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Show ports Covering what matters most 6 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2008 Davis hits jackpot Lane Henderson When Jess Davis rode his final horse, he knew he hit a jackpot in Las Vegas. The soft-spoken and humble Davis delivered an 87-point ride on Brother, his second-best score of the rodeo, and placed third in the final go-round. The nifty ride earned the top hand $9,783, but, more importantly, he moved from third to second in the average for an additional $34,110. Davis rode all ten head to bank the cash at the National Finals Rodeo. Davis, a Spanish Fork High School graduate and former resident of Salem, cut his teeth at Salem's famous Wahoo Arena. He participated in 4-H events as well as every buckaroo rodeo in the state. Jess is the son of Rod and Gaylene Davis. His famous (in their own mind) uncles include Mont and Leon. The three Davis boys are legends in pond town and were instrumental in building the current Salem arena where Jess and countless other buckaroos learned to ride. This was the second trip to the big dance for Davis. The National Finals Rodeo is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for cowboys and Davis qualified last year for his first trip to tinsel town. "I have always wanted to make the finals since I could ride. I've been out of the chute hundreds of times imagining a big score at the finals. I guess it is like a basketball player always practicing that game winning shot with time running out." But Davis had never gone for eight, as in eight seconds, at such an event before last year. The crowd noise, light show and Elvis put a Vegas touch to the bareback rigging "I have been to a lot of rodeos, but not like this," Davis said, "That's a big place," added the soft-spoken rider. Jess made his first ride in the finals last year. He finished in fifth place overall, earning about $57,800 in prize money. This year he went into the finals with more experience and a fourth place ranking with $88,000 in his pocket. In the finals, he nearly doubled his winnings with $81,442.29 in ten days. For the year, he walked away with $170,000. "The money is nice," Jess Davis said, "but the real thrill comes from making a good ride on a horse that would like nothing better than to toss you sky high and have you hit the dirt." Davis' dad. Rod Davis, said that last year it was hard for a small town boy like his son to get used to the lights and noise from the roaring crowd at the Thomas and Mack Event Center. "It's not no Podunk rodeo in the wilderness. It's like one of those rock shows complete with Courtesy photo / Copeman Photo BIG TIME: SalenVs Jess Davis' first rodeo was at Salem's Wahoo Arena. He's now riding with the best of the best. smoke and colored lights. You do need ear plugs at times." he said. However, this year, Davis was calm, cool and collected. Davis did face an uphill battle from the start, as he never drew the best horses in the first few rounds. However, his scores steadily increased from that point on, as he was the master of consistency. Rod Davis knows his son thrives on the challenges of rodeo life. That lifestyle is built for a rugged breed that lives the "Cowboy Way," or the code of the West. "Jess never gets too high or sinks to low. It is a business that is tough to make a living, but he loves what he does and he is getting better all the time." Davis didn't have much time off to celebrate his high finish, as he was back in the saddle at the end of December for the Wilderness Finals. He has a goal to be the next world champion and the road starts now. "Every year when you buy a rodeo card you have one thing in mind, and that's to bring home the gold buckle. I hope next year will be my year," added Davis. Williams assists student athletes All-State Golf into a presentation that he gave for members of his LDS ward. One of them recommended that he talk to the Mesa High School football coach, a person with great determination . • and ambition, but also saddled with a depressing win-loss ratio in his first season. Bob's low-key, humorous, and inspiring talk was a hit with the Mesa High team, and he began talking to the players each afternoon for about an hour, focusing on the importance of confidence, visualization, and goal-setting. In about 1988 he had the opportunity to take sabbatical leave from the Tucson school system, and he chose to spend a year at BYU. , While at BYU, Bob took a course in sports psychology, observed football coaching from the sidelines of the junior varsity games, and with permission from Lavell Edwards became the "shadow" of the kicking coach. Hilarie Orman STAFF W R I T E R Bob Williams knows that mental preparation is the key td success, and he has been , gently helping students and athletes excel for decades. Though he retired from teaching in 2003 and lives happily in Woodland Hills, he cannot stay away from students for long. He returned to counseling half-time at East Shore High School in Alpine, an alternative high school where students can rely on Bob's sage advice while completing self-guided study units. East Shore High is a place where students can find flexibility in schedule and pace that may suit them for their entire high school experience, for a semester, or even a single course. As a counselor, Bob assigns "packets" of instruction materials to students, reviews their progress, and gets them over hurdles by assigning alternative packets matched to their current state of understanding. Many East Shore students come there because they are struggling towards a diploma that may seem an unreachable goal. Bob encourages each one with his own unique blend of psychology, common sense, and memorable aphorisms, all with the core theme of, "if you can think it, you can do it," He has seen some remarkable students veer from disaster to success. One turned from be- Hilarie Orman / Spanish Fork News HOME SWEET HOME: Bob Williams is at home in Woodland Hills and at any BYU athletic event. ing a near certain dropout to a graduate in only one semester, another completed the entire high school curriculum in two years. Bob's years of experience help him recognize when a student is mentally on the road to success and when one needs to reset his thinking and bear down on goals. What makes this compelling is that Bob knows his advice is sound, Happy New Year from all of your friends at the Oil Change 552 North Main, Spanish Fork 798-7877 he's seen it work, he loves seeing his students succeed, and it's what led him to become the quintessential sports fan. After attending BYU where Williams met his musically accomplished wife, Diana, he taught French and Spanish in Arizona schools and became a junior high school counselor in Tucson. One day he compiled his views on self-esteem, inner motivation, and goal-setting Returning to Mesa High, Williams worked with the place kickers, applying what he had learned at BYU. One of his kickers nailed a 41-yard field goal in the last seconds of a game to beat a powerhouse opponent and secure a winning season for Mesa High. Bob continued to expand on his talks about motivation and success, and Mesa High continued improving their sports record, winning four division championships and two state championships during Bob's years with them. The Williams moved to Woodland Hills in 1997, and everyone who knows them know that they live and breathe BYU sports. But Bob and Diane don't just cheer, they serve. They've been guides at BYU's Legacy Hall since it opened in 2004. They are also "hosts" (ushers) at BYU's women's soccer games and men's and women's volleyball. At football games the Williams greet and guide families of visiting football players on tours prior to games. They even provide an occasional Christmas dinner to an athlete far from home. Bob says his payoff is seeing others succeed and accomplish more than they believed they could. His goal is to help others, he sets his goals appropriately, and he reaps the results. Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News GOLF HONORS: The Utah Section PGA recently named Spanish Fork's Garrett Moss as part of the 5A All-State Golf Team. The selection process takes region and state championship scores into account, with state scores being more heavily weighted. Moss led Region 4 throughout the 2007 season and scored a 147 (78-69) over two days of golf to place seventh overall at state. 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