Riding High Into NFBR

It’s “go time” for NFBR qualifier Joey Williams - the breakaway finals start today at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas.

This is Williams’ third consecutive trip to the NFBR. In 2021, the Montana cowgirl entered the finals ranked 14th and finished 10th overall with $25,113 in earnings. Last year, she raked in $80,316 after placing in four out of 10 rounds. In her first two years as a pro combined - 2019 and 2020 - she finished 37th and 28th respectively in the world standings with a combined prize purse of less than $8,000.

In 2023, Williams is #6 heading into Vegas with $109,355 already in her pocket.

“It really is crazy to think about how far it’s come in the past few years,” she said recently. “The outlook for breakaway roping is changing every year.”

Williams says that although she didn’t go to nearly as many rodeos as her competitors, it certainly felt like a lot.

“It takes a lot of time just to go to that many,” said Williams, who has three young children. “It's a juggling act for sure. I enter as many as what I think I might be able to get to.”

When she ropes in the first round Tuesday with her mare Babye, she’ll have two ropes on hand - the Lone Star Pink Caddy and Lone Star’s newest breakaway rope, The Caddo.

“I really like The Caddo, but the Pink Caddy is my go-to because it’s my comfort zone,” she said. “It’s the one I’ve used the longest. I find myself getting a Caddy out in a high-pressure situation.”

Considering how far she’s come since 2019, Williams has learned a thing or two about being successful at the highest level.

“Put your head down and just tell yourself you’re the best there,” she recommends. “The mental game is so much of it. You can practice and practice, but if you don’t have the confidence you need when you’re back in the corner, that’s so much of it.”