Rodeo Lingo

For the casual rodeo fan, rodeo lingo can be downright confusing. In this article, I'll offer you a handful of terms you can take the arena.

Rodeo contest fall into categories: ROUGH STOCK EVENTS, which depend on balance and endurance, and TIMED EVENTS, which depend on skill and speed. Rough stock events include Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Bronc Riding, and Bull Riding. Timed events include Calf Roping, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping and Women's Barrel Racing. Local rodeo committees, of course, may add other events.

Money talks, and although a necessary evil, cowboys have to want to rodeo, or just be plum crazy. Still, it's good to know what the announcers are meaning when they talk cowboy purses.

ADDED MONEY -- The money donated to the rodeo committed by sponsors for the purpose of attracting contestants for competition.

ENTRY FEE -- The money paid by the contestant in order to compete in a rodeo. Contestants pay a separate entry fee for each event entered.

DAY MONEY -- This is the amount of money given out in each go-round in each event. For instance, in each of the NFR's seven daily events, the top six finishers collect a share of the day money. The number of daily events and finishers vary rodeo to rodeo.

GROUND MONEY -- If less than six finishers post either a qualifying ride in the rough stock events or a qualifying run in the timed events, the leftover day money then becomes ground money. This money is divided evenly among those who made a qualifying ride/run. If no one makes a qualifying ride/run, which is always a possibility and I've seen happen most frequently in Bull Riding event, all the day money becomes ground money and is divided evenly among the competitors. However, ground money does not count toward NFR earnings or in world championship earnings.

AVERAGE MONEY -- This money is awarded for those posting the top eight total scores/times over the course a rodeo event (i.e. the 10 days of NFR). Average money often provides a big enough boost on the final day to help contestants claim world titles, even if they are way behind entering the last go-round.

But for contestants who have had a rough week, posting either some no times or no scores can put them out of the average, forcing them to rely on day money to keep world title hopes alive, and sometimes to simply put food in their bellies.

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