On March 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, The American will change lives. The richest single-day event in all of western sports brings qualifiers from across the country who will battle the top 10 seeded professional rodeo athletes for what could be the biggest single-day paycheck of their careers. To make it all the way to AT&T Stadium, the 294 barrel racing qualifiers will have to jockey (literally) for a top-10 spot during the Qualifier Semifinals taking place in Cowtown Coliseum at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Barrel racing semis are slated to overtake Cowtown Coliseum for two days, February 25-26. The top competitors advancing from the Qualifier Semifinals compete in Friday night’s new Contender Round for a chance to move on to AT&T Stadium. The Top 10 athletes who make it to 2022’s final field on Sunday will be eligible for their discipline’s $100,000 prize money and will also have their shot at the bonus millions. With a newly reimagined format, the preliminary, semifinals rounds, and the long-go finals will transform Cowtown Coliseum at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.
Barrel Racing Semifinals Long Round Draw
Barrel racing qualifiers have the opportunity for exhibitions on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. in Cowtown Coliseum before the preliminaries get underway on Friday, Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. A Buy-Back Round is offered on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 26.
Full Semifinals Preliminary Round Schedule:
Sunday, February 20 at 8AM – Tie-Down Roping
Tuesday, February 22 at 8AM – Breakaway Roping
Friday, February 25 at 8AM – Barrel Racing
Saturday, February 26 at 8AM – Barrel Racing
Sunday, February 27 at 8AM – Team Roping
Sunday, February 27 at 7PM – Roughstock Events (Bareback, Saddle Bronc & Bull Riding)
Monday, February 28 at 8AM – Steer Wrestling
**All preliminary rounds will be held at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, with the exception of the Steer Wrestling Preliminary Round on Monday, Feb. 28 which will be held at NRS Arena in Decatur, Texas
Semifinals Event Schedule at Cowtown Coliseum:
Tuesday, March 1 at 7PM – Semifinals Performance 1
Wednesday, March 2 at 7PM – Semifinals Performance 2
Thursday, March 3 at 7PM – Semifinals Performance 3
Finals / Long-Go Round at Cowtown Coliseum:
Friday, March 4 at 7PM – Finals Championship, Contender Round
Top 10 Seeded Rodeo Athletes from the 2021 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Standings following the National Finals Rodeo:
- Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas
- Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas – 3x American Champion (2017, 2018, 2021)
- Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Oklahoma
- Shelley Morgan, Eustace, Texas
- Dona Kay Rule, Minco, Oklahoma
- Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas – American Champion, 2020
- Amanda Welsh, Sundance, Wyoming
- Ivy Saebens, Nowata, Oklahoma
- Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Oklahoma
- Molly Otto, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Following the qualifier and semifinals events at Cowtown, the legendary weekend of western sports and entertainment gets underway at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, March 5 with the 2022 PBR Global Cup USA at 5:45 p.m. CST and then the nonstop rodeo action at The American begins at noon on Sunday, March 6. Recently purchased by Teton Ridge, The American airs on The Cowboy Channel, INSP and Ridepass on Pluto (see broadcast schedule). For more information visit https://www.americanrodeo.com/.
