EDITOR’S NOTE: Over the next few weeks, I will be posting tidbits about the 20 contestants who will battle for this year’s Timed Event Championship title the first weekend in March at the Lazy E Arena. This is the first one:

Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D.

It’s been four years since Jess Tierney nodded his head in rodeo’s most unique competition, the Timed Event Championship.

He returns this weekend with a gun loaded with talent and motivation. More importantly, he carries on a family tradition that began in 1985: A Tierney has been part of every field in the Timed Event’s wonderful history. Jess Tierney’s father, Paul, is a four-time winner, a PRCA World Champion and a member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

That’s an excellent legacy, and Jess plans to live up to all those expectations. The last time the younger Tierney was inside this grand hall, he roped in an eighth-place average finish in his first qualification to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping.

That was just four months ago, but more importantly than finishing the season in the top 15 in the world standings is the confidence Tierney gained in the process. In addition to his excellent run in steer roping, Jess Tierney stood out in other events, too. He won the all-around and team roping titles in Amarillo, Texas, and Graham, Texas.

It is proof that Jess Tierney is an excellent second-generation who is already standing outside his father’s shadow.