WNFR Motivating Jesse Brown at RAM NCFR
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Finishing 15th out of 15 can be discouraging. It can also be motivational, and that’s how steer wrestler Jesse Brown is taking it.
In December, Brown finished 15th in the average at his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That hasn’t sat well with the former Washington State quarterback.
Brown is determined to get back to the NFR and has shown that determination with a season that sees him in 15th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings at the halfway mark.
On Friday, Brown went out and won the first round of the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo with a 3.7-second time in the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla.
“I finished 15 out of 15 (at the Finals) in the average out there, and that’s not at all what I was expecting or prepared for my whole career,” said Brown, who earned $5,111 for the round win. “That makes a guy hungrier, so I just have to get back. This is a big step for that.”
The 28-year-old from Baker City, Ore., entered the weekend with $7,592. He nearly doubled that with his effort Friday morning. He’ll have a chance to add to that in the second round, which begins Friday night and concludes Saturday afternoon.
The semifinals and finals are slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.
At the NFR in Arlington, Texas, Brown got off to a great start, splitting the win in Round 1. But after that he only placed in one other round. He earned $49,064 in Arlington and finished 13th in the world standings with $88,559.
“A lot of pressure, bulldogging with the 15 best guys in that immaculate stadium,” Brown said. “It gives you the fire to want to get back there.”
Brown is ready to rectify that Finals performance.
“I didn’t do very well, made some mistakes,” he said. “I’m just trying to build on that and come back stronger.”
In Kissimmee, as he’d done the previous two seasons, Brown was riding Curtis Cassidy’s horse Tyson, the reigning PRCA | Purina Horse of the Year.
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world when I’m riding Tyson,” Brown said. “He makes everything easy. I think he’s the best bulldogging horse in the world.”
Brown and Tyson had to adjust quickly as soon as the steer shot out of the chute.
“That steer was fighting the chute a bunch,” Brown said. “I had to be in there (the box) longer than I wanted, then he fell and was flat on his guts. Got caught really fast and got a good head catch. I just tried to slow down and tried to make him hit flat.
“Everything happens so fast and as much money is here, you’ve just got to make it happen.”
Herrin goes under 8 seconds to win tie-down round
Tie-down roper Hunter Herrin flexed his NFR muscles at the RAM NCFR, Friday.
The Apache, Okla., cowboy competing for the Prairie Circuit clocked a 7.6-second run to win the first performance at
the RAM NCFR.
“This year since the money (at the RAM NCFR) counts, I figured I’d get involved,” said Herrin, a 10-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier (2006-09, 2011-12, 2014-16, 2020). “I’ve had some success here in Kissimmee when it used to have the Champions Challenge and I had a great calf this afternoon that if you don’t miss her, you have a chance to win something good. It wasn’t my best catch loop ever, but it worked.”
During the run, Herrin’s star horse, Rambo, the 2014 AQHA | PRCA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year, might have tweaked his leg.
“I have to go check on my horse,” Herrin said. “He kind of stung his back right leg a little bit. We’re going to check it out and make sure that he’s OK, that it’s just superficial and nothing serious. A lot people know Rambo more than they know me, so we better make sure that he’s in the right spot. If he’s not, we’ll try and come up with something different for tonight’s perf.”
Riding Rambo, Herrin finished fourth in the 2020 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $188,895.
Ward, Hawkins take second in round
In team roping, Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins II had the top run in Friday morning’s performance with a 5.2-second run.
That was good for second in the first round behind Dustin Egusquiza/Junior Nogueira, who had a 4.8-second run Thursday night.
“We came out here and the victory has already happened as far as getting to spend a week out here,” Hawkins said. “We went to the beach with our family and got a little sunburn because all of us were out there with our farmer’s tans. We are just going to keep doing what we are doing.
“We came out here with the expectation to take the conditions in consideration and not get too competitive. There are so many guys who rope so good nowadays, if you’re trying to beat everybody on every run it seems like your percentages are going to go down. For us, we came out here with a game plan, that’s four steers to the end, so we are trying to make runs we can do four times in a row and not necessarily get caught up in a one-header.”
Ward concurred.
“We’re just grateful to be catching them and being here,” he said. “It’s kind of a longer rodeo, you just have to keep catching your whole way through and glad to have made some money.”
Bruno posts 86.5-point ride
Like Ward and Hawkins, saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno had a strong effort in the first round.
Bruno, 20, making his RAM NCFR debut, had an 86.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Beaver Trail. That was good for second in the first round behind Ryder Wright’s 89.5-point ride on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Resistol’s Top Hat on Thursday.
“This feels good,” Bruno said. “Coming in I didn’t know a lot about that horse. I just came in, did my job and it went well. I have another (ride) tonight and hope I can get back to the eight-man (semifinals Saturday). I just want to take it slow and do my job. I don’t really have a lot of nerves. When you come here and ride against the best guys you rise to the occasion and I want to relax and have fun.”
Lee wins barrel racing round
Barrel racer Tarryn Lee of the Turquoise Circuit won the first round with her 14.80-second run Friday.
“I was riding Ace, who is 12,” Lee said. “That run felt good. I knew he would like it. He’s a solid horse anywhere I go. We’re actually 2,000 miles away from home in Nogales, Ariz., and it was a long trip, but it was worth it. I’m just so thankful to be here.”
Reiner hangs on in bareback riding
Bareback rider Cole Reiner’s 87.5-point ride Thursday night stayed on top when the first round ended.
The 22-year-old from Kaycee, Wyo., notched the ride aboard Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Hangover.
“I had that horse before (in Waco, Texas), and that horse was awesome tonight,” Reiner said Thursday. “I have a new rigging and you never know what to expect, and it worked great. You get a horse like that and the money that we are competing for, you have to capitalize.”
Reiner qualified for the NFR for the first time last year. He capitalized on that trip, earning $109,282 over the 10 days of the Finals. He finished fifth in the world with $154,325 and was the PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year.
Columbia River leading team competition
Despite trailing after the first performance, the Columbia River Circuit has jumped into the lead in the team standings and opened a significant lead.
A day after trailing the Texas Circuit, the Columbia River Circuit moved into first with $24,733 earned, leading Texas by more than $7,000 after the first round.
The Prairie Circuit is third with $15,014.
The circuit that wins the team competition gets a $500 bonus for each athlete from that circuit competing at the finals.
Team circuit standings |
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| Place | Circuit | Round 1 | Total |
| 1 | Columbia River | $24,733 | $24,733 |
| 2 | Texas | $17,046 | $17,046 |
| 3 | Prairie | $15,014 | $15,014 |
| 4 | Mountain States | $13,000 | $13,000 |
| 5 | Wilderness | $11,200 | $11,200 |
| 6 | California | $9,796 | $9,796 |
| 7 | Southeastern | $9,775 | $9,775 |
| 8 | Great Lakes | $7,532 | $7,532 |
| 9 | Turquoise | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| 10 | Montana | $5,938 | $5,938 |
| 11 | Badlands | $1,462 | $1,462 |
| 12 | Canada | $774 | $774 |
Courtesy of PRCA