NFBR PREVIEW Angelone In Driver’s Seat For First Breakaway Roping World Title By Ted Harbin M artha Angelone changed her tone in a matter of seconds. “I had a decent year,” she said. “Actually, it was really good for me this year.” How does one season go from decent to “really good” upon reflection? It could be the number of wins she had during the campaign that ended Sept. 30. It could be that she had powerful horses that guided her to significant status.
It could be that she set a new standard with $109,230 in regular- season earnings and heads to the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping presented by Teton Ridge No. 1 in the world standings while holding a $37,000 advantage over the field. She leads a pack of 15 ladies who also have had a fantastic campaign to earn the right to compete for ProRodeo’s championship, which takes place Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center in Las Vegas at 2 p.m. daily. “It means the world to me,” said Angelone of Stephenville, Texas. “I’ve always had a goal of being the season leader going into the finals. It’s crazy to think that I beat the year-end standings by doing that.” She did, in fact, by a lot. A year ago, Sawyer Gilbert of Buffalo, South Dakota, finished as breakaway roping’s world champion with $71,654. Angelone trumped that by nearly $40,000 before arriving in Sin City. She did it with a consistent run through the 2022 regular season, one that has others marveling. “I really don’t think it’s possible to catch her,” said Erin Johnson,
who, like Angelone, is a three-time NFBR qualifier and the No. 2 cowgirl in the world standings. “Martha deserves it. She’s outroped everybody all year. “She’s still winning. She ropes great, and she has great horses. That’s what the world champion is supposed to be.” Angelone hasn’t secured the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle just yet. There are 10 rounds of competition set over two days in the City of Lights, and there’s a mathematical chance she can be caught. Johnson and others have their shots at it. “I’m thankful for the winter I had, because I’m not sure where I’d be without it,” said Johnson, a three-time WPRA breakaway roping world champion before it became a hot event in ProRodeo. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t come through and win more money through the summer. I had set myself up to win a world title, and I didn’t follow through. “Of course, things could be worse.” That’s true, but the cowgirl from the Plains of Fowler, Colorado, was pretty dominant early in the year. She won Houston and placed well at two other large, indoor Texas rodeos in Fort Worth and San Martha Angelone came close to a world title in 2020 but finished reserve world champion to Jackie Crawford. She is back for her third NFBR well in command and laser focused on a world title. She is looking to become the first rodeo athlete from the State of Virginia to win a world title. WPRA photo by Joe Duty
Erin Johnson roped the breakaway roping title at RodeoHouston in March and in so doing secured her third NFBR qualification. Johnson enters this year’s event ranked second. Johnson, a mother of three, has three WPRA Breakaway Roping world titles to her name earned in 2011, 2012 and 2015. Photo courtesy RodeoHouston
22 WPRA NEWS NOVEMBER 2022
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs