Rattlers’ Jesus Proud to Use Portion of World Finals Winnings to Give Back to Future Generations
By: Justin Felisko
NASHVILLE – Cody Jesus remembers being a young boy growing up on the Navajo Reservation in Window Rock, Arizona, and always trying to find his next challenge.
For the majority of his childhood, Jesus would often be honing his craft on the same bull every day in a tiny 16×16 practice pen. Jesus had a goal of one day riding in the PBR, and he would often be craving the opportunity to learn how to become a better bull rider.
Jesus would do everything possible to try to improve. Beyond his vigorous commitment to finding more practice bulls, Jesus would run or bike miles upon miles every day. He would even find non-traditional ways to workout, such as climbing massive trees throughout the region with his brother to improve his strength.
Jesus simply knew he had to get better if he ever wanted to become a pro.
A decade later, Jesus now wants to make sure the next generation of Navajo cowboys in his childhood region can have further opportunities to become professional rodeo athletes.
Jesus took a portion of his $170,500 winnings from his second-place finish at the 2022 PBR World Finals this past May in Fort Worth, Texas, to build a new portable 120 x 200 arena so that kids in the Window Rock and Sawmill, Arizona, region can have a place to hone and perfect a sport that can bring them so much opportunity.
“I never got the help when I was starting out like that,” Jesus told PBR.com. “That’s kind of the plan, to have clinics eventually. I’ve got all the bulls for it, and I can always call in more bulls and stuff like that. I’ve got a Buckrite and I just built a gym, too, at home.
“I’ve been having kids come over to my house since I was 15 years old. Shoot, sometimes I get 10 kids that want to get on. Sometimes, only one gets on. But I notice, every week, I get some of the same kids now that are kind of getting older and want to take it more seriously. They’re wanting to come get on every other day, so why not give them a good arena, good ground and good practice bulls to get on?”
Jesus explained that as a kid sometimes he did not have the money to rent a bull to practice on, and even once he turned pro that he would often dump his earnings back into practice bulls.
“It’s hard to get, especially free bulls down there,” Jesus admitted. “Everybody wants to charge, and if they don’t charge, they want to buck their born-to-buck, 2 or 3-year-old bulls that are just going to tear these kids up. I just got good bulls to get on. And if a kid wants to rope, I’ll be getting some roping steers, so that’s where they can start.
“This has always been a goal of mine because any money I got before then, it always went to a new practice bull, whether it was a kids bull, a mini bull, just an extra barrel, an extra panel, something, so that it would be better to help run my practice pen or help run bulls.”
Jesus’s impressive 6-for-8 performance at the World Finals helped him finish seventh in the 2022 PBR world standings, and a strong PBR Team Series performance this fall will only add to his name being among the list of dark horse 2023 World Champion contenders.
Being a World Champ is obviously a goal, but there is another crucial thing that Jesus values compared to a gold buckle.
“I have always wanted to be a World Champion, but when I do become a World Champion, I want to be a good World Champion,” Jesus said. “So why not start with being a good person and do this for kids?”
Arizona will always be home for Jesus, but he is riding for coach Cody Lambert and the Ariat Texas Rattlers during the inaugural PBR Team Series.
Lambert is proud to be building his team around the talented young gun.
“Cody Jesus is a great guy and a great bull rider,” Lambert said. “If you open your eyes, you can see every day is a free clinic when you are watching him. That is how a bull rider’s demeanor ought to be. That is how his confidence ought to be, and that is how his effort ought to be. Character means a great deal, and I can’t say enough good things about Cody Jesus. He is just so humble and a great bull rider and a future World Champion.”
Jesus is sixth in the PBR Team Series MVP race with his 4-for-7 start to the season. Jesus has ridden four of his last five bulls heading into the Rattlers’ (2-5) matchup Friday night against the first-place Missouri Thunder (6-1) at Stampede Days in Nashville (8:45 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV).
The 24-year-old is matched up against Step That Step (4-1 all levels) on Friday night.
“It’s going good,” Jesus said of being a Rattler. “Cody’s been trusting me to do my hard work at home and do everything. I went to his place for the camp (earlier this summer) and everything, but he’s been trusting me to get on enough bulls. He’s just really instilling the mental side of me and making me believe that I’m supposed to ride every bull and not let these bulls get away.”
In Anaheim, Jesus helped the Rattlers record 171.75 points against Arizona on Saturday night with his 87-point ride on Harold’s Genuine Risk, enough for Texas to end a two-game losing streak.
“I am super excited to help us get a win,” Jesus concluded. “I can ride any bull out there. I’m supposed to lead this team, and lead by example, and I haven’t done that consistently yet, so hopefully this weekend we’ll get it done.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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