Having nearly tripled his nearest rookie competitor in earnings with two weeks left in the season, Fallon’s Caleb Hendrix is a virtual lock to win the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Team Roping (heeler) Rookie of the Year award, which would be presented in a special ceremony at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
And standing 12th among heelers, Hendrix could find himself at the NFR for more than just accepting an award.
By winning at least one round in four different rodeos during the week of September 2-9, Hendrix jumped from 23rd to 12th in the PRCA/RAM World Standings. If he can hold on to a top 15 spot, he will qualify to compete in the NFR, being held December 2-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Hendrix earned $14,187 during his big week, bringing his season total to $56,473, putting him more than $36,000 ahead of the No. 2 ranked rookie heeler, Cole Curry of St. Francisville, LA.
Among his highlights this season, Hendrix won the Dillon (Mont.) Jaycees PCRA Rodeo and was co-champion at the Magic Valley Stampede (Filer, Idaho), with his roping partner, Quinn Kesler, of Holden, Utah.
If he qualifies for the NFR, Hendrix could give Fallon two hometown heroes to root for. Jade Corkill, who himself won the 2006 Rookie Heeler of the Year award, currently ranks fourth among heelers, so Fallon could have two Rookie of the Year winners competing in the NFR team roping this December.
Corkill has won three world titles and has qualified for NFR 11 of the past 13 years. He placed eighth at NFR last year.
This year, Corkill and his partner Clay Smith won the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, and Nebraska’s (Burwell) Big Rodeo, and they were co-champion of the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah.
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