GUNNISON, Colo. – A month ago, Will Pollock was standing on the stage in Casper, Wyoming, when his Clarendon (Texas) College rodeo team won its second national title in three years.

During Saturday’s final performance of Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, Pollock continued his streak by riding Rafter G Rodeo’s Silver Wings for 84 points to finish second in saddle bronc riding. It was worth $1,756 and gave the Utopia, Texas, cowboy momentum as he readies for the final two and a half months of ProRodeo’s regular season.

“With a great stock contractor that we have here with Stace Smith, it’s hard to not come to these rodeos,” said Pollock, who recently moved to Weatherford, Oklahoma. “I’m glad I could do so well at this one.”

“I’d seen that horse a couple different times, and I was happy to have her.”

The random draw can be a big part of the equation. Based on a 100-point scale, half the points are based on how well the animal bucks, jumps and kicks, and the other half is judged on how well the cowboy rides the bronc while also spurring in rhythm with the horse’s bucking style.

He knows that well. He’s now in his fourth year competing in the PRCA, following in the footsteps of his father. Johnny Pollock rode bucking horses for two decades, so it’s a natural transition for his son.

After Will Pollock tried his hands at other things, he opted to chase his rodeo dreams. He opted for Clarendon because of the school’s rodeo coach, Bret Franks, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. Winning the national title in his final year at the Texas Panhandle-based college was just icing on the cake.

“It was great being on a team with such great talent,” Pollock said. “We all rode really well, and it was nice to have such great guys on the team like that.”

How did that college education help him as a bronc rider?

“Bret really just got the consistency out of my bronc riding,” he said. “I had a better mental game than when I first showed up. He helped me growing up, so I was happy to go to school for him.”

With maturity comes wisdom, and Pollock is still gaining lessons with his trade. His goal is to continue to move up in the world standings this year and really make a run for the NFR and the world championship in 2024.

He’s taking the right mental approach to a very physical game.        

Cattlemen’s Days
Gunnison, Colo.
July 13-15
Bareback riding: 1. Kade Berry, 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Dapper Dan, $1,839; 2. (tie) Drake Amundson and Mason Stuiller, 84.5, $1,226 each; 4. (tie) A.J. Ruth and Mark Kreder, 83, $552 each; 6. Myles Carlson, 81.5, $306; 7. Colton Clemens, 76, $245; 8. Hunter Carlson, 74.5, $184.

Steer wrestling: 1. Logan Lemmel, 3.5 seconds, $1,794; 2. Cody Pratt, 4.1, $1,560; 3. Ryley Gibb, 4.2, $1,326; 4. Austin Eller, 4.3, $1,092; 5. Jace Land, 4.7, $858; 6. Chet Boren, 5.1, $624; 7. Jacob Wang, 5.2, $390; 8. Chisum Docheff, 5.4, $156.

Team roping: 1. Pedro Egurrola/J.C. Flake, 3.8 seconds, $2,741; 2. Jay Tittel/T.J. Watts, 4.3, $2,418; 3. (tie) Austin Crist/Jesse Jolly and Josh Siggins/Faron Candelaria, 4.4, $1,935 each; 5. Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 4.8, $1,612; 6. Kyon Kreutzer/Clancey Kre0.

utzer, 4.9, $1,451; 7. Eric Martin/Ryon Tittel, 5.2, $1,290; 8. (tie) Jade Schmidt/Conner Herren and Cam Jensen/Tanner Whetham, 5.6, $1,048 each 10. Tanner Bryson/Tye Reddell, 5.9; 10. Kory Bramwell/Seth Hall, 6.2.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Kody Rinehart, 84.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hammer Cocked, $2,290; 2. Will Pollock, 84, $1,756; 3. (tie) Chris Williams and Parker Kempfer, 83.5, $1,069 each; 5. Sterling Crawley, 82, $534; 6. (Itie) Trent Burd and Cable James Wareham, 81.5, $343 each; 6. Ean Price, 81, $229.

Tie-down roping: 1. Booker McCutchen, 8.5, $2,638; 2. Zack Kirkpatrick 8.9, $2,294; 3. Andrew Burks, 9.0, $1,950; 4. Luke Meier, 9.6, $1,606; 5. (tie) John Wall and Jase Staudt, 10.0, $1,089 each; 7. J.D. McCuistion, 10.1, $573; 8. Colton Greene, 10.7, $229.

Barrel racing: 1. Cindy Smith, 17.60 seconds, $2,530; 2. Millie Marquart, 17.97, $2,151; 3. Nicole Waggoner-Ludwick, 18.04, $1,771; 4. Britta Strain, 18.05, $1,518; 5. Jessi Fish, 18.06, $1,265; 6. Jennifer Neudorf, 18.09, $886; 7. Amanda Welsh, 18.28, $632; 8. (tie) Andrea Busby, Kailee Murdock and Emery Mask, 18.29, $443 each; 11. Christy Hefley, 18.30, $316; 12. Rayne Grant, 18.31, $253.

Bull riding: 1. Roscoe Jarboe, 86.5 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Top Gun, $2,168; 2. Dustin Boquet, 86, $1,681; 3. Canyon Bass, 83, $1,264; 4. (tie) Ernie Courson Jr. and Colt Rohrig, 80, $707 each; 6. Junior Souza, 78, $429; no other qualified rides.