ProRodeo Sports News - August 10, 2018

Bull rider’s X Bulls victory is right on time PRCA XTREME BULLS 2018 TOUR STANDINGS (Unofficial as of Aug. 9)

BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI A s summer ends and fall looms around the corner Jordan Spears must be getting hot on the rodeo trail. Nearly a year after setting the Xtreme Bulls record with a victory that netted him almost $40,000, Spears took home $9,231 by winning the Lea County Fair & PRCA Rodeo Xtreme Bulls title in Lovington, N.M., Aug. 7. The victory was the Redding, Calif., cowboy’s second Xtreme Bulls Division 1 title. “For any guy, a Division 1 Xtreme Bulls win – with the great bulls and great guys like Sage (Kimzey), J.W. Harris, Shane Proctor – to get a win here is big,” said Spears, 26. “Any win is big for a guy at any time of the year. But right now, it’s crunch time, when you need to ride good and draw good and hope things work out and go your way. If you do that, you can win quite a bit of money.” Spears works on keeping his focus positive. That helped him finish with 169 points on two head in Lovington. Spears stayed positive after scoring 79 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Jo Jo. That earned him seventh place, $454 and a spot in the finals. From there, Spears climbed aboard a bull he was well familiar with: Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Smash Mouth. Spears did his job and Smash Mouth did his, as the duo combined for 90 points and the top score in the final round, worth $3,102. Add in the average win and Spears left Lovington with more than $9,000. “I’m two for three on him,” Spears said. “I bucked off the first time I got on him at the NFR last year. I got a feel for him. I rode him in the short round at San Angelo (Texas) this year for 88, and luckily I had him in the short round tonight.” The money was much-needed, as Spears entered the event 21st in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $55,253. He climbed to 17th with $64,428 as of Aug. 9. He’s two spots outside of the Top 15 and looking to qualify for his fourth trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He qualified in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Spears also climbed to fifth in the Xtreme Bulls Standings with $27,712. With nearly two months remaining in the 2018 regular season, Spears is concentrating on making the Finals. For him, the best way to do that is to focus on his goals. “I’ve tried to stay positive and ride the bulls that are good. The ones that aren’t so good and don’t go my way, I forget about them and move on, find the positive in everything,” Spears said, crediting his dad, Randy, with teaching him to look on the bright side. “I’ve had ups and down, had highs and lows. I try to have

1. Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla. ................. $45,816 2. Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas .............. 34,750 3. Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah ........................... 33,340 4. Riker Carter, Stone, Idaho ........................... 30,662 5. Jordan Spears, Redding, Calif. .................... 27,712 6. Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont. ...................... 26,387 7. Joseph McConnel, Bloomfield, N.M. ............ 25,127 8. Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas .......... 23,538 9. Trevor Kastner, Roff, Okla. .......................... 21,285 10. Lane Nobles, Gatesville, Texas .................. 21,236 11. Koby Radley, Montpelier, La. ..................... 20,926 12. Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho ....... 18,042 13. Lon Danley, Tularosa, N.M. ....................... 17,884 14. Joe Frost, Randlett, Utah ........................... 16,825 15. Brett Custer, Elk City, Okla. ........................ 15,967 16. Eli Vastbinder, Athens, Texas ..................... 15,589 17. J.W. Harris, Goldthwaite, Texas ................. 15,020 18. Dustin Boquet, Bourg, La. ......................... 14,685 19. Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho .................. 13,757 20. Clayton Sellars, Fruitland Park, Fla. ........... 13,075 COMPLETE RESULTS ON PAGE 78 so many rodeos to go to, so many all week long. I seem to do a little better later in the year when I’m sorer. I’m not sure exactly why. I’d love to say there’s momentum, but good or bad you’ve got to forget about it, move on and have a clear mind on the next bull whether you won the last one or were bucked off.”

the mindset, if I’mwinning or not, to have confidence in myself and be positive, and hope it works out.” In the 2017 season, Spears won nearly $40,000 at the Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale in Ellensburg, Wash. Two days before winning in Lovington, Spears won a Division 2 Xtreme Bulls event in Castle Rock, Colo. He entered the event in seventh place in the Xtreme Bulls Standings. “This is one of the busiest times of the year,” Spears said. “You probably get on more bulls in the next two months on the weekdays than you do over the Fourth. …There are

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