Announcing the 2022-2023 All-Star Team
The Future of Rodeo
Watch All-Star Team Video Here
The All-Star Team began in 2014 when National Trailer Source, formerly known as NRS Trailers and P&P Trailer Sales, had a goal of promoting young athletes whose families hauled the National Trailer Source Brand. We teamed up with American-made sponsors such as Wrangler, Resistol, Justin Boots, and Weston Ryder which made earning a spot on the All-Star Team a highly sought-after position! For the 2022-2023 season, the All-Star Team will represent National Trailer Source, the premier horse and livestock trailer dealership chain in the United States, Wrangler, Justin Boots, Resistol, and Weston Ryder.
Purpose:
For a legacy to live on, it needs the next generation to continue it. The legacy of rodeo would not live on if young athletes, such as these, did not fill the shoes of the champions who paved the way to keep the legacy alive. We sponsor this young group of athletes so they can have the opportunity to fill the shoes of the champions who rodeoed before them.
History of Sponsors:
Justin Boots: Justin Boots has been handcrafting quality footwear since 1879; that’s more than 140 years! Founder H.J. Justin moved to Texas in 1877 with $5.00 in his pocket and a mission. He picked up a job as an apprentice cobbler at the Norton Shoe Shop in Gainesville, Texas, where he quickly learned the trade of shoe-making. In 1879, he moved to the Chisholm Trail town of Spanish Fort, Texas. At this time, cattlemen were driving their herds towards markets in the east by the Chisholm Trail. H.J. Justin noticed the poor condition of the men's boots and started a boot repair business inside a barber shop. He convinced the barber shop owner that he could make “the best boots in the world” and Justin was given $35 to start Justin Boots. The first pair of boots were retan boots, a heavier type of boot made for riding out on the range, for Frank See (the barber shop owner) for $9.00. Frank wore those pair of boots for 26 years. After gaining popularity, H.J. got more creative with his design process and started with decorative stitching and is credited with being the first to sew rows of stitching across the boot tops. This technique prevented the boot from wearing and folding at the ankle. He later began decorating his boots with more intricate stitching, hand tooling, colorful leathers, threads, and more. His small dream turned into one of the most well-known and well-respected boot companies in the west. Their current factory is located in El Paso, TX where they support local communities and organizations. Their main focus is on quality, integrity, value, and family with each product being handcrafted by skilled boot-makers using only the finest leathers and materials.
(About us, History of Justin Boots)
Resistol hats: E.R. Byer, a young millionaire in the 1920s sold his business in Michigan and traveled south to invest in a young hat mater, Harry Rolnick. Rolnick was operating a small hat factory and Byer was one of his customers. Impressed by Rolnick's professionalism, flair for fashion, and devotion to quality, they partnered and founded the firm in Dallas, TX, in 1927, Byer-Rolnick. Their company produced men's felt hats in western and dress styles, and both hats were marketed under a new name “Resistol hats” meaning to resist all weather. At first, distribution was limited to Texas and Oklahoma, but later on in 1939, the felt hat gained national exposure and prompted an upgrade to a larger facility in Garland, Texas, where Resistol hats are still manufactured today! In an effort to better control the quality and flow of production, Byer-Rolnick built a rough-body plant in Longview, Texas. At this plant, they were the first and only manufacturer to operate the entire felt hat-making process, which includes over 200 steps to make a Resistol hat. In doing this, they were able to have maximum quality control and produce more consistent and the finest hats. The same process still takes place today in their manufacturers, handcrafting each hat for the American Cowboy.
Wrangler: In 1897, C.C. Hudson leaves his hometown in Spring Hill Farm, Williamson County, Tennessee to seek a new fortune in the town of Greensboro, North Carolina. He worked in an overall factory sewing on buttons for 25 cents a day. In 1904, the overall factory shut down and Hudson and his brother purchase several sewing machines and start their own overall business above a grocery store. In 1919, Hudsons overalls are booming and the company moves to a larger headquarters and changes its name to Blue Bell Overall Company. In 1926, Big Ben Manufacturing of Kentucky purchases Blue Bell. The name of the merged companies remains Blue Bell. In 1936, Blue Bell introduced Super Big Ben Overalls featuring 100% Sanforized fabric that reduced shrinking to less than 1%. In 1947, Wrangler authentic western jeans, designed by celebrity tailor, Rodeo Ben, are introduced to the American consumer. Professional cowboys such as Jim Shoulders, Bill Linderman, and Freckles Brown test out the 13MWZ and endorse the Wrangler brand for durability, quality, and authenticity. After this milestone, Wrangler shirts and jeans became the first and only western wear brand to be officially endorsed by the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association.
( Denimsandjeans, Visual History of Wrangler)
Weston Ryder:
Weston Ryder was developed through their prior company when they started screen printing on shirts and mugs for their company. Screen printing and leather patch caps became their side business, but then grew into the established and credible company, Weston Ryder. Weston Ryder is based out of Fort Worth, Texas. They created an extraordinary and unique design for ballcaps that has changed the ballcap fashion forever.
How do we select the athletes?
There are only a few qualifications athletes must have to be chosen for the All-Star team. Athletes must haul an NTS, NRS, or P&P Trailer, and athletes must be in Jr. High or High School. Our team will read over each individual's resume, autobiography, and two reference letters. We then select athletes who would not only be competitive in their event, but athletes who would represent the NTS, Justin, Wrangler, Resistol, and Weston Ryder brands with integrity, and responsibility.
All-Star Team Weekend:
All-Star team weekend, which is hosted annually, is designed as a training and bonding course for the athletes we select. The event is held at the NRS Ranch in Decatur, TX. Athletes will meet up at the ranch for a two-day retreat that includes sponsorship etiquette courses, sponsor apparel fittings, professional headshots, and speeches from champion athletes such as Trevor Brazil, Patrick Smith, and Stran Smith, a ranch tour along with an NTS tour, and team bonding exercises. This weekend was designed to equip the athletes with useful resources, advice, their sponsors' apparel, and to bond and truly be one with their team. This weekend is only one small part of our goal to build up the next generation of rodeo athletes.
Apply for the All-Star Team Today!
Apply for our Patch Program Here
