A year after waving his hat to the crowd at the Lazy E Arena, Blaze Carter looks to back into the box in Guthrie again this July as the defending Youth (15 & Under) World Championship Junior Rodeo Tie-Down Champion and the No. 1 calf roper on the 2026 VRQ leaderboard, sitting atop the standings with 11,155 points.
The 2026 Cinch WCJR runs July 8–11 at the Lazy E, with more than $145,000 in guaranteed added money on the line. Carter’s seat atop the leaderboard, frozen June 14, hands him a direct seed into the semifinals.
“Coming into the WCJR first on the leaderboard proves the work I’ve put in at home and the struggles with horses and calves, and taking advantage of the opportunities I get,” Carter said. “When you come in number one, you don’t back off, you don’t ease up. You just go do what you do and see how it all plays out.”
Following in Dad’s Footsteps
Carter, a second-generation calf roper, has around the sport since he was young. His dad is a first-generation tie-down roper who started roping around the age of 21.
“It just really came natural, seeing it every day with my dad and brother doing it,” Carter said. “I got all the horses that my brother and dad had worked on, and that was a blessing—to just get on and rope. It really kicked off there for me.”
WCJR Horsepower
This year Carter will haul a new horse to Guthrie. The little buckskin he rode in 2025 was sold to a younger calf roper, so Carter will lean on a sorrel gelding he calls Koda alongside the big yellow horse that carried him to last year’s win.
“He’s stout, big, he can run,” Carter said of Koda. “Which horse I ride will just depend on what calf I draw and what the situation is at hand.”
He likes the Lazy E setup, and the calves there fit the 15-and-under calf ropers well.
“There wasn’t a calf in there that I think would take you out of the roping,” Carter said of last year’s pen. “You just have to make sure he goes before you and you can come rollin’.”
VRQ Nominations
Carter has been stacking VRQ nominations everywhere he can—Oklahoma High School rodeos, Vegas Tuffest, Webb Roping Productions and ACRA rodeos, where he bought his card this past year. Over the Fourth he’ll hit the road with his older brother and a friend, preparing at amateur rodeos before he backs in the box at the E.
Carter credits much of his young success to the people in his corner: his dad, his brother and family, plus mentors like Clay Brown, Fred Whitfield and Shad Mayfield. He spent this past week at Brown’s and
“We spent this week at Clay’s house roping,” Carter said. “We went to the Baker Spain and spent time with Clay roping. He really helped me this week. I was doing some stuff I didn’t notice, but he caught it. I’m really blessed to have someone like him in my circle.”
His goals for the 2026 year are stacked. Carter wants to the ACRA Rookie of the Year title and a shot at the ACRA finals. He has big plans for the International Finals Youth Rodeo (IFYR) after winning the second round there last year. Among the top of his goal list is the WCJR, though.
“I won it last year and one of my biggest goals is to win again this year,” Carter said.