Gavin French had already punched his ticket to the short go-round of the College National Finals Rodeo with a 69.5-point ride in the third go-round of the bareback bronc riding competition.
Given the chance for a re-ride, though, the Texas A&M cowboy didn’t hesitate.
“That was a score,” French said of his ride aboard Frontier Rodeo’s Bobbi Shay, “but in the bareback riding if you want to be competitive you’ve got to at least be in the 80s. I knew I had some ground to make up.
“I still wasn’t satisfied with the 76, but that’s OK. I’d rather take the chance and fail than not take the chance and wonder what I could have done.”
What the Fredericksburg, Texas, native did was move into third in the average with 233.0 points on three head. Defending national champ Weston Timberman of Clarendon College is at the top of the leader board with 242.0 points followed by Gillette College’s Cooper Filipek with 239.5 points.
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“We’re coming from behind, so we’re gonna have to lay everything out on the table,” French said. “I’m going to be 90 or buck off trying. That’s the game plan.”
French isn’t afraid to set the bar high for himself. He took another step in the right direction by qualifying for the short go after finishing 18th at last year’s college finals.
“I came here to win four rounds,” he offered. “I know that’s a hefty goal, but that’s the goal I came in here with. I haven’t succeeded at it, but that’s what next year is for. I’m just gonna try to win the national title from where I’m at and come here next year and dominate.”
Regardless of how Saturday night goes, French already is looking forward to getting back on the pro circuit and continue to chase titles. He currently is No. 5 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit rankings.
“This gives me a lot of confidence because these guys are some of the best in the world,” French said of his CNFR bareback competition. “And it gives me a ton of confidence going into the summer pro rodeo run. Just to compete at this stage and be under the bright lights … it makes everything else seem like a junior high rodeo.”