ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2024

CINCH PLAYOFFS GOVERNOR'S CUP

BY TANNER BARTH J ess Pope didn’t have the best start at the Cinch Playoff Governor’s Cup. The 25-year-old bareback rider opened the weekend on Sept. 26 with a 79.5-point ride to finish 11th in the first round. But instead of looking out of the rearview mirror, he turned his attention to the windshield and got on his next horse. Pope won the second round, finished fourth in the semifinals and went on to win $30,000 and the top spot in the finals. “It’s really easy this time of year to get to looking at numbers and crunching numbers really hard to become a freaking nutcase,” Pope said. “I definitely was one, but I knew the right people to talk to, and it kept me looking out of the windshield and not the rearview. “And it sure worked out.” Pope tied for the top spot in Round 2 with Rocker Steiner. Pope paired with Burch Rodeo Company’s Hells Fire for 86.5 points and $9,625. In the finals, Pope matched Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven for an 88.5-point ride. “I’ve seen people win a lot of money on (Lunatic Heaven) and didn’t really know what to expect,” he said of his draw for the finals. “But it dang sure caught me there at the end. I was trying as hard as I could to win. If I had to ride for three more seconds, I was probably going to be messed up bad.” Pope’s $39,625 weekend put him squarely in the chase for a world title, entering the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge. “It’s truly a blessing,” he said. “This has been one of the hardest years of rodeo that I’ve ever had. Starting off, I just couldn’t draw the ones that I needed to, and there are so many good guys riding. July was really discouraging, and everything really turned around once I got to August. This is by far the best fall that I’ve ever had.” Jess Pope locks up NFR spot at Cinch Playoffs

Bareback rider Jess Pope, shown competing at the 2024 Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., won the event after pocketing $39,625. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Hailey Rae photo by Hailey Rae

Sioux Falls Success

GOVERNOR’S CUP WINNERS TOP MONEY EARNER Damian Brennan ($41,750, saddle bronc riding) STEER WRESTLING Stetson Jorgensen/Dalton Massey (4.0 sec.) TEAM ROPERS Andrew Ward/Kollin VonAhn (3.9 sec.) SADDLE BRONC RIDER Ryder Wright (88 pts.) TIE-DOWN ROPER Shad Mayfield (6.9 sec.) BARREL RACER Hailey Kinsel (13.52 sec.) BREAKAWAY ROPER Shelby Boisjoli-Meged (1.6 sec.) BULL RIDER Clayton Sellars (88 pts.)

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

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