Jesse Embracing First World Championship Race
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Colten Jesse pulled up to a ranch in Lipan, Texas, last month at around 6:30 in the morning to help his friend Mike Newman with some fencing work.
Jesse had won the PBR Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Bismarck, North Dakota, and the two men got to talking about Jesse’s season thus far and the road that lies ahead for him.
“I see you going into the Finals in second or third, and that is when you get them,” Jesse recalled Newman telling him.
“A lot of them want it, but you have to be the one that has to have it.”
Jesse – the No. 6-ranked bull rider in the world – has been learning on the fly this season as he adjusts to competing for his first world title. Jesse has never finished higher than 22nd in the world standings.
The 23-year-old has embraced the thrills of competing for a World Championship this season, and a simple conversation with a friend like Newman has helped him keep a level head and not overthink what is at stake during the final two months of the season.
“He is an old friend of mine, and I enjoy conversing with him,” Jesse said. “I am not in that No. 1 spot yet with the pack chasing me. When I get to that point, I will learn how to deal with it. Sitting there second or third going into the Finals wouldn’t be that bad in my opinion. It is not like I am feeling pressure. I feel like I am taking all of the pressure off myself.”
Jesse is currently on the fringes of the 2020 World Championship race as he sits 645 points behind No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, but that can change very quickly with possibly seven Unleash The Beast events remaining before the 2020 PBR World Finals.
For a rider to have a realistic shot at winning the 2020 World Championship, a rider will likely have to be within 650 points of the world No. 1 ranking. However, a rider within 800 points of the world No. 1 ranking could also remain in contention with a victory at the World Finals, but he would need some major help from his opponents stubbing their toes.
A rider can earn up to 1,040 world points at the 2020 World Finals, which offers 4.3% more points than last year’s Finals.
Therefore, being in the No. 2 hole – ala Jess Lockwood last year – or even No. 3 could certainly mean a rider is well within striking distance of the 2020 World Championship. That is dependent, of course, on what Leme does before then.
Jesse is going to try to do all he can to make up ground on Leme, including competing this weekend at the 2nd Annual Dickinson PBR Touring Pro Division event on Saturday with the UTB on break for the Labor Day Weekend holiday.
Jesse is the highest-ranked rider making the trek to North Dakota this weekend with Leme, No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira, No. 3 Jess Lockwood, No. 4 Daylon Swearingen and No. 5 Kaique Pacheco opting not to ride at the TPD event.
A TPD victory is worth 15 world points.
Jesse has drawn Magic Man (2-0, all levels) for Round 1.
Also tentatively competing in Dickinson are No. 23 Stetson Lawrence, No. 31 Keyshawn Whitehorse, No. 38 Cody Casper and No. 40 Paulo Lima.
It may take quite the memorable comeback for Jesse to win the 2020 World Championship, but it would not be the first time that a rider did the unthinkable.
Jesse was 16 years old when J.B. Mauney made his historic second-half comeback to defeat Silvano Alves for the 2013 world title, and he was getting his bull rope ready last season next to Lockwood inside T-Mobile Arena when Lockwood rallied to overcome Leme and almost 750 points for his second world title.
“You have to look at it just like that. It is possible,” Jesse said. “It has been done before. It is not the exact same situation, but it has been done before. The points are definitely different now. So not only do you have to ride your bulls, but you have to be able to win rounds and win events and stack up as many points as possible. Jess did it before, coming off an injury, too.”
Jesse is hoping to write his own comeback story.
“I did misword myself (earlier this year) about making a run in the second half like J.B. or Jess Lockwood. I am going to make a run in the second half like Colten Jesse would,” he added.
Jesse is 16-for-43 (37.21%) on the premier series with a victory, 15/15 Bucking Battle win and three round wins.
His 92.25-point, event-winning ride on Sky Harbor in Bismarck was a career-best and propelled him to his first career win on the premier series.
“I think I was more frustrated more than anything for a long time,” Jesse said. “I was trying too hard (to get that win). Somebody said it was a long time coming and I said, ‘I’ve just finally gotten out of my own way.’”
The Konowa, Oklahoma, native will need a few more wins this season to catch Leme, and he admits really there is no true comparison in his personal history for what he is trying to accomplish.
Yes, he was part of the 2018 Rookie of the Year race, finishing second to Whitehorse, and he knows winning a Youth Bull Rider World Finals title in Abilene, Texas, is obviously different stakes.
The only thing he does know for sure is that he has to enjoy the experience, ride his bulls and remember the title is still up for grabs and the race is far from over.
“It is one of those things,” Jesse concluded. “I never have been in this actual position before so I am just taking it day by day and enjoying every bit of it.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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