ProRodeo Sports News - July 7, 2023

Jayco Roper takes victory in bareback riding Initially, when the Reno Rodeo ended, he didn’t think he was the bareback riding winner. However, after sorting some things out, Jayco Roper was declared the champion with 253 points on three head. Roper finished out the rodeo by winning the finals with an 86-point trip on Flying U Rodeo’s Little Red Hawk. “When I found out I won second, I was super happy,” Roper said. “Then, they said I split it (the win) and I was really happy and then they said I won it by myself, and I about flipped out of my chair.” Roper earned $11,649 in Reno, which pushed him up into the top 5 in the world standings with $68,413. “You had to pick your horse out of the bucket (for the finals),” Roper said. “I saw Little Red Hawk was in there and I stuck my hand in the bucket and said, ‘Come on Little Red Hawk’ and I picked it. Everybody started laughing because they didn’t think I was going to pick it. “I’m hoping this gives me a lot of momentum and I’m hoping I keep it going through the Fourth of July and get me a chunk out of the Calgary (Stampede) and all these other big rodeos coming up.” Roper likes where’s he’s at in the world standings, but he knows he can’t take his foot off the gas pedal if he wants to make his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut in December. “Getting late in the season, I have to keep focusing on my goal and keep my mind in the right place,” Roper said. “You have to keep going strong and finish strong.”

Phil Doyle photo Bareback rider Jayco Roper started his victory march in Reno with an 82.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Georgia Girl in Round 1.

Struxness adds another Reno Rodeo title The Reno (Nev.) Rodeo has been kind to steer wrestler J.D. Struxness over the years. He captured the coveted Silver Spurs back in 2019, which propelled him to this third Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

He hopes 2023 will bring the same fortune after he claimed his second Reno Rodeo title on June 24 in front of a sellout crowd of more than 9,000. Struxness came into the finals sitting second in the average, four tenths of a second behind Olin Hannum. The Milan, Minn., cowboy didn’t let that faze him as he laid down a 4.5-second run, which was good enough to win the rodeo with 12.8 seconds on three head. He said he knew exactly what type of steer he had drawn in the finals and let the rest take care of itself. “The crowd at this rodeo is always fun and they pack this place on Saturday nights,” said Struxness, a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier. “We knew I had a good steer coming into the short round, so I had to come out and take care of business. It’s always really nice to get a win and it’s even better when it’s at a place like Reno.” Struxness was quick to credit the horse he was riding, a mount on Clayton Haas’ horse Benz, which finished second in the running for the Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year a season ago. “I had the chance to ride Clayton Haas’ horse Benz. It sure gives a guy a lot of confidence getting to ride a good horse like that,” he said. “

Phil Doyle photo J.D. Struxness was all business in Reno. His 4.5-second run in the finals locked up the average with 12.8 seconds on three head.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

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