story by Ruth Nicolaus
Jake Stephens is at the top of the charts in the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The fourteen-year-old cowboy leads the standings after the fall season in the goat tying, is tied for first in the tie-down roping, sits second in the chute dogging, and in the all-around, he’s one point out of first place.
In addition to those events, he also competes in the team roping (as a heeler for Rylee Russell) and in the ribbon roping (as a roper for Hadley Anderson).
He lives sixteen miles from the Utah border, near Glade Park, Colo., in the far western part of the state. His family lives on a mountain, an hour’s trip west of Grand Junction, at 7,500 feet.
For his events, Jake ties goats on a roan pony named Shotgun. For the tie-down and ribbon roping, he rides Donk, a sorrel who got his name because of his big ears. And for the heeling, he rides a four-year-old dun named Ben. Of his horses, Shotgun is his favorite.
For fun, Jake likes to ride Shotgun while shed hunting in the mountains. He’s found some big elk antlers, some that measure into the 360s and 370s. Sometimes the family keeps them and decorates with them, sometimes they sell them. Jake also likes to help his dad with the cabin they’ve built.
He loves to hunt elk and deer with a bow, and got a bull elk last fall at 40 yards. On occasion, he helps local ranchers with their cattle in the summer and fall.
Jake is a good cook; he can make sloppy joes and spaghetti (sometimes with the meat from the deer and elk he’s shot), and he’s exceptionally good at cooking breakfast. His mom puts him on supper duty, starting the meal cooking as she’s getting home from work.
An eighth grade student, Jake does his schooling online. He loves studying history, especially the 1800s when the cowboys and Native Americans were at their height. He enjoys learning about Native Americans, including Chief Joseph and the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He finds arrowheads where he lives, which remind him of the history he loves and the people who lived here before him.
Jake’s parents, Jenny and Jake, love their son’s winsome personality. “He’s really friendly, he’s really outgoing and one thing I really like is he’s always wishing his friends and other contestants good luck,” his mom said. “He just really enjoys the social aspect of rodeo.” Jake has been riding since he could walk, and practices nearly every day. He’s learned good horsemanship skills from his dad, a reining horse trainer, and he and his brothers are learning good team roping skills from Greg Martin in Grand Junction. The boys pay for their lessons by helping Greg out every Friday with his team ropings at his indoor arena.
Last year, Jake finished second in the state in the goat tying and qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo, where he finished in the top 25. He enjoyed his time at Nationals, participating in the dummy ropings, goat ropings and water balloon fights.
When he grows up, he’d like to be a hunting guide and have an outfitting business.
He has an older brother, Jaden, who is seventeen, and two younger brothers: Jett, age eleven, and JJ, who is four.
