ProRodeo Sports News - October 2, 2020

Pope overcomes detached ribs to win Tour Finale Pain&Gain BY MATT NABER W hether or not competing with detached ribs was worth the searing pain boiled down to two points for bareback rider Jesse Pope. The 21-year-old cowboy was depending on the Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. After making it into the finals on a tiebreaker, Pope won the Tour Finale by a hair, claiming the final round by a half-point margin with 90 points on J Bar J’s Straight Moonshine. ALL-AROUND COWBOY & TOP MONEY WINNER Stetson Wright, $11,525, saddle bronc riding and bull riding BAREBACK RIDING TOP SCORES Wright

1. Jesse Pope ............................. 90 pts. 2. Tilden Hooper ............................ 89.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Jacob Talley .......................... 3.6 sec. 2. Rowdy Parrott .............................. 4.2 TEAM ROPING 1. R. Minor/B. Minor ................. 4.1 sec. 2. C. Masters/W. Thorp .................... 5.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Stetson Wright ....................... 90 pts. 2. Shorty Garrett ............................ 89.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Tyson Durfey ........................ 8.0 sec. 2. Tyler Milligan ............................... 8.5 BARREL RACING 1. Ryann Pedone .................. 15.97 sec. 2. (Tie) Dona Kay Rule ................. 16.09 Nellie Miller .............................. 16.09 BULL RIDING 1. Jeff Askey .............................. 82 pts. No other qualified rides Complete results/Page 56 $7,500 As the only bull rider to cover his bull in the final round in Rapid City, S.D., Jeff Askey col- lected $7,500 for a Tour Finale total of $10,934.

Pope entered Rapid City, S.D., 14th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings but walked away safely in the fold for the Wrangler NFR, 11th in the world with $47,114. “Man, it means everything,” Pope said as tears filled his eyes. “For as long as I can remember I dreamed about this, calling Mama to tell her I made it is just so exciting, you know.” Pope almost didn’t make the finals. Traditionally, it’s a clean slate during the semifinals at the Tour Finale unless there’s a tie for fourth place. In that case, the two-head average from earlier in the Tour Finale is used as the tiebreaker. Pope was that exception, edging Richmond Champion by two points after notching an average score of 173.5 points on two head. Simply getting to the Tour Finale was a struggle for Pope. In addition to the hurdles brought on by COVID-19, Pope detached his ribs at the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer, Idaho, at the beginning of September. “She (the horse) flipped over and I took a rigging handle to the chest,” Pope said. In Filer, Pope placed sixth with 84.5 points and took home $558. More importantly, he climbed the Tour standings to 12th, ensuring a spot at the last chance to score big during the regular season. “How bad do you want it and what are you willing to do for it?” Pope said. “It hurts like a son of a gun, but if you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear. It will be worth it in December.” The Kansas cowboy is already familiar with overcoming injury. Despite missing two months of competition after injuring his right elbow at the 2019 RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., Pope finished the season 28th in the world and No. 2 in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings with $47,778. Pope didn’t rest on his laurels after winning $8,819 at the 2020 Tour Finale, Sept. 26. He competed at the Gold Buckle Knockout in Stoneham, Colo., four days later. “I take it one at a time, so I was just focused on doing well here until then,” Pope said. Pope plans to hit the gym in preparation for the Wrangler NFR while attending Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo.

Jackie Jensen photo

ProRodeo Sports News 10/2/2020

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