Intense Competition Complete at Rodeo Austin Breakaway Qualifier

More and more of the biggest winter rodeos are "limited," meaning that not just everyone can enter. Each rodeo approaches the qualification guidelines, but most all refer to the world standings to get their list of contestants.

Rodeo Austin will begin on March 9, with only 56 contestants entered in each event. There will be seven brackets, with eight contestants in each event per bracket.

The top 25 from the 2023 World Standings, 11 from the 2024 standings, and then 20 from the "qualifier" will make up the roster. The breakaway ladies who aspired to enter but didn't qualify through the world standings gathered in Decatur, Texas, to rope two calves each on their way to trying to qualify for the actual Rodeo Austin event.

More than 120 ropers put up their money and brought their best effort to the arena.

The first round saw several ties, starting with the top. KC-Gail Churchill and Tayler Felton split the round with their 2.1-second run. Third and fourth were split between Jade Mitchell and Nikayla Brill with 2.2. In order to be in the top 10 of the round, it took a 2.3. There were six cowgirls to turn in that exact time.

In the second round, Chloe Lambert was the only cowgirl to rope under the 2.0-second mark. Her lightning-fast run of 1.8 took the round win and the $1,497 paycheck. It took a 2.4-second run to be in the top 10 of the round.

Alex Loiselle from Paris, Texas, was the overall champion by roping both calves in a total of 5.1 seconds for a $2,246 payday and a ticket to Austin. She was joined in the top five by Sammy Taylor and Hannah Hughes at 5.3 seconds, Codie Bowen with 5.4 seconds and Madalyn Richards at a total time of 5.5.

The event paid out a total of $18,068 to the cowgirls who came to play in Decatur.

Rodeo Austin Breakaway Qualifier Results

First round: 1. (tie) KC-Gail Churchill and Tayler Felton, 2.1 seconds, $1,368 each; 3. (tie) Nikayla Brill and Jade Mitchell, 2.2, $852 each; 5. (tie) Peggy Garman, TiAda Gray, Lari Dee Guy, J J Hampton, Jill Tanner and Shelby Whiting, 2.3, $120 each.

Second round: 1. Chloe Lambert, 1.8 seconds, $1,497; 2. (tie) Zoie Bedke and Jenna Fulton, 2.0, $1,110 each; 4. McKaitlin McKee, 2.1, $723; 5. (tie) Carly Christian and Kayla Graham, 2.2, $361 each.

Average: 1. Alex Loiselle, 5.1 seconds on two head, $2,246; 2. (tie) Sammy Taylor and Hannah Hughes, 5.3, $1,665 each; 4. Codie Bowen, 5.4, $1,084; 5. Madalyn Richards, 5.5, $697; 6. (tie) Hope Thompson and Jayden Gould, 5.7, $194 each.