Victoria barrel racer riding 'first' into Finals Rodeo

From Staff Reports

Brittany Pozzi

November 27, 2003 -- Brittany Pozzi of Victoria has a couple of top high school championships under her big belt buckle, but Dec. 5-14, the 19-year-old will compete for a world championship title at the event likened to the Super Bowl - the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Pozzi joined the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) just this year, but her winnings aboard 16-year-old "Leroy" have put her around the barrel to head to Las Vegas for the great, annual competition.

At the upcoming NFR competition, 24 world champions, with a combined 77 world titles, will highlight the 118-member field of competition. The top 15 competitors at the end of the regular season advance to the Wrangler NFR event. As of Nov. 17, six Texas cowboys and one Texas cowgirl, out of the 10 fields of competition, are in the Number One spot on the world standings list. Texas cowboys and cowgirls listed in the top 15, as of Nov. 17, total 58.

Pozzi has earned over $79,000 this year and enters the finals competition in the Number One position.

The ProRodeo website cites Pozzi as one of this year's "compelling stories: Rookie barrel racer Brittany Pozzi of Victoria enters her first Wrangler NFR on top after earning $79,076 during the regular season."

This year, the Texas A&M University student has set an arena record at the Iowa Championship Rodeo; won the ProRodeo Tour round at the Lawton, Okla., Rangers Rodeo; ran a 16.09 second run at Kansas' Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg; and is leading the "Rookie of the Year" race in the WPRA barrel racing.

As an amateur, Pozzi was the 2002 Texas High School Finals barrel racing champion, the 2002 National High School Rodeo Association barrel racing champion; and the 2003 College Southern Region champion.

Pozzi credits much of her winnings to her horse Leroy, which her parents (Randy and Denise) initially purchased for her younger sister Brooke to compete on at junior rodeos, according to the ProRodeo website. "He never really worked out for her, so Brittany took him and has had great success."

Another big brag for Texas is reigning world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur. He heads the list of world champions headed to the Wrangler NFR.

Brazile will wear the No. 1 back number and will compete in both team roping (heading) and tie-down roping, yet he is the first cowboy in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) history to have qualified for the Wrangler NFR in four events.

The 5'-11", 170-pound cowboy graduated Vernon Regional Junior College with an associates degree. During his college days, he was the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region tie-down roping champion (in 1997-98).

In 1998, Brazile was the Timed-Event Champion of the World; and held the runner-up post for the title in 1997.

He joined the PRCA in 1996, and to date, his career earnings are approaching $1.1 million.

Other interesting Texas-related stories coming to the event in Las Vegas include:

• Six-time reigning world champion team ropers Speed Williams of Amarillo and Rich Skelton of Llano are looking for their seventh world title in a row, which would tie Jake Barnes of Arizona and Clay O'Brien Cooper of Glen Rose - also in the Wrangler NFR field - for the most team roping titles in PRCA history.

• Reigning and six-time world tie-down roping champion Fred Whitfield of Hockley leads Cody Ohl of Stephenville, the 2001 world tie-down champion, by $12,000. With another gold buckle, Whitfield would be just one away from the record of eight held by Dean Oliver.