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Rodeo Daily

Athlete of the Week: Wesley Thorp Finds Early Season Success Across Texas

Wesley Thorp has started his 2027 season off with a bang, placing at every rodeo he entered throughout October.
Emery Mask|
Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp
Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp | Courtesy of The Hondo Rodeo

There never seems to be an off-season in rodeo. With the regular season ending on September 30, athletes continue the grind on October 1 in hopes of earning enough money to secure their spots at some of the sport's biggest indoor rodeos, including Denver, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.

After missing the 2026 NFR by only $9,600, Wesley Thorp has kicked off his 2027 season strong. The three-time World Champion has made an early statement with multiple top placings across Texas with his partner, Tanner Tomlinson.

Thorp and Tomlinson began roping together at the PRCA rodeos last season, towards the end of April. The team made their debut in Lufkin during the Angelia Benefit Rodeo, where they won the first round of that rodeo with a 4.1-second run.

Cooks Rodeo Days

Cooks Rodeo Days in Lubbock just wrapped up its fifth year as a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo. The team roping consists of three go-rounds, with the aggregate determining the overall event winners.

Thorp competed well at Cooks, roping behind Tomlinson. The team was 6.3 seconds in the first round to place tenth. In Round 2, the team improved their time by a full second, placing eleventh with a 5.2-second run.

Round 3 brought a second-place finish in the round for Thorp and Tomplinson with their time of 5.0 seconds. Their consistency paid off, bringing their average time to 16.5 seconds across all three rounds, winning the average and $2,850.

Texas Circuit Finals

At the Texas Circuit Finals, Thorp placed in two of the four rounds, as well as in the aggregate. He opened with an eighth-place finish in Round 1 before claiming the Round 2 win with a 3.5-second run. In the third round, the duo received a no time but redeemed themselves in Round 4 with a 3.6-second run, winning their second round of the rodeo.

After the final round, Thorp and Tomlinson finished sixth in the aggregate with 21.3 seconds, helping Thorp secure a sixth-place finish in the year-end standings.

Season Kickoffs

Hempstead kicks off the new season each year at the Mustang Cat Arena. Thorp and Tomlinson started off strong with 4.4 seconds to win second place at the Waller County Fair & Rodeo.

In Rosenburg Tomlinson turned their steer just in time for Thorp to heel him in 4.2 seconds to place third and add $3,137 to their new year earnings 

New Season Standings

Thorp finished the 2026 season in a respectable position within the Top 20 but is looking for a good start into the new year. The 10-time NFR qualifier currently sits atop the 2027 world standings with $14,757.41 in earnings.

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Emery Mask
EMERY MASK

Emery Mask is from Amarillo, Texas, where she was raised in a rodeo family. She competed throughout her youth and later advanced to collegiate rodeo. Emery represented South Plains College twice at the College National Finals Rodeo before continuing her education and rodeo career at Tarleton State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications. Emery is now an active member of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, with a Mountain States Circuit Finals qualification to her name. She also runs her own media business, Little Power Proof Creatives, and spends her free time pursuing a variety of creative hobbies. Whether she’s in the arena or behind the lens, Emery is passionate about celebrating the Western lifestyle through both competition and storytelling.

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