ProRodeo Sports News - May 4, 2018

Statement Ride J.W. Harris, seen here at the 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, won the average at the 41st George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event in Del Rio, Texas, April 27-28. PRCA ProRodeo File Photo by Larry Smith

BY TRACY RENCK W inning is nothing new for bull rider J.W. Harris. The Goldthwaite, Texas, cowboy has been to the summit of the PRCAmountain, winning world titles in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013. And, he wants to capture No. 5. To reach that goal, Harris plans on making a push starting now – and he gave his goal a jolt at the 41st George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event. Harris won the average at the two-day event – April 27-28 – with 179.5 points on two head. “I did what I could do, and I was happy to see it hold up,” Harris said. “It was really cool to win this event.” The event is held in honor of ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull rider George Paul. Paul, who was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1979, Four-time world champ Harris flexes muscles in Del Rio

once made qualified rides on 79 bulls in a row. In 1968, he won the world bull riding championship. A pilot who owned an airplane, Paul was killed while flying between rodeos in Colorado andWyoming on July 30, 1970, cutting short what already was a brilliant career. Bobby Paul, George’s brother, is the event producer. Harris made both his rides April 27 – starting with a superb, 89-point ride on 4L &Diamond S’s Floating Fury and then clinching the victory with a 90.5-point ride on Rafter G’s J Lazy in the short round. X BULLS DOMINATION This was Harris’ seventh career Xtreme Bulls Division 1 title and his first since Rapid City, S.D., in 2014. That same year, Harris won his lone X Bulls season championship. “My first bull was a young bull that didn’t have a whole lot of outs at rodeos and the flankman Scott Pickens told me he was good, and he sure was good,” Harris said. “He bucked, and he was a lot of fun to ride. My short round bull had been to the NFR. I had never been on him before, but he was like he always is. He went out there and bucked the best he could, and he gave me a shot at it. It felt really good to get those two scores.” Garrett Smith won Round 2 at the 2017Wrangler National Finals

ProRodeo Sports News 5/4/18

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