LAS VEGAS – His two weeks in the Nevada desert are part of a business trip for team roping header Coleman Proctor.

So far, he’s taking care of business. Proctor and his heeling partner, Logan Medlin of Tatum, New Mexico, roped their first steer in 4.0 seconds Thursday night to finish third and collect checks of $20,104 each. It was an important step as they battle for those elusive world championships.

Both remain fourth in their respective world standings. Proctor’s yearly total increased to $185,894 in the heading race, and he is about $50,000 behind the leader, Texan Tyler Wade, who won the first round with his partner, Wesley Thorp. That advantage can be eclipsed in a hurry at the NFR, which features a payout of more than $12 million.

The biggest move, though, came in the all-around race. Proctor entered the 10-day fray third, but his earnings on opening night pushed him up a spot to second place. He has a total earnings of $215,807 when his team roping and steer roping earnings are combined, and he trails the top dog, Shad Mayfield, by less than $19,000.

Proctor is one of five men in the mix for the all-around title, the most prestigious championship in ProRodeo. Over the previous five years, Utah bull rider and saddle bronc rider Stetson Wright has dominated the all-around race while also winning crowns in both of his events. He was injured late in the 2023 season not competed since last year’s NFR.

While Wright has competed in multiple events at the finale, none of the combatants in this year’s field have qualified in more than one. Mayfield and Tuf Cooper are tie-down ropers, Proctor and Junior Nogueira are in team roping and Wacey Schalla is riding bulls.

All that means the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle will be awarded to the cowboy who has the best 10 days in Las Vegas. Proctor is off to the best start of the quintet, and Cooper was the only other cowboy on the list to catch a first-round payday; he finished fourth to earn $14,000.

There are no guarantees in rodeo, and the stakes at the NFR make the Thomas & Mack feel like a steam bath. Now in his ninth trip to the championship, Proctor has seen the ups and downs that come with competing the world’s richest rodeo. The advantages he said he has are in the preparation he and Medlin have put in and the horsepower each cowboy possesses. Confidence also plays into every aspect of making those picture-perfect runs.

It takes a combination of good fortunes to make runs happen in four seconds, but experience is also a valuable tool. It’s the best way he knows to handle his business.