ProRodeo Sports News - Oct. 28, 2022

REDMOND, ORE.

RAM COLUMBIA RIVER CIRCUIT FINALS

Potter Power

Luke Potter wins Columbia River Circuit Finals crown BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News L uke Potter has just four seasons under his belt in ProRodeo but the Maple City, Kan., cowboy is batting 50% when it comes to winning circuit championships. While still on his permit, Potter won the RAMPrairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2019, earning enough to win the year-end championship as well. Despite a change of circuits in 2022, he repeated the accomplishment during the 2022 RAMColumbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo in Redmond, Ore., on Oct. 20-22. Potter claimed the average with a 26.5-second time on three head, earning enough to come from behind to also win the year-end title. “I just wanted to win as much as I could,” said Potter, 22. “My goal is to make the NFR, and money won at the circuit finals counts towards world standings for the new year.” Potter has finished inside the top 30 of the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings in each of the last three years, including 2020, when he was named the Resistol Rookie of the Year. Winning circuit titles is almost genetic for Potter. His father Grady won the Prairie Circuit in 2006 as a steer roper and qualified over the years in the tie-down and team roping. “That’s how I learned. He’s the one who taught me how to rope,” Potter said. “He roped calves in the late 1980s and early 90s but I wasn’t around for that. But he would pack me to the steer ropings with him and I was just ate up with it. I love to rope.” Potter still relies on his dad’s advice and encouragement. “He’s my biggest supporter and best friend,” Lucas said. After placing high in big rodeos like Pendleton, and Hermiston, Lewiston and St. Paul, Potter earned $23,466 rodeoing inWashington, Oregon and northern Idaho to enter the RAMColumbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo in third place, trailing leader Jake Pratt. Potter actually traveled to Redmond with Pratt, Trevor Hale and Trenton Smith. “We sent our rig with Brogan Miller, and we actually flew up there,” Potter said, noting he rode his good horse Snoopy. “We got an Airbnb on the golf course and we played golf during the day and went to the rodeo at night.” “It was pretty enjoyable, we didn’t do much,” he said. “It was like a little vacation honestly.” Potter quickly made it a profitable vacation after winning the first round with an 8.8-second run. He followed with a run of 8.9 seconds that won second. “By the third go, it had turned into kind of a just, tie one down, win the average and the year-end deal,” Potter said. He did just that, stopping the clock in 8.8 seconds to win another round check, this time third. His 26.5 time in the average was 4.1 seconds better than his closest competitor, Kass Kayser. Potter earned $8,209 during the circuit finals to slip past both Pratt and Hale to win the circuit with $31,675. By virtue of his championships, Potter clinched a position in next July’s NFR Open powered by RAM, the season-ending championship event of the circuit system.

TOP MONEY EARNER TOP SCORES

Jordan Spears ($10,930, bull riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Spears

1. Austin Foss.................... 247 pts. on 3 2. Clay Stone. ................................225.5 3. Trenten Montero........................223.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Cody Cabral..................12.1 sec. on 3 2. Dalton Massey.............................13.9 3. Justin Kimsey..............................16.8 TEAM ROPING 1. T.C. Hammack/J. Duby. 19.6 sec. on 3 2. B. Reay/B. Falon. .........................20.9 3. J. Parke/T. Sutfin. ................12.6 on 2 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Kade Bruno................. 243.5 pts. on 3 2. Jesse James Kirby .......................229 3. Tate Owens...................................212 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Luke Potter ................. 26.5 sec. on 3 2. Kass Kayser ............................... 30.6 3. Jordan Tye ................................. 31.8 BARREL RACING 1. Kacey Gartner ........... 45.52 sec. on 3 2. Rachelle Riggers ...................... 45.69 3. Tristan Parrish ......................... 46.01 STEER ROPING 1. Taylor Santos .............. 35.2 sec. on 3 2. Howdy McGinn .................. 29.6 on 2 3. Roger Nonella ............................ 35.0 BULL RIDING 1. Jordan Spears . ............ 167 pts. on 2 2. Levi Gray . ............................. 81 on 1 3. Austin Herrera . ............................. 73

QUICK STUDIES After only roping together at just one regular season rodeo, rookie T.C. Hammack and Jason Duby slipped into the circuit finals rodeo and rejoined forces to win the first average titles of their careers with 19.6 sec. on three steers. They placed in all three rounds and won $5,900.

Complete results/Page 50

Ashley Kendall photo Tie-down roper Luke Potter took top honors at the RAM Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo in Redmond, Ore. He won the average with a 26.5-second time on three head.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/28/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 10/28/2022

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