ProRodeo Sports News - Oct. 28, 2022

DUNCAN, OKLA.

RAM PRAIRIE CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO

Jayco Roper keeps ProRodeo career going with Duncan win Timely Win TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Jayco Roper ($7,603, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING

BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News J ayco Roper’s back was up against the wall. Coming into the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Duncan, Okla., on Oct.13-15, Roper was needing a win. “I was on the last leg of my money deal,” said Roper, 21. “My dad said I better win something or get a job. So, I figured I better try frickin’ hard.” With a little extra motivation, Roper placed in all three go rounds, accumulating 244.5 points to get the win in the average by one point over year-end champion Colt Eck. Thanks to the win, Roper earned a trip to the NFR Open powered by RAM, the championship event of the circuit system held in conjunction with Pikes Peak or Bust in Colorado Springs, Colo., in July. “That’s pretty cool, I didn’t even know that,” Roper said with a laugh. “(Heck) yea, I’m pretty excited now!” Roper has steadily been climbing ProRodeo’s bareback riding ladder, finishing inside the top 40 of the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings for the past two years before nearly breaking through for a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo berth in 2022. He won $65,763 and finished 19th in the world. “I left in about July to hit the road and I was traveling withWill Lowe,” Roper noted of the three-time World Champion. “Then after a few weeks, my guy went home.” Roper improvised his way through the resulting transportation issues. “I was getting in with guys and I even bought cars off Facebook marketplace,” Roper said. He actually bought three cheap cars that way, using them instead of expensive rental cars. “I learned a lot about what not to do,” he joked. “My No. 1 priority when I got home this fall was transportation. I got that taken care of.” Challenges aside, Roper managed to pick up nine ProRodeo wins including a trio of wins over the Fourth of July in Oakley (Utah), Livingston (Mont.) and Killdeer (N.D.) worth $13,607. Roper appreciates the chance to haul with Lowe. “He’s one of those guys,” he said when asked about his rodeo idols. “He’s taught me a lot.” Roper is generations deep in the rodeo business. His grandmother, Betty, is a six-time World Champion with the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) and its all-time winningest barrel racer; Grandpa Jimmy was a steer wrestler in his day and both of Roper’s parents, JW, and Nikki, were competitors in their time. So how did Roper end up riding rough stock coming from four generations of timed-event contestants? “I’ve been wondering that my whole life,” he said. “My dad got me into riding miniature broncs, and it just went from there.” In Duncan, Roper rode Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Black Fury for 80 points in round one, good enough for third place. He split the second round with Eck after taking Wrangler NFR horse Delta Ship for an 82.5-point trip. In earning a bit of redemption, he won the third go outright with

Roper

1. Jayco Roper. .............. 244.5 pts. on 3 2. Colt Eck. ................................... 243.5 3. Yance Day................................. 232.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Jacob Edler................... 15.0 sec. on 3 2. Travis Munro. .............................. 16.5 3. Gus Franzen................................. 16.8 TEAM ROPING 1. Ward/Hawkins II........... 14.4 sec. on 3 2. J. Clay/B. Saebens....................... 15.7 3. T. Hobert/C. Boekhaus................. 23.7 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Ean Price. ................... 243.5 pts. on 3 2. Hardy Braden............................... 241 3. Trent Burd.................................... 238 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Jerry Adamson ............ 27.6 sec. on 3 2. Wyatt Muggli............................... 30.1 3. Austin Lawrence.......................... 30.2 STEER ROPING 1. Rocky Patterson. .......... 36.5 sec. on 3 2. Billy Good................................... 39.3 3. Trenton Johnson.......................... 43.6 BULL RIDING 1. Trey Holston. .............. 163.5 pts. on 2 2. Fulton Rutland..................... 86.5 on 1 3. Patterson Starcher....................... 83.5

Complete results/Page 47

an 82-point ride on Super Soaker from Silver Creek Pro Rodeo. Roper earned $7,603 in Duncan, money that counts towards the 2023 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings and that goes a long way to helping him avoid getting that job.

Kay Miller photo

Bareback rider Jayco Roper won the average at the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo with 244.5 points on three head, including an 82.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship, above.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/28/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 10/28/2022

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ProRodeo.com

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