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THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN: RC LANDINGHAM
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RC LANDINGHAM IS GUNNING TO MAKE HISTORY WITH THE WCRA
It’s impressive enough for someone to win a rodeo major, but two majors in a row is quite a feat. And, if that person can make it a trifecta, they deserve praise reserved for heroes and legends.
Bareback rider RC Landingham understands this firsthand. This year, the 32-year-old cowboy residing in Hat Creek, California, won back-toback major titles at Rodeo Corpus Christi in Texas and Utah Days of ’47 in Salt Lake City.
If luck is on his side, he’ll also take home a third major title at the forthcoming Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, which takes place from Dec. 14-17 — along with an extra million-dollar payday.
“The mental game is 75% of it,” he says of his recent successes. “If you don’t have in your mind that things are gonna go good, there’s no way they’re gonna go good.”
His head seems to be in the right space. Although he’s already satisfied with the up to $43,000 he’s earned from the WRCA in addition to his $130,524 in earnings this year from the PRCA, another million certainly won’t hurt.
And, with the four-time NFR qualifier on a roll this year, he’s never been in a better position to earn the distinction of becoming the WCRA’s first-ever million-dollar man
WINNING MORE WITH THE WCRA
This million-dollar prize is a special incentive from the World Champion Rodeo Alliance (WCRA), which hosts those three rodeo majors and the Women’s Rodeo World Championship. Win your event in three back-to-back majors, the organization promises, and you can also claim an extra million-dollar prize.
All rodeo contestants, regardless of affiliation, can earn money through the WCRA. To qualify for the majors, participants must nominate the rodeos they attend as WCRA events. For example, riders competing in PRCA events will still win money and points as members of the PRCA, but those points will also count toward the WCRA. The major events throughout the year are extra opportunities to earn money in addition to any regular circuit or NFR earnings.
Because of this, Landingham and other rodeo participants have embraced the mission of the WRCA by nominating rodeos and collecting points.
For these cowboys, the million-dollar bonus is just icing on the cake… at least until the possibility of earning it becomes a reality like it now is for Landingham.
A WILD RIDE FOR THE COMEBACK KID
Few know the challenges of the cowboy lifestyle as well as Landingham, whose sponsors include Cinch Jeans, A&K Earth Movers, Barstow Pro Rodeo Equipment, Capri Camper, Skiver Boots, Gilk Custom Silver, and Pitter Metal Product.
Landingham was introduced to bareback by his stepfather Ty Skiver, who competed in PRCA rodeos in the 90s. There was a time when Landingham also rode bulls, but after sustaining severe injuries after a bull riding incident in 2010, he committed to only riding horses.
Landingham would continue to face challenges. In 2011 he sustained another round of injuries from a car accident that would keep him away from the rodeo. As he was getting back into the swing of things, his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2013.
Although he continued to compete, he narrowly missed NFR qualifications until 2016, when he finished sixth in the bareback world standings. It would be a particularly meaningful accomplishment for the cowboy since his seriously ill mother was able to watch him live out his dream of competing at the NFR. He took seventh in the event, and his mother passed just a few months later.
He qualified for the NFR again in 2017, taking 15th in the bareback world rankings that year. However, 2018 through 2020 would prove slower years for the cowboy, during which he took a substantial amount of time off to recover from injuries.
It’s enough to cause most people to hang up their boots and move on. But Landinham is a different breed.
He bounced back, and in 2021, he continued with the momentum he had at his peak in 2016. After qualifying for the NFR for the first time since 2017, he put on an admirable show, coming in fifth place in the event and placing 11th overall in the world standings. 2022 stands to be even better. Currently holding the number six spot in the bareback rankings, a solid NFR run could easily earn him that gold buckle.
-RC LANDINGHAM
MAJOR BACK-TO-BACK PAYDAYS
Landingham says it was a battle for him to win in Corpus Christi. He didn’t get to pick his horse first in the short round, and a less-than-ideal pick can often determine how well a cowboy stands to place. But that was a blessing for Landingham. The horse he was going to choose didn’t have normal treads, and the horse he chose did, solidifying his win at the event.
On the other hand, the win in Salt Lake City took place during a period when his confidence was riding high.
“There was no doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to win that one,” he says.
He admits he’d forgotten about the million-dollar bonus he could earn from winning all three majors. However, fellow contestants and WCRA organizers certainly hadn’t.
“That’s the first thing everybody starts talking about after you win the second event,” he says. “So, my interviews weren’t really about winning. They were about winning the Triple Crown.”
Photo: Josh Homer / Bull Stock Media Photo: Todd Brewer / Bull Stock Media
-RC LANDINGHAM
Photo: Todd Brewer / Bull Stock Media
-RC LANDINGHAM
Photo: Josh Homer / Bull Stock Media
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MINDSET
Landingham cites his marriage to his wife, Bliss, as a significant reason he shifted into a different mindset that helped him focus and continues to drive him toward success. The two married in 2019 and now have a young son, who gives him even more reason to push himself in the arena.
“Marriage has been a big impact on my whole reason for rodeoing. I used to rodeo for myself, and it wasn’t as important to win as it is now, when you have a family relying on you,” he says.
He also prioritizes fitness and regularly works with a trainer.
“Physical fitness also helps you mentally. Just being fit and spending your time wisely working towards your goals, it’s good for your physical condition and your mental condition as well,” Landingham says.
Improvements in both his mental and physical health have dramatically impacted his performance. He says challenges start once something begins to shake that mindset. Anything that can alter that confidence even a little bit can affect performance. So, he’ll need to be on his A-game through the end of the year.
December will be a busy month for the cowboy. Between the NFR, the final competition, the holidays, and more events in the New Year, he will have a little time to rest. But these busy streaks keep him on his toes.
For most PRCA riders and ropers, the NFR is the big payday. However, with the million on the line at the final major, his season finale will take place at Cowtown Coliseum. His goal until then is to maintain consistency at the NFR and keep that flow going into the final major event.
“I think that this multi-million dollar Triple Crown thing, it’s taken a lot of pressure off me at the NFR,” he says. “I’m looking at it as going one ride at a time through the whole month.”
