ProRodeo Sports News - September 2, 2022

BREMERTON, WASH.

KITSAP STAMPEDE Family Tradition

Jesse Flores shines in NFR Playoff Series BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News J esse Flores remembers when he fell in love with rodeo. Around 12 years old, he moved a few blocks away from cousins who had a ranch. Flores’ mom had family with a background in Mexican Charreria, a national sport, and La Charreada, the rodeo. So, Flores began working around the property with the horses, cleaning stalls, and it wasn’t long before his relatives put him on a steer. “I was a little iffy at first. My uncles and my cousins, they pretty much got me tough. They made me tough. There was no option. I was getting on,” Flores recalled. “I got bucked off. They made get on again and again until I stayed on. I knew it was something I wanted to do.” Flash forward 12 years later and Flores is fashioning a career as a bull rider. He ranks in the top 50 of the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings and is gaining traction during the season’s furious final month. Flores posted a season-high 87.5-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Cherry Bomb, capturing the title and $4,597 in prize money at the Kitsap Stampede in Bremerton, Wash. The ride was the equivalent of an old vinyl record with Flores spinning round and round before celebrating by throwing his cowboy hat into the air and pumping his fist. “I don’t usually check the draw until I get to the rodeo. I get to overthinking when I do that. I do it the old school way,” said Flores, who boasts an outgoing personality and passion for the sport. “I was ready. And when I found out the bull I got, I was excited. He is a rider-friendly bull. It was awesome.” Flores, who resides on the outskirts of Los Angeles, has embraced the rodeo lifestyle. He enjoys the travel, the people, the events. It all ties back into making his family proud. “What I love about it is that I get to bring out the best of my ability, of who I am, and not just in the arena, but out of it,” Flores said. “This is something I have dreamt of doing my whole life. I love my family. My parents are getting up there in age. I am doing this for them, too. I really am living the dream.” And the story remains open-ended with many more chapters to write. Flores, 24, began his career in Mexican rodeos, where he was introduced to bull riding around the age of 15. He joined the PRCA in 2018. He continues to improve, allowing him to consider bigger goals. One day, if not this season, he wants to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He faces an uphill challenge over the next few weeks. But listen to Flores talk, and it’s impossible not to believe in him because of his ambition and relentless pursuit of the sport’s biggest stage. “That’s been my goal every year since I got my pro card. I am still chasing it. I still have a chance to make it this year. I have the confidence that I can keep riding this way,” Flores said. “There’s time left with some big events with big prizes. I am telling you the confidence is there. I am physically and mentally healthy and I have my faith in the Lord. I am definitely going to do my best and leave it all out there.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Shad Mayfield ($4,834, tie down roping) BAREBACK RIDING

Mayfield

1. Chad Rutherford .................... 89 pts. 2. Kaycee Feild .................................. 87 3. Cole Franks ................................ 86.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Stetson Jorgensen ................ 3.9 sec. 2. Ryan Nettle .................................. 4.0 3. J.D. Struxness ............................. 4.1 TEAM ROPING 1. D. Egusquiza/T. Graves ......... 3.9 sec. 2. K. Driggers/J.Nogueira . ............... 4.1 (Tie) K. Schmidt/C. Davison ............. 4.1 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Logan Hay . ......................... 87.5 pts. 2. Kade Bruno ................................... 86 3. CoBurn Bradshaw ......................... 84 (Tie) Brody Cress .......................... 84 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Shad Mayfield ....................... 7.4 sec. 2. J.D. McCuistion ........................... 7.5 3. Riley Webb . ................................. 7.6 BARREL RACING 1. Michelle Alley . .................. 17.08 sec. 2. Hailey Kinsel ............................ 17.19 3. Cheyenne Wimberley ............... 17.21 BULL RIDING 1. Jesse Flores ........................ 87.5 pts. 2. Garrett Smith ............................. 86.5 3. Colton Byram ................................ 86

Kent Soule photo Bull rider Jesse Flores had an 87.5-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Cherry Bomb, capturing the title and $4,597 in prize money at the Kitsap Stampede.

Complete results/Page 64

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