Wright Gets a Kick at Rooftop
Saddle bronc rider leaves Estes Park with the top spot and stitches
ESTES PARK, Colo. – So far, Jake Wright knows exactly what happened to him Wednesday night during the third performance of Rooftop Rodeo.
He just may not remember it for long.
Wright rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Buckin’ Crazy for 83.5 points to take the saddle bronc riding lead in Estes Park, then things went a bit haywire.
“I went to get off my horse, and I was a little bit loose,” said Wright, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Milford, Utah. “The pickup horse stepped into that bronc, then the bronc came back in, so I decided, ‘I’ll just fall off.’ At the same time, instead of stepping off, I thought I’d just fall down.
“I just caught a back foot (from one of the horses) to the corner of my head. He stepped on my front foot, and that’s the only thing I felt, except I felt a little dizzy.”
That hoof to the head resulted in a large gash, which led to stitches being sutured at Estes Park Hospital. That came after Wright declined the quick ride via ambulance and opted to allow his traveling posse to get him through the emergency room door.
“It’s been kind of a rough year,” said Wright, 30. “I’m going to get my knee fixed in three weeks, just scrap my year and be out eight months. It’s been hurt since 2014; I’ve had the cartilage ripped off it. My bone’s dead, and my knee just kills me all the time. I’ve had three surgeries on the meniscus, and it still hurts.
“When I come back, I’ll be eight months strong. My goal is to rodeo until I’m 41; the best thing in life is to rodeo. I just figured that I’ve got to fix it anyway and I’ve got to scrap a year anyway, so I might as well do it now.”
Should he remain in the top spot by the week’s end, he’ll add another $7,000-plus to his earnings. That won’t be a bad way to end his season.
Rooftop Rodeo
Estes Park, Colo.
July 8-13, 2018
Leaders
Bareback riding: 1. Taylor Broussard, 83.5 points on Cervi Brother’s Fire’s Easy; 2. (tie) Steven Dent and Kody Lamb, 83; 4. (tie) Casey Colletti and Craig Wisehart, 82; 6. Anthony Thomas, 81.5; 7. Wyatt Ortega, 81; 8. Will Martin, 80.5.
Steer wrestling: 1. Stockton Graves, 4.2 seconds; 2. Hunter Cure, 4.3; 3. Jacob Edler, 4.4; 4. (tie) J.D. Struxness and Laine Herl, 4.7; 6. Will Lummus, 4.8; 7. Tanner Jackson, 5.4; 8. (tie) Justin Shaffer and Dru Melvin, 5.6.
Team roping: 1. Garett Chick/Ross Ashford, 5.0 seconds; 2. Erich Rogers/Payden Bray, 5.1; 3. (tie) Rhen Richard/Clint Summers and Curry Kirchner/Daniel Reed, 5.5; 5. Levi Simpson/Cole Davison, 5.7; 6. Dustin Equsquiza/Jake Long, 9.8; 7. Kal Fuller/Kasper Roy, 9.9; no other qualified runs.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jake Wright, 83.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Buckin’ Crazy; 2. (tie) J.J. Elshere and Trent Burd, 83; 4. (tie) Logan Cook and Jesse Wright, 82.5; 6. (tie) Parker Kempfer and CoBurn Bradshaw, 82; 8. Chet Johnson, 80.
Tie-down roping: 1. Kody Mahaffey, 8.4 seconds; 2. (tie) Garrett Busby and Ryan Thibadeaux, 8.9; 4. Trevor Thiel, 9.6; 5. Colt Papy, 10.4; 6. Talon Cooper, 11.1; 7. J.D. McCuistion, 11.3; 8. Tyler Boxleitner, 12.9.
Barrel racing: 1. Sara Cheeney, 16.70 seconds; 2. Jill Wilson, 16.83; 3. Kassidy Lovell, 16.99; 4. Caroline Kelly, 17.10; 5. Ashley Castleberry, 17.13; 6. Sydney Frey, 17.23; 7. Kaylynn Cate, 17.24; 8. Amy Smith, 17.29; 9. Billie Ann Harmon, 17.35; 10. Kasey Hall, 17.42; 11. Tasha Welsh, 17.43; 12. Skyla Whitters, 17.53; 13. Callie Colden, 17.54; 14. Callie Gray, 17.58.
Bull riding: 1. Josh Frost, 86.5 points on Lyndell Hurst’s Peacemaker; 2. Trey Kimzey, 86; 3. Callum Miller, 83; 4. Riker Carter, 82; 5. Parker Cole McCown, 80; 6. Dalton McMurtrie, 79.5; 7. Toby Collins 78.5; 8. Eli Vastbinder, 74.5.
Courtesy of twisTEDrodeo.com