Jake Pratt
Jake Pratt – Ellensburg, Wash. ($94,294)
First-time WNFR qualifier
Jake Pratt’s journey to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has taken nearly 10 years.
He joined the PRCA in 2009 after a stint in college rodeo competing for the University of Wyoming and then Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
In his first four years of full-fledged competition, he finished among the top 35 ropers in the world. He was consistently good, but not quite good enough. He had a breakthrough in 2014 and narrowly missed the NFR finishing in 17th place.
That disappointment had a big impact. The next two years he didn’t break into the top 35. Then last year, a renewed commitment saw him finish in 29th. A trip to the Thomas and Mack Center to compete for rodeo’s championships was still high on his bucket list and doing it in 2018 was his goal.
His 2017 standing got him into limited-entry winter rodeos. He won $4,344 at Denver, then $6,280 in San Antonio. The end of February, he was fourth in the world standings and while his position has changed throughout the season, that is where he will enter his first NFR with $94,294.
A big difference in this year’s results came from Jake’s mental game. He learned how to put bad runs behind him and focus on the next one. That determination and clarity will be seen nightly in the Thomas and Mack Center during the NFR.
Prior to this year, Jake’s career earnings in the PRCA were $375,381. Add in what he has already won in 2018, he is close to half a million, amazing without ever running a calf at the NFR. His wife Rainy is a barrel racer and has made most of this journey right alongside Jake. The couple has two sons, Pace and Pierce who will all be with him as he takes the next step in his career and ropes his first calf in Las Vegas.
