Two Canadians Earn Team Roping Spots for 2020 NFR

Five Canadians have earned back numbers at the 2020 NFR, and two of them are team ropers headers Levi Simpson and Kolton Schmidt.

Recently, the names of the heelers were announced, and this is who will be roping with Simpson and Schmidt, the two Maple Leaf superstar headers.

2016 World Champion Levi Simpson of Ponoka, Alta., is teamed up with 3X NFR qualifier Shay Carroll of La Junta, Co. The duo have been roping steady – or as steadily as possible in this topsy-turvy year – and in 2020 they won Dixie National Rodeo (Jackson, Miss.); Black Hills Roundup (Belle Fourche, S.D.); Fallon County Fair & Rodeo (Baker, Mont.) and Northeast Montana (Kalispell) Fair and Rodeo.

Two-time NFR qualifier and youngest TR to qualify for CFR) Kolton Schmidt of Barrhead, Alta., is teamed with 2019 Canadian TR Heeler Champion and 2X NFR qualifier Hunter Koch of Vernon, Tex. 

Here are the team roping pairings set to compete at the 2020 Wrangler NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 3-12.

In no particular order:

  1. Luke Brown-Joseph Harrison
  2. Clay Smith-Jade Corkill
  3. Cody Snow-Junior Nogueira
  4. Colby Lovell-Paul Eaves 
  5. Dustin Egusquiza-Travis Graves
  6. Andrew Ward-Buddy Hawkins II
  7. Clay Tryan-Jake Long
  8. Levi Simpson-Shay Carroll
  9. Charly Crawford-Logan Medlin
  10. Chad Masters-Wesley Thorp
  11. Erich Rogers-Paden Bray
  12. Nelson Wyatt-Levi Lord
  13. Jeff Flenniken-Tyler Worley
  14. Kolton Schmidt-Hunter Koch
  15. Brenten Hall-Chase Tryan