Rodeo insider: Serious about pro rodeo career, former Bearkat quits teaching job in Coldspring

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May 16, 2007

By Brett Hoffman The Huntsville Item Wed May 16, 2007, 11:35 PM CDT

Evan Jayne is betting that he will bring home bigger bucks by busting bareback broncs on the pro rodeo circuit than he rakes in from teaching high school agriculture classes.

That’s why the native of France and graduate of Sam Houston State turned in his letter of resignation at Coldspring-Oakhurst High School on Tuesday after teaching agriculture in Coldspring for the past year.

“I bring home about $2,300 a month teaching and I’ve won about $2,300 rodeoing the past two weeks,” Jayne said. “The risk is higher with rodeo, but I’ve been making more money.”

On the weekend of May 10-13, Jayne won bareback riding titles at Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association shows in Crockett and Bridgeport. He also won titles in Mesquite on April 28 and in Fairfield on May 5.

When the PRCA standings were released on May 14, Jayne was ranked 16th in the world-title race with $14,173. But in order to earn his first National Finals Rodeo berth, Jayne must finish in the top 15 when the season concludes in November.

Jayne, 24, commanded respect on the national circuit when he won the bareback riding title ($9,114) at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo in February. But since then, he mostly entered smaller rodeos within five to seven hours driving distance from his home near Huntsville. For example, he’s scheduled to compete in Carthage today, Mesquite on Friday and Vernon on Saturday.

With a full-time teaching job, Jayne has been denied traveling to most of the larger, more lucrative rodeos in cities such as Laughlin, Nev., and Clovis, Calif., in recent months. He’s been frustrated because his rivals, who are full-time competitors, have been able to easily work the larger rodeos.

“Really, it’s killing me because I know that I’m ready to compete with those guys now,” Jayne said.

Jayne said he plans to hit the national rodeo circuit full time on the last week of May while his wife, Leslie, continues to teach school. She’s also is an ag instructor in Coldspring, which about 50 miles north of Houston.

“It will be a sacrifice for both of us,” Leslie Jayne said. “But rodeo is the reason that he’s here and I want him to achieve his dream of making the National Finals. I support him 100 percent.”

He will enter the larger rodeos in cities such as Pecos, Reno, Nev., and Cheyenne, Wyo. Jayne said he has saved about $15,000 in case he gets into a slump.

“If I get in a hole during the Fourth of July, I can keep going,” he said.

Jayne’s ascent to the pro circuit began in France where his father both owned rodeo stock and was a trick rider. Jayne also was a trick rider, performing at exhibition rodeos in Italy and France.

But when he was a high school junior, Jayne moved to the United States as a foreign exchange student. While he finished high school at Banff School in Houston, Jayne lived in Magnolia with the Mark Rigby family, which had an avid interest in rodeos.

In 2000, Jayne won the bareback riding title in the Texas High School Rodeo Association and the state championship helped him earn a rodeo scholarship at SHSU. While earning an agriculture degree, Jayne qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., for four consecutive years (2001-2004).

As a pro, Jayne began making headlines in 2006 when he won the season bareback title at the weekly Mesquite Championship Rodeo and qualified for the Texas Circuit Finals in Waco. At the 2007 Fort Worth rodeo, he took the lead in the wild spurring event on opening night and proved that he could hold his own against the sport’s elite.

“It really showed me that I could compete with guys who were at a higher level,” Jayne said. “I know I drew really great broncs at Fort Worth, but I also know that I was able to compete in the final round against some of the top-ranked guys.”

Duvall retires — Steer wrestling legend Roy Duvall has retired at 64. When he announced that he would throw his last steer at an annual bulldogging show that bears his name on April 29 in Checotah, Okla., the crowd watched with great anticipation and Duvall didn’t disappoint. In the final round, he tied for first with a time of 5.0 seconds.

Duvall holds PRCA records for the most National Finals qualifications (24) in steer wrestling, the most consecutive qualifications (21), and was a member of the inaugural class of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. He won world titles in 1967, ’69 and ’72.

Rodeo calendar

• The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is Friday and Saturday in Mesquite; the Santa Rosa Round Up is today through Saturday in Vernon; and the Panola County Cattlemen’s PRCA Rodeo is today through Saturday in Carthage.

• The Professional Bull Riders Enterprise Rent-A-Car Series tour stop is Friday in Liberty. The PBR Built Ford Tough Tour stop is Saturday in San Antonio.

• The Go Texan American Quarter Horse Association Show runs today through Sunday at the Henderson County Fairpark Complex in Athens.

• The Windy Ryon Memorial Roping is May 25-27 in Fort Worth. For information, visit www.windyryon.com.

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Rodeo insider: Serious about pro rodeo career, former Bearkat quits teaching job in Coldspring

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