GOALS TRUMP MONEY
Chad Masters has two gold buckles that say he knows all about being the best. He’s also well-versed in the bubble-boy business.
“I’ve been 16th twice, 17th twice and 18th once, so yes, I know all about it,” smiled the 15-time NFR header, who’s roping with Trey Yates in 2023 and was just outside the top 15 at press time in late July. “We all know the NFR is where you get your bonus money every year. That’s where your profit margin comes from. But that’s not the most important thing.
“I like what Jake Barnes always said— that he didn’t rodeo to make the Finals, he rodeoed to try and win the world. Your goals are so important, and everything we do from practice to making sure our horses are good and jackpotting is to get to the NFR.”
Masters has finished on both sides of the bubble.
“Some years you pull it off, and some years you don’t,” he said. “In 2006, I made it on the very last steer of the regular season in Dallas with Cole Bigbee (Chad headed for Allen Bach at that year’s NFR). If you rodeo for a living as long as I have, you’re going to end up in about every boat.
“What happens the last week of the season is what stands out, but the fact is there are things throughout the whole year that might have made the difference. There are so many days that in hindsight if you’d just done you, you would have won more. I watch the NFR every year, whether I make it or not. It hurts when you have to watch it, but
