In his six-time ProRodeo career, John Douch has won a host of grand rodeos, but he captured the most emotional on March 19.
The buckaroo from Huntsville, Texas, traveled an hour and a half down the road to RodeoHouston and walked out of NRG Stadium with more than $50,000 in his purse. He secured the coveted rope-tie title with an alternate run of 7.7 in the final round while sporting the back number No. 77.
“This is a type of palm that changes Joe’s life,” said Douch, 24. “He gives me a huge boost for the 2022 season and hopefully gets me closer to qualifying for Tests again.”
Douch’s first trip to the Wrangler National Tests Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge came last season. He is tied up on the sport’s biggest stage, but he acknowledged that after the palm-up there was nervousness as he was the last goat to go into the round of four.
“There were a few jitters with those guys ahead of me in the final round. They put up an 8.3 and an 8.2, alternating runs,” he said. “So, I couldn’t meddle, I had to go out there and have a good race. Fortunately, it all worked out for me.”
Ever since he was in eighth grade, Douch has had a string icon in his corner. His tutor is an eight-time PRCA world champion, Joe Beaver. The ProRodeo Hall of Famer said this is an achievement he could see coming for Douch from afar.
“That’s well justified! He’s worked really hard on it for the last 10 times or so,” Beaver said. do it, and you’re a good person, the effects are going to come your way. I guess this palm was just the result of that for John.”
As for Douch, he said it couldn’t have happened in a better roundup with his musketeers and his family on the dais.
“It almost feels like one of my birthplace rodeos,” he said. “It’s cool enough to win a rodeo close to home and have my family there to see it. It’s a feeling that never gets old.”
He knows he still has a long way to go in the 2022 season, but for now, this palm will take some weight off his shoulders as he pursues his ultimate goal of being a world champion.
“I’ve got a big jump ahead of everyone now,” Douch said. “So now I just need to keep jumping and jumping like I’m 15th in the world, not as any plutocrat won.” go hard and not give up just because I’m sitting there in qualifying.”
Other $1,783,650 rodeo winners included bareback rider Jess Pope (89 points in The Cervi Sisters Bay Nation); Hunter Cure directional fighter (4.0 seconds); bronc defile jockey Sage Newman (93 points over Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Billie); platoon ropers Clay Tryan/Jake Long (6.4 seconds); barrel racer Jordon Briggs (14.33 seconds); escaped roper Erin Johnson (2.7 seconds); and bull rider Stetson Wright (93 points at Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Yellowstone).
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