When Holiday lights start to shine, most start to think about Christmas, but for rodeo fans the first two weeks of December only mean one thing, Las Vegas!

This year marked the 30th year that Las Vegas hosted the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Cowboys and cowgirls from all over the US, Canada, Brazil and Australia compete all year in hopes of qualifying in the top 15 in the world to have a chance at 7.6 million dollars. Elliot Jacoby of Fredricksburg was one of the top 15 bull riders to qualify for 2014. Riders compete in ten performances in hopes of coming home with a gold belt buckle and a pocket full of cash winnings.

This is Jacoby's second year to qualify in the top 15. After a rough start in rounds 1 thru 3, Jacoby took 2nd in round 4 with 85 points. Then, one of the highlights of his 2014 finals was getting on Lyndal Hurst's bucking bull names Cactus Jungle and riding him for the full 8 seconds in round 7 for a total of 86.50 points. He split the performance win with Rookie of the Year, Sage Kimsey, cashing in at $17,010 and a gold round buckle. Announcer Dan Miller referred to Jacoby as the "Pride of the Hill Country." With the 2014 season complete, the 2015 season has already begun and Jacoby is back on the road in pursuit of another qualification to the NFR Finals.