.)

Bull Riding: (one ride) 1, Gavin Mitchell, Graford, Texas, 85.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Bucking for Cash, $7,000.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Mitchell, $7,000, and Luke Mast, Hutchinson, Kan., $3,750. Wild Card qualifier: Trey Benton III, Richards, Texas, $3,250.

PROVIDED COURTESY OF JOHNA CRAVENS & NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW FOR TENN TEXAS MEDIA