ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 30, 2022

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF.

SHERIFF’S PRCA RODEO

Strong Finish

Saddle bronc rider Jake Clark eyes bigger goals after win BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sprots News I t was in 2019 when the dream began to crystallize. Jake Clark grew up around stock, his family running a horse training business in Crane, Ore. He competed in high school and amateur events, but when he traveled to Louisiana to join saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman to train three years ago, he took his skills to the next level. He has spent this past season traveling with Holman, Brody Cress andWyatt Casper, all NFR qualifiers and standouts in the sport. With a furious finish, Clark moved into the top 50 this season, strengthening his resolve to join his friends next year in Las Vegas. “Yes, 100 percent. That’s what I want. I have a whole new outlook on rodeo. This is what I want to do for a living,” Clark said. “I travel with the best guys in the world. We all push each other. They help me out so much. I wouldn’t still be doing this if it wasn’t for them. They expect me to perform and push me. My goal is to be right there with them.” Given how Clark closed out the summer, the idea seems realistic. Clark won the top prize at the Sheriff ’s PRCA Rodeo in San Bernardino, Calif., posting an 84-point ride on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Scarlet Lady. “When I had that draw, I knew I had a pretty good shot if I did my job because I knew she was going to do hers,” said Clark, who pocketed $4,286. “I was able to take advantage of it.” The same scenario played out at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up. Clark got the call that he would be on Brookman Rodeo’s Ragin Lunatic. Clark delivered with a season-best 87.5-point ride, earning $3,242. “I kind of struggled a lot of the year with draws. And then when I drew a good one, I wasn’t doing my part. That was an unreal horse,” Clark said. “It was a good ride.” Clark continues to make incremental steps in his career. A professional since 2019, he has taken to the lifestyle. It sounds odd, but home is on the road when you rodeo. “There is nothing better than getting on a bucking horse. But also, it’s all the friendships the bronc riders have. You meet so many different people,” Clark said. “I’ve sat at more family dinner tables. They feed us, give us a place to stay. You go from not knowing them to being part of their families. It’s really awesome.” To embrace the process, the result has to matter. And Clark keeps improving. There’s just something about getting in that chute and waiting to see what happens next. “I don’t really get nervous. My adrenaline gets going when I draw a really good one and know I have a chance to win,” Clark explained. “The motor is running. At that point, I know it’s up to me.” Clark, 25, will take a few days to rest, returning to Oregon. But it won’t be long before he is back on the trail aiming to turn his strong finish into a blazing start. “The NFR is the clear goal,” Clark said. “It’s what I want. I have to keep working hard. I had a lot of good chances this season. My confidence grew. I did well at the end, but it was too late. I need to build off how I finished and keep it going.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Tristen Hutchings ($5,260, bull riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Hutchings

1. Mason Clements.................. 87.5 pts. 2. Wyatt Denny................................ 86.5 3. Evan Betony................................... 86 STEER WRESTLING 1. Trell Etbauer .......................... 3.4 sec. 2. Dalton Massey ............................. 4.0 3. Stan Branco ................................. 4.6 TEAM ROPING 1. H. Peterson/C. Hendrix.......... 4.7 sec. 2. D. Begay/C. Todd .......................... 4.8 3. Two tied at ................................... 5.3 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Jake Clark ...............................84 pts. 2. Q. McWhorter ............................... 82 3. Chance West ................................. 81 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Matt Shiozawa .......................7.5 sec. 2. Westyn Hughes ............................ 8.0 3. Cooper Martin .............................. 8.5 BARREL RACING 1. Cheyenne Wimberley......... 15.18 sec. 2. Shelby Bates ............................ 15.51 (Tie) Madison Camozzi ................. 15.51 BULL RIDING 1. Tristen Hutchings ................... 91 pts. TJ Gray ............................................. 88 Bubba Greig ................................... 82.5

Complete results/Page 54

Dan Lesovsky photo

Saddle bronc rider Jake Clark had an 84-point ride on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Scarlet Lady to win the Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo in San Bernardino, Calif. He earned $4,286.

ProRodeo Sports News 9/30/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 9/30/2022

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

32

33