December 2 is the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The top 15 cowboys and cowgirls in the world will be there to fight for the world championship.
In the bareback riding, Jeff Medders has a few favorites that he is looking out for and No. 1 on his list is No. 1 in the world, Tilden Hooper. He has had one of the best years of his career including winning The American. Hooper’s traveling partner, Kaycee Feild, is next on Medders list. All eyes will be on Feild has he tries to make history by becoming the first bareback rider to win 6 gold buckles. Rounding out Medder’s top 3 is Tim O’Connell. O’Connell was taken out of the regular season with an injury but will be back in action in Las Vegas and he barely lost the world title last year giving him extra motivation going into this NFR.