AUSTIN, Texas, November 23, 2020 – The World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) in collaboration with Professional Bull Riders (PBR) has announced that Rodeo Corpus Christi will play host to the first stop to the 2021 WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR).
This first 2021 WCRA Major Rodeo May 6-9, will pay out over $500,000 and will be held in conjunction with a PBR event on April 30 that will open up The Buccaneer Days Festival (Buc Days) in Corpus Christi, Texas (April 30 – May 9), creating a must-see week full of western lifestyle sports.
The TCR is an annual bonus that will pay $1 million to any one athlete or collection of athletes who win first place in any three consecutive WCRA Major Rodeos. The Triple Crown of Rodeo event will be featured on a CBS Television network broadcast.
“We launched the Triple Crown of Rodeo with a goal to grow the sport of rodeo through major media exposure. The TCR media platform is built to align with established, historic events like Rodeo Corpus Christi,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to bring major rodeo and a CBS network broadcast to a destination market such as Corpus Christi.”
Rodeo Corpus Christi, hosted on the Corpus Christi Bayfront, takes place during the annual Buccaneer Days Festival in early-May, bringing together more than 120,000 attendees to promote tradition and community pride in the Coastal Bend by producing exceptional family entertainment that results in educational scholarships.
“Buc Days – Rodeo Corpus Christi is proud to partner with WCRA and PBR,” said Buccaneer Commission President & CEO Johnny Philipello. “This innovative approach to Rodeo will allow us to grow prize money for rodeo athletes, showcase the city of Corpus Christi, and ultimately return more dollars toward scholarships for students in South Texas.”
Rodeo athletes from all over the globe are eligible to qualify to compete at Rodeo Corpus Christi through the innovative WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ). The top athletes on the WCRA Leaderboard in each discipline will compete for their piece of the over $500,000 purse, across nine disciplines which include – Bareback Riding, Women’s Breakaway Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling, Steer Roping, Team Roping (Heading and Heeling), Tie-Down Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding.
Continuing its support of Youth Rodeo, WCRA welcomes Division Youth (DY) back to competition in 2021 with the Rodeo Corpus Christi WCRA DY Incentive. Youth athletes ages 13 and up will also have an opportunity to compete at this event. The top 12 timed event athletes on the WCRA DY Leaderboard will compete in the qualifying rounds and be eligible for their own incentive purse as well as having the same opportunity to advance through the entire rodeo.
“PBR is thrilled to join with WCRA to partner with another iconic rodeo in continuing to bring marquee events to rodeo athletes and fans,” said Sean Gleason Commissioner and CEO, PBR. “We look forward to growing this partnership for years to come.”
PBR brought a one-of-a-kind bull riding event to Corpus Christi on November 21, 2021 with the PBR US Air Force Reserve Cowboys for a Cause, a team event atop the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi Bay.
The WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo bonus is available to rodeo athletes worldwide who nominate their current rodeo efforts through the VRQ and crowned champions at three consecutive WCRA Major Rodeos. Nominations for Corpus Christi (WCRA Segment Seven) are open now and will close April 11, 2021.
The revolutionary TCR incentive is not limited to just the WCRA 2021 season, rather, it allows athletes to rack up wins on a rolling calendar basis. This means athletes’ three consecutive wins can cross calendar years, however, the $1 Million bonus will only be paid one time annually. If two or more athletes achieve this milestone at the same time, the bonus will be split.
Since launching in May of 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $8,500,000 in new money to rodeo athletes. All WCRA TCR events are subject to Official TCR Rules and Ground Rules associated with each independent event. All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA or the VRQ should be directed to wcrarodeo.com.
About WCRA
WCRA is a professional sport and entertainment entity, created to develop and advance the sport of rodeo by aligning all levels of competition. In association with PBR, WCRA produces major rodeo events, developing additional opportunities for rodeo industry competitors, stakeholders and fans. To learn more visit wcrarodeo.com. For athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier, visit app.wcrarodeo.com
About PBR
PBR (Professional Bull Riders) is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 700 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top 35 bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. PBR’s digital assets include RidePass, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
