ProRodeo Sports News, June 1, 2018

YOUNG GUNS

when we showed up. Now that we’re ProRodeoing and both in the Top 15, it’s exciting just because we have that history of amateur rodeo together.” ‘BRINGING IT BACKTOTHE BOOT’ Recently, Louisiana hasn’t been a hotbed for Wrangler NFR bull riders. That could change, and maybe Boquet and Radley will have something to do with it. O’Mara and Domangue were key reasons to Boquet’s and Radley’s success. O’Mara started helping Radley when Radley was about 13. O’Mara started keeping bulls at Radley’s family’s house. About that time, Boquet and Radley befriended each other. The two lived about two hours away, but their passion for riding bulls brought them together.

“When they’re carrying the flags at the NFR you don’t see a big lineup for Louisiana . . . So, when you do see somebody or you are from there, you take pride in it.” -– JACOB O’MARA

and Boquet) have come up and gotten older, there wasn’t as much of it.” Boquet and Radley don’t have many others from their region around their age who are nearing the pinnacle of their sport. But both riders believe the future could hold more prospects from their neck of the bayou. “We’ve got a couple young guys from back in Louisiana who are 14, 15 years old that I’ve been watching that are from right by my house,” Boquet said, “and Koby has one or two young kids from around his house who ride phenomenally. They send me videos of them riding. I think they will be some to watch out for when they are 18, 19, 20 years old.” Radley’s game has climbed as he’s focused on the mental part of the sport. Forgetting when he gets bucked off has helped him on the next ride. He learned that fromO’Mara, kind of. “Yeah, but at the same time Jacob didn’t fall off very much,” Radley laughed. “He would say that, but he wouldn’t do it because he would stay on.” If they can qualify for the Wrangler NFR, Radley and Boquet should be proud. “When they’re

O’Mara would get on his practice bulls at Radley’s house, and Radley and Boquet would join him. Eventually, O’Mara dated Radley’s sister, Kortlin. The two have been married two years and have a 9-month-old daughter, Jakelynn. “It started out when we had some bulls and we started keeping them at his dad’s place. Then eventually it got to that (dating Kortlin),” laughed O’Mara, 26. Having older riders offer encouragement spurred the young bull riders. Domangue and Trent Cormier lived about 20 minutes from Boquet. “I send them all my videos and they get fired up for me,” Boquet said. “They’re pretty excited that somebody younger than them is getting somewhere with it. They always told me I rode good, I just had to keep my head straight, put my mind to it and finally go out and do it.” Riding and practicing together at Radley’s house helped form a bond that made them better riders. “I don’t think there is any

competition between us, but we always say when we show up somewhere, ‘Bring it back to the boot,’” said O’Mara, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. “It’s more like a team effort than anything.” CLIMBINGTHE RANKS Growing up, O’Mara saw plenty of bull riders in his home state. But over the years, he’s seen those numbers dwindle. “It used to be (popular),” he said. “It’s dying off every year, it gets weaker and weaker. It’s hard to say. When I grew up, there was plenty of it. As they (Radley

carrying the flags at the NFR you don’t see a big lineup for Louisiana,” O’Mara said. “Even with the calf roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, anything, there’s not a whole bunch of guys from Louisiana. So, when you do see somebody or you are from there, you take pride in it.” O’Mara wouldn’t be surprised to see the young riders in Las Vegas come December. “You’re going to see more success to come with both of those guys,” O’Mara said. “They’re just building blocks on their way to the top.”

From left, bull riders Koby Radley, Jacob O’Mara, Dustin Boquet and Jacob Marcell show off their haul after a duck hunting trip. Photo courtesy Dustin Boquet

ProRodeo Sports News 6/1/2018

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