Who’s the Best? Kimzey’s Feats in PRCA and PBR Prove His Ability To Compete
Arlington, Texas, hosted two major events this past week, with Kid's Rock N Rodeo on May 17 and the 2024 PBR World Finals on May 18-19. NFR veteran Sage Kimzey added the 2024 World Finals event championship to his extensive resume. First-time World Finals qualifier Cassio Dias proved his ability to compete amongst "the greats" in the sport of bull riding despite finding himself in a hospital bed the week prior. The PBR crowned Dias both the World Champion and Rookie of the Year. Man Hater (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) won the 2024 YETI PBR World Champion Bull for his impressive feats inside the arena during both the regular Unleash The Beat Season and the World Finals.
This weekend rules out any discrepancies between the PRCA and PBR on "who's the best." Given the timeframe of the PGA Championships and PBR World Finals, a comparison between the two sports contextualizes the feats made by Kimzey. Similar to the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, critics try to rank one organization and their players above the other. Brooks Koepka's win at the 2023 PGA Championship ruled out that LIV Golf players are "washed-up." Like Koepa, Kimzey's win at the 2024 Unleash the Beast World Finals symbolized that the best simply win, regardless of the circumstance.
Kimzey never met Don Gay's mark for 8 PRCA World Titles. Kimzey's dominance at the World Finals, however, shows he deserves his name to be etched into the record books. Kimzey rode Jersey Tuff (McClellan/Lidgard/Hart) for 89 points in Round 1. Kimzey bucked off in Round 2. He came back on Preachers Kid (K-C Bucking Bulls/RD Cattle) for 91 points in Round 3 and Let's Roll (Stoltzfus/Bob & Jerry Adams/BS Cattle Co.) for 89.5 points in Round 4. Kimzey amassed a total of 537 points for $411,200—158 points/$165,000 more than No. 2 John Crimber.
Cassio Dias' performance in Arlington exemplified what embodies a champion. Prior to the World Finals, Dias sustained multiple injuries during the Eliminations at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. The Eliminations (May 9-12) and Ride For Redemption (May- 15-16) events afforded contestants the opportunity to secure their spot in the World Finals. The top 20 riders from Eliminations and the top five riders from the Redemption advanced to Arlington. Norse God (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) bucked off Dias in Round 3 of Eliminations, forcing him to withdraw from the final round.
Dias failed to reach the 8 second mark in Rounds 1 and 2 of the World Finals. Dias' posted a massive 92.5 points ride aboard Ricky Vaughn (WinRock/D&H Cattle/Buck Cattle) in Round 3 and 79.5 point ride on Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.) in Round 4 to secure his World Championship. The PBR awards $1,000,000 to their World Champion, earning Dias' a total of $1,048,600 at his first PBR World Finals. Dias also accumulated $1,555,707.33 in the regular season alone.
Man Hater boasted a 47.25-point out in Round 3 with Eduardo Aparecdio on top. The World Champion Bull, determined by their eight highest-scored outs during the regular season and two outs at the World Finals, wins a $100,000 bonus from the PBR. This 47.25 point-out outperformed his 46 point-out in Los Angeles. The bull's efforts in California also helped Dias to win the Mason Lowe Award, given to the highest-scored ride during the regular season.
LORALEE WARD
Loralee Ward’s primary place of residency is her Cimarron trailer. When she is not on the road, she calls Fort Lupton, Colorado, home. She attends Colorado State University (online) and rodeos for coach Seth Peterson. She professionally rodeos in the Mountain States Circuit. With the support of her parents (Jim and Cheryl), brother (Kody), and many mentors; Loralee works to develop her passion for training barrel futurity horses. She plans to graduate from CSU and then apply for law school–as long as rodeo/horse training stays at bay. The only thing that Loralee likes more than a good barrel horse is a rare steak. She hopes to bring important coverage to rodeo and western sports from the perspective of an up-and-comer.