A powerful faith and a consistent routine are a big part of Jess Pope’s life. He uses them in competition, too, and it works. He rode Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Happy Hour to a third-place finish in Sunday’s fourth round.
(PHOTO BY GREG WESTFALL)

 

LAS VEGAS – The only things that have changed since bareback rider Jess Pope qualified for the National Finals Rodeo are circumstances.

Everything else is the same. It’s what he likes, and it’s what has allowed him to succeed in business and in sports. His warmup is the same, as his pre-ride routine. It’s why he’s earned more than $2 million in just seven years in ProRodeo.

“I moved back home (from Missouri Valley College) in ’21 and got married in ’23, but other than that, my daily life working at home is the exact same as it has been since I was in high school,” said Pope, 27, the 2022 world champion from Waverly, Kansas.

His routine has been put on grand display over his six appearances at the National Finals Rodeo. He’s a three-time average champion, and he placed among the top five in the aggregate the last two seasons, too. About half his professional earnings have come from the championship event.

He padded those stats with an 85.25-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Happy Hour to finish third in Sunday’s fourth round, pocketing just shy of $22,000. He has increased his Vegas earnings to $63,228 and sits third in the world standings with $267,000.

“That’s a little horse,” he said of Happy Hour, acknowledging the bronc was featured in the “hopper pen,” recognized as an easier-to-ride group. “He fits in our hopper pen, but he bucks like a big horse. He wasn’t easy. He had a stutter-step here and there, an over-kick, and there’s a little bit of drop to him, so it was a little bit more work for me. That doesn’t bother me any.”

Not much does. It’s a matter of confidence and faith. He attended church services Sunday morning, and the message reached him.

“We just talked about praying to the Lord and asking to lead us on the path He wants us to go down,” Pope said. “I’ve been asking myself that quite a bit recently and really focused on it (Sunday). It makes it a lot easier to go in here and know this is where I’m supposed to be.

“Faith is everything. There’s a purpose that I feel like I was put on this Earth to do. Itrust the process. I trust where I’m supposed to be.”

Circumstances will continue to change. He and his wife, Sydney, are expecting their first child, so this is exciting time to build a family. The Popes have been building their spread in the Kansas Flint Hills, and now they’re adding to their household.

“It really doesn’t change my perspective at all,” he said. “(Stock contractor) Dave Morehead told me when I first got married, ‘Don’t wait to have kids until you can afford them, just go ahead and start having them. Obviously, I’m blessed to be able to afford one, but I’m going to keep trying to grow our ranch, and then hopefully someday have something to give our kids.

“If my kids wanted rodeo to be part of their lives, I’ll give them every opportunity for it. My parents did that for me, and I’ve made an amazing living out of it. I’ve made some of the best friends and family that I could ever dream of. The places I see and the people I get to meet are truly amazing.”