CARRINGTON, N.D. – The old adage "slow is smooth; smooth is fast" is a disciplinary message for high-profile athletes.

In rodeo, contestants use that mindset on a daily basis, concentrating on the fundamentals to ensure success. Steer wrestler Bridger Anderson took it a step further this year; it wasn't just a run-by-run approach to posting the fastest times possible but also how he considered his schedule. Even during the busiest times of the 2025 season, a steady pathway paid dividends.
"I didn't do the trailer race," he said, referring to the many miles contestants sometimes travel in a short amount of time to compete at as many rodeos as possible. "Instead of hitting 14 rodeos over the July Fourth run, I went to one rodeo a day and felt good for the most part. I wasn't trying to work two rodeos in a day as much.

"I was able to get a full night's sleep most every night, then I felt good when I showed up to rodeos. You only get to go to 80 rodeos a year, so we might as well feel good at 80 of the ones you can get to."

The results were considerable. Anderson had the best regular season of his career, cashing in for $109,328. He sits 12^th in the world standings, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo for the third time in six years. It will be his chance to shine at the world's richest rodeo, where go-round winners will pocket nearly $37,000 for 10 December nights.
"I'm excited to be going back," said Anderson, 27, originally from Carrington but now living near Millsap, Texas. "The main goal every year is to make the NFR and hopefully go out there and make some money."

This is the sport's Super Bowl and World Series wrapped in a week and a half of intense competition. It features only the top 15 contestants in each event based on their regular-season earnings. It's where world champions will be crowned at the conclusion of the NFR, which takes place Dec. 4-13 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
In order to battle for those elusive gold buckles, cowboys have to make it to Las Vegas, and that's easier said than done. The only way to get paid is to beat most of the field at each stop, which is a difficult feat. Anderson collected five rodeo titles, including a shared championship at the Cody (Wyoming) Stampede. That was worth $6,909, so the bulk of his earnings came outside the winner's circle.

"If you win a rodeo, that's awesome, but second place pays good, too," said Anderson, who credits a great deal of his success to his sponsorship partners, Cinch, Korral Supply, Golden Harvest, Huwa Enterprises, Hepper Ranch and Performing Horses, Diamond S Performance Horses and Smiles for Jake. "We tried to just click along as much as we could by making patient runs.

"I feel like that was the biggest thing this year: Anytime I made patient runs and didn't try to speed anything up, I usually ended up placing. Every time I got in a hurry, I usually got into a speed-jam, and it didn't work out very good for me. I really focused on making patient runs most of the year, and I think I did about 80 percent of the time."
He competed with a purpose, and the rewards were plenty.
"Not everybody's going to hit the home run," he said, using a baseball analogy to explain the steady pace he used. "It's a matter of getting base hits and getting on base. Eventually the home runs make it to the NFR."

The last time he advanced to the NFR was two seasons ago, and he entered the fray 14^th in the world standings with $85,511. The money has changed drastically since then, with 19 bulldoggers earning at least $100,000 in 2025. It takes a higher spot on the money list to advance.
"Bulldogging is always really tight; everybody in the top 50 has a shot at making the NFR," he said. "It's just a matter of hitting the right lick. When it's your time to capitalize, be ready for it and ride the wave as long as you can. We do a pretty good job of whoever draws the best steer usually wins something. There are also guys that make the NFR by taking average steers and being able to place on them and even win on them.

"I think I've progressed over the years and gotten a lot more mature in my bulldogging. I think we've gotten considerably better, and we're at a point now when we make patient runs, we're getting paid. It's a matter of trying to be smooth, and we're starting to incorporate that to where it's getting pretty consistent."
One aspect that has been dependable has been Anderson's horsepower. He trusts his main mount, Whiskers, a 16-year-old bay gelding. This year, he added Twix to the mix, bringing in a 10-year-old buckskin gelding as the hazing horse. The two animals were instrumental in his success.

"Whiskers was great all year, and then I got a new haze horse, Twix, that worked awesome," said Anderson, the 2019 intercollegiate national champion at Northwestern Oklahoma State University who first qualified for the NFR in 2020. "Whiskers feels awesome; he's just a real consistent horse that I think is getting better with age. I would say he's in his prime right now. I've been able to make the high school finals, the college finals and the NFR on him, so he's been pretty special.
"I bought Twix right before Houston, and I practiced on him three days, gave him the day off, and took him to Bay City (Texas). We won first, then took him to Houston, but I didn't make the decision to use him there until an hour or two before the performance."

Having teammates like that are a big part of why Anderson has been so successful, but horsepower wasn't the only thing. He traveled the year with Iowan Talon Roseland and also was joined by Australians Travis Munro and Darcy Kersh. Utah steer wrestler Kyler Dick joined the rig later in the year.
When it's time to battle for rodeo's gold in Las Vegas, Anderson will lean on veteran Tyler Pearson. The 2017 world champion and six-time NFR qualifier will be the hazer, lining the steers out for Anderson and Whiskers.

"I feel pretty good about it, because I really like that yellow pen," he said of the legendary panels and chutes at ProRodeo's championship event. "I'm a big fan of fast starts, and so is Whiskers. We've never struggled going fast, so our sub-conscious natural start is not far off from the start at the NFR.
"I'm going to have Pearson hazing on (Pearson's horse) Metallica out there for me, and that duo has hazed for more money in the Thomas & Mack than anybody ever has. I think Whiskers and I should be set up for having a lot of fun out there."

Las Vegas is well known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World" for good reason. Folks make their way to the Nevada desert with million-dollar dreams of blackjacks and spins on roulette.

Rodeo cowboys venture off The Strip for something more important to them. The thoughts of large paydays still remain, but they work for their dollars one run at a time instead of putting chips on felt. The ultimate prize is on the table, and it's a buckle made of gold.