— Taylor Earnhardt Putnam, Daughter of NASCAR Legend Dale Earnhardt leads the field of 24 athletes from the Carolinas set to Compete—
MILL SPRING, N.C. (September 23, 2024) – Ahead of the WCRA’s (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) second edition of the $400,000 Rodeo Carolina in Mill Spring, North Carolina, the richest rodeo event east of the Mississippi, the organization today announced the 222 athletes who will compete. The competition, scheduled for Oct. 3-5 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort, will be met with added significance as the event will determine the initial eight athletes who will compete for the WCRA team, The Free Riders, at the 2025 Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo.
The Rodeo Carolina Champions will join the 2025 Rodeo Corpus Christi winners to assemble WCRA’s 2025 team for Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo. Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo is a reimagined rodeo produced by PBR (Professional Bull Riders) in partnership with Kid Rock. Six teams, each led by a legendary rodeo head coach, will compete head-to-head in bracket-style competition.
In May 2024, at the inaugural Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, the WCRA Free Riders rode lights out, winning three gold medals in Round 1 before cementing their title as champions by winning four of the disciplines in the championship round. The team won a total of $500,000 for the victory, with each team member taking home nearly $28,000.
Of the more than 200 athletes slated to compete at Rodeo Carolina, 24 hail from North and South Carolina, led by Taylor Earnhardt Putnam, daughter of legendary NASCAR Driver Dale Earnhardt. Putnam, the 2015 All-Around Cowgirl at the Southern Rodeo Association, will compete alongside her husband, Brandon Putnam. The Mooresville, North Carolina couple will compete across four disciplines. Taylor will compete in breakaway roping and barrel racing, while husband Brandon will compete in tie-down roping and head for legendary cowgirl and 2020 WRWC (Women’s Rodeo World Championship) Champion Jimmi Jo Montera in the team roping.
No stranger to Rodeo Carolina, Taylor Earnhardt Putnam competed in the qualifying rounds of the event in 2023, but did not advance to the progressive rounds.
Below is the list of athletes from North and South Carolina set to compete at Rodeo Carolina:
| FULL NAME | CITY | ST | DISCIPLINE |
| BRANDON PUTNAM | MOORESVILLE | NC | TIE-DOWN, TEAM ROPING |
| CARMEN OATES | CHESTER | SC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| CECELIA JONES | AHOSKIE | NC | BARREL RACING |
| COLT BASS | STATESVILLE | NC | SADDLE BRONC |
| CORD WEBB | PICKENS | SC | STEER WRESTLING, TIE-DOWN |
| CYNCH WHITESELL | MARIETTA | SC | TIE-DOWN |
| DUSTIN JACOBSON | SENECA | SC | STEER WRESTLING, TIE-DOWN |
| GRACE TOBERER | MOUNT ULLA | NC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| HALEY SCRUGGS | CAMPOBELLO | SC | BARREL RACING |
| HAYLIE JOINES | SEAGROVE | NC | BARREL RACING |
| JILL JOHNSON | SENECA | SC | BARREL RACING |
| KOLBY WHITESELL | MARIETTA | SC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| MATT FUTRELL | STATESVILLE | NC | TIE-DOWN |
| REBECCA IPOCK | VANCEBORO | NC | BARREL RACING |
| RENA KATE LIVENGOOD | CLEVELAND | NC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| ROBBIE MURDOCK | STATESVILLE | NC | TIE-DOWN |
| SAGE DUNLAP | BEAR CREEK | NC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| SAVANNAH JACOBSON | SENECASEN | SC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| TANNER LLOYD | OLIN | NC | STEER WRESTLING |
| TAYLOR EARNHARDT PUTNAM | MOORESVILLE | NC | BARREL RACING, BREAKWAY ROPING |
| TAYLOR WRIGHT | ESTILL | SC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| TORI MURDOCK | STATESVILLE | NC | BREAKAWAY ROPING |
| TREY LLOYD | CLEVELAND | NC | STEER WRESTLING |
| TYLER KIDD | UNION GROVE | NC | STEER WRESTLING |
Nine athletes come into the event ranked No. 1 on the WCRA leaderboard: Quintonn Lunsford (bareback), Tyler Pearson (steer wrestling), Casey Hicks (team roping header), Montera (team roping heeler), Julie Plourde (barrel racing), Shad Mayfield (tie down roping), Clayton Sellers (bull riding), and Martha Angelone (breakaway roping).
The remaining roster includes 188 timed event athletes and 34 rough stock athletes who qualified by nominating their efforts on the WCRA leaderboard.
Other competitors to watch include young gun barrel racer Makenzie Mayes, a star of the 2024 Free Riders roster. The 20-year-old college student dominated the 2024 Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo competition, remaining undefeated throughout the event and setting the Arena Record at the Women’s Rodeo World Championship the day before.
For the first time at a WCRA event outside of the WRWC, a women’s team roping duo will compete as 23-time World Champion Jackie Crawford heads and nine-time World Champion Kelsie Domer heels. Crawford and Domer are two of the highest-earning athletes in WCRA, with Crawford nearing the $300,000 mark while Domer’s earnings exceed $189,000. Crawford has three WCRA championship titles, while Domer has two.
Tickets for Rodeo Carolina are on sale now and can be purchased online at tryon.com or etix.com or via the phone to PBR Customer Service at (800) 732-1727.
To view the complete roster, please click HERE.
Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort is one of the most picturesque equestrian facilities in the country and is located within the Blue Ridge Foothills of Mill Spring, North Carolina. The year-round event venue features multi-discipline international and national equestrian competitions, live music, arts and entertainment, and holiday events.
Rodeo Carolina marks a merging of disciples like never before. Some of the Western sport’s preeminent talents compete at the facilities that have hosted Olympic contenders in show jumping, dressage, and more.
With onsite shops, diverse dining options, and a robust entertainment calendar, non-equestrian visitors are equally marveled by the Tryon Resort experience.
Tryon International Equestrian Center and Resort spans 1,600 acres and boasts 13 competition arenas, 1,400 permanent stalls, and various restaurants, shops, and lodging options. A nearby sporting clay course completes the Tryon Resort family of brands at Cleghorn Gun Club and the Cleghorn Golf & Sports Club.
Since launching in May 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $18.2 million in new money to rodeo athletes. Rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA or the VRQ should visit wcrarodeo.com.
