Stevi’s Champion breaks ice at NFR
December 12, 2024
Las Vegas – It’s hard to not be frustrated when things aren’t going right.
Richmond Champion has battled that during his ninth National Finals Rodeo. He’s been angered to a point but continued to remind himself that he’s earned the right to be in Las Vegas for the 10-round affair and that some things are just out of his control.
“Now, we’re rolling,” said Champion, who scored 85 points on Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit to finish fourth in Wednesday’s seventh round to earn $14,127 – it was his first payday since receiving a $10,000 qualification bonus.
“It’s been a very long week up to this point, but also a very short week where you feel like you’re just trying to hang on to time and slow things down,” said Champion. “You want to go back and have things be different. Meanwhile, it’s doing Vegas things, and it’s rolling by faster than ever, and it felt so good just to break the ice.”
With this, he moved up one spot to 14th in the world standings with $153,092. Every streak starts with one, so he’s hoping to cash in over the final three nights of the season. He’s in Sin City to handle business, but sometimes the register doesn’t ring as much as he’d like.
“I’m so happy, and that’s the first thing me and (wife) Paige talk about every morning,” said Champion of Stevensville. “The plan is working. I feel like I’m riding at my best, and I just haven’t really drawn the right horses. Sometimes luck isn’t on your side, but they give you 10, so it can’t be like that 10 times in a row.”
Over his trips to the NFR, Champion has had similar moments. In his first qualification a decade ago, he didn’t earn a payday until the fifth round but still earned more than $100,000 over the final six nights.
“It can go a lot of different ways,” he said, noting that several in Las Vegas have asked about his situation and asking what’s behind his struggles. “We get dealt 10 cards, every single one of us. Sometimes they’re a flop. That’s what they were for me. This is the most competitive the sport’s ever been. It’s the best horses that have ever been. There’s always going to be a top and a bottom when you bring in the very best. As much as there were times where I was just so frustrated, I couldn’t see that. I’ve had those moments, but it’s going to turn. Those great horses are also here for me; it’s not just everybody else. I’m just doing my job, so it’s going to come together.”
Champion has had some considerable history on True Grit, and that was a strong factor in how they both performed Wednesday.
“That was the sixth time I got on her,” he said. “She’s just super solid. You just have so much confidence in them that they’re going to do their job, and all you have to do is yours, because they’re definitely going to take care of their end.”