ProRodeo Sports News - September 20, 2019

Tutelage of Beaver has Douch aiming for Finals IN HIS WORDS JOHN DOUCH

I was selling some horses and went to his (Joe Beaver’s) house to rope. My mom, Gladys, just started dropping me off there and I started hanging out with him and started roping with him a lot. I’ve been over there ever since. He’s a very good mentor. He’s a winner and he’s teaching me how to win. It’s good having him around because he knows what he’s doing.

Finals Rodeo this year. Before I came out for the summer, I had only had one goal, and that was to make the National Finals. Now that I have a chance, I just need to finish my job and finish strong. I got to win some of the biggest rodeos this summer – Salinas, Calif., Guymon, Okla., Canby, Ore. It feels good just roping against the top guys in the world and hanging

Last season, tie-down roper John Douch finished fourth in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year standings. This season, he’s trying to break into the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. As of Sept. 16, Douch was 16th in the world standings with $77,086. Between July 17 and Sept. 16, the 22-year-old from Huntsville, Texas, won $43,292, rocketing up the standings from 31st to 16th. Douch also has been working with ProRodeo Hall of Famer Joe Beaver since Douch was in the sixth grade.

with them.

I’m lucky to have him. Any guy would want to have

My favorite place I’ve competed at was Salinas. Everybody wants to win the Salinas buckle, and I won one my first time. I went to Hill (Texas) College for three years, it’s betweenWaco and Fort Worth. I made the College National Finals Rodeo three times in calf roping and three times in bulldogging. I just want to focus on calf roping. I want to get one event accomplished and then maybe try something else. I’ll watch the bulldogging, because I like it. I won the (2016) Permit Members of the Year Challenge, and that was an eye-opener. I started working at it more for the next year or two, and I got better and sharper. I’ve been to the NFR to watch, but I don’t like watching if I’m not competing. All I ever dreamed about was roping with the best and being able to make the National Finals Rodeo.

the spot I have.

Joe is out helping me drive because he knows the roads. He also does the entering, which helps me a lot. I don’t have to worry about anything but roping. I don’t have to worry about entering, because he’s been there and done it. He is like a father. We’re together every day, day in and day out. We’re roping and hanging out, just like family. I ride Joe’s horse, Boss, 10. He’s great. That’s probably the best horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s fast, he’s strong. And when you’re out here rodeoing you need something like that, something that’s fast and strong and consistent every time. I’ve had a lot of success this season. I got to winning more, and I have a chance to make my first National

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ProRodeo Sports News 9/20/2019

ProRodeo.com

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