The dust has settled, the final results are in, and the standings have been calculated after the completion of the 2018 Finning Pro Tour. Before we move on to other events coming up like Oldstoberfest this weekend and the Grass Roots Finals at the end of the month, let’s reflect on the great tour it was, and five things we noticed from following the tour this year. 

5. The Competition At The Tour Events Is Really Tough

The times and scores at these events are tough to beat, and it’s no wonder with the big names these top tier events draw. It’s not uncommon to see 90 points on the board, seven-second tie-down roping runs, sub-five and sometimes sub-four team roping runs, and a whole lot of three-second steer wrestling times on the board. 

In fact, according to the PRCA’s latest “Looking At The Leaderboard” segment, both Tyler Pearson’s 3.1-second run at the Edmonton K-Days Rodeo and Richmond Champion’s 91.5-point ride aboard C5 Rodeo’s Virgil at the Ponoka Stampede were among the top rides and runs of the entire PRCA season. 

4. The Stock May Have Been Just As Tough As The Cowboys

Horses by the name of Virgil, Timely Delivery, Black Feathers, Stevie Knicks, Wild Cherry, Mucho Dinero, Wanaka Rocket, and bulls like Heavens Basement, OLS Tubs Nickel Package, Tennessee Whiskey — and those are just some of the amazing stock that matched up against the cowboys in the roughstock events this year. 

Canada is known for their highly successful bucking stock programs from contractors like the Calgary Stampede, Wayne Vold Rodeo, Outlaw Buckers, Northcott’s/Macza, C5 Rodeo, the Keslers, and more. With stock like this to go around, you can bet they brought their best to the rodeos on the tour this year. 

3. The Impact These Events Have On The Cities They Are In Is Huge

It’s estimated that the CFR this year will bring an economic impact of over $25 million to the city of Red Deer, according to Travel Alberta. While that number may be smaller for the regular-season rodeos on the tour, the scale must be much greater for some of the small cities that host world-class rodeos. 

The Ponoka Stampede is one of the great examples of what is no doubt a crucial economic booster the small town receives each year from their rodeo. The town reported a population of just 7,229 in 2016, but the rodeo reports visits from 80,000 fans each year!

The IPE and Stampede in Armstrong, British Columbia, is another event that draws large crowds not only to their rodeo but the fair they host along with it. The town that has a population of only 4,815 (reported in 2011), sees about 150,000 people through its gates for the fair and 13,986 fans packed it into the rodeo’s grandstands this year.

That's a lot of rodeo fans that come each year to fill hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and business in those small towns!

2. The Tour Is A BIG DEAL To A Rodeo Competitor’s Season

These are the highest paying events of the entire CPRA regular season, and often some of the highest-paying events in the PRCA as well with five of the nine tour rodeos falling within the top 50 PRCA committee purses in 2017, according to their media guide. 

“They’re just as important as our tour rodeos down here,” said bareback rider Caleb Bennett in a FloRodeo story earlier this year. “With the extra money added at them, the payouts, the better stock, being able to go to them up there and almost get double the bang for your buck because you’re going to be getting your Canadian count in, getting tour points up there, plus world standings points down here to help qualify for the NFR.”

When looking at the tour dollars vs. the non-tour dollars, many of the highest ranking competitors in the CPRA Standings have earned most of their money on the tour. Pop over to the PRCA standings and you'll see a large chunk of the competitors heading to NFR have earned a lot of their money on the tour.

For example, the No. 1 bareback rider in Canada, Richmond Champion, has earned $34,276.28 on the tour in 2018 and has a total of $111,522.53 in PRCA earnings at press date. That means that nearly a third of the money he won for the entire 2018 rodeo season — both in Canada and in the U.S. — was won on the Finning Pro Tour. 

The case is much the same for the one-and-only Trevor Brazile. The 23-time world champion has $88,210.08 won in the PRCA tie-down roping standings and was sitting much lower than his current No. 5 position until a winning streak that included $27,130.89 on the Finning Pro Tour came around (also nearly a third of his total earnings).

Let's just say that one more time, almost A THIRD of their earnings were from just these nine tour rodeos.

1. If The Tour Was This Good, We’re Pumped For CFR

The 2018 Canadian Finals Rodeo is only going to multiply the points on our list, and we can’t wait. 

Watch the Canadian Finals Rodeo LIVE on FloRodeo October 30 to November 4. 

The top 12 are going to be some of the very best both North and South of the border, it will feature the best bucking stock night after night, the economic impact is estimated at over $25 million, and the payout is going to be $1.65 Million – ensuring cowboys and cowgirls that do well there can afford to ride another day (or two). 

Footage courtesy of Northlands