"The Final Four begins in Caldwell..."

Courtesy of the PRCA -

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The highly anticipated Wrangler ProRodeo Tour’s playoff system is set for 2007, and all eyes will point to the Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo when a total of 288 contestants start a four-rodeo, 16-performance journey there in hopes of standing alone as champion at the end.
At the end of a grueling 21-event Tour rodeo gauntlet, the top 35 contestants in each event (35 teams in team roping) will advance to the Playoff Series, which begin at in Caldwell, Aug. 14-18. They will be joined in Caldwell by event champions from the 2007 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, who were awarded berths in the Playoff Series as “Wild Cards.”
Contestants will be jostling for position during the 21-event Wrangler ProRodeo Tour in hopes of qualifying for the Playoff Series. They can count 15 of those 21 rodeos toward the Tour standings, which consists of money won at Tour rodeos.
Following Caldwell’s five performances, the top 22 contestants in each event in the overall Tour standings, along with Caldwell’s event champions and the DNCFR Wild Cards, move on to the Puyallup (Wash.) Fair & Pro Rodeo, Sept. 7-9. After duking it out during Puyallup’s five performances, the Playoff Series field will be cut to the top 12 contestants and top 12 team roping teams based on the overall Tour standings.
After three performances in Omaha, Sept. 27-29, the top 10 contestants in each event and top 10 team roping teams advance to the Championship of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, which will be held in early November in Dallas. The Tour Championship will conclude with three performances in Dallas, Nov. 9-11, with the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour champions being crowned.
“We’re very excited about the new Playoff Series system for the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour,” said Keith Martin, Chairman of the PRCA Board. “This system provides great opportunities for PRCA and PWBR contestants to compete at the highest level and to do so in front of a nationally televised audience. The Playoff Series will put the perfect finishing touches on another successful Wrangler ProRodeo Tour season and will build ample excitement for rodeo fans heading into the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.”
The new Playoff Series format provides great opportunities for a variety of PRCA contestants – from weekend circuit cowboys to world champions – to achieve big paydays and glory on a national scale in front of a televised audience. Beginning Aug. 31 and running each week until the start of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on Dec. 6, the Playoff Series will be televised on Fox Sports Network and CBS.
Fox Sports Network will broadcast hour-long shows featuring the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Playoff Series each week for 14 straight weeks, as well as a minimum of 14 additional hours of re-aired broadcasts. CBS will broadcast Dallas’ final round on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. ET, providing an exclamation point for the culmination of the Tour on a national scene.
Steve Rempelos of ProRodeo Tour LLC, which has licensed the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, is excited about the new format for the Tour’s culminating events.
“This provides a broad opportunity to PRCA members that, from a grassroots side, may only be surpassed by the DNCFR,” Rempelos said. “We can focus attention on the top stars and follow them week to week and follow them through the 14-week process. This system gives us access to the top stars at times when the TV production trucks are there on-site. This is great for the membership.”
Rempelos said that plans are under way to secure a presenting sponsor for the Tour Playoffs, and specifics of the sponsorship will be announced in the near future. Contestants will be competing for a total of $1.62 million during the 16 performances of the Playoff Series. Caldwell will feature a $322,000 purse, Puyallup $348,000, Omaha $400,000 and Dallas $550,000.
Contestants will only be required to pay entry fees in Caldwell and Puyallup, and those fees will make up $120,000 of the Playoffs’ $1.62 million total purse. The 10 contestants and team roping teams who advance all the way to Dallas will, in essence, compete for a total of $950,000 between the six performances in Omaha and Dallas, an average of $158,333 per performance.
Under the new system, contestants will battle each other through a progressive style format that rewards a combination of consistency during the Tour season and clutch performances in the Playoff Series. Throw in the extensive television presence, and the buildup to this year’s Wrangler NFR through the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Playoff Series should create even more excitement than in years past.