NORTH WASHINGTON — Zane Slater was happy that he didn’t have to make the trip to Alabama.

The 23-year-old Parker resident only has to travel to the North Washington Rodeo Arena at noon Sunday to try and qualify for the 2015 RFD-Tv’s THE AMERICAN presented by Polaris RANGER steer wrestling qualifier.

“I enjoy the adrenaline rush,” Slater said. “There’s the $1 million that’s involved now.”

The North Washington qualifier is the first of eight around the country. Ten steer wrestlers from each qualifier moves on to the semifinals.

From there the field will be narrowed down to five for an event March 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The prize for the winner of the finals is $1 million.

Tim Slater, who organized the event, expects over 50 people to enter.

“I’ve had guys say they are coming from Texas, North Dakota, Ohio and Michigan,” he said. “It’s a big deal.”

If the event winner from the North Washington qualifier moves on to the finals, he will win an automatic $10,000 bonus.

Jimmy Sanderson, 29, of Slippery Rock and Zane Slater, 23, are two local men slated to participate.

Slater recently just got stitches removed from his head after getting stepped on during a rodeo event in Ford City.

“It takes a lot of practice. A lot of things have to go right,” Slater said. “You can be the best in the world, but if your hazer isn’t there, you could be in trouble. So many things have to happen in four seconds.”

Steer wrestling involves two mounted cowboys.

The hazer is supposed to ride parallel with the steer to make it stay straight.

The steer wrestler’s job is to jump off his horse and take the steer to the ground.

Time is stopped when all four legs are off the ground.

“I haven’t been able to practice a whole lot. I’ve been busy with work,” Sanderson said. “I won a rodeo last week in Brookville and finished fifth at another one (earlier this summer).”

Slater said he tried to practice around once a week in the winter. Zane, whose cousin, Tim, organized the event is excited for this weekend.

“My whole family is in the rodeo. My brother steer wrestles,” Zane Slater said. “We heard about this deal, the closest qualifier was in Alabama or something. I would have made a trip.”