Successful rehab has Jessy Davis ready to ride
Grant Poor was a basketball and football star back in the day at Fairfield High. Even played a little baseball in the summer.
But he’s a rodeo man – and fan – this weekend.
Even if he might not look like one.
“I’m thinking my cowboy hat will not be worn down there,” chuckled Poor, who along with his wife, Shelly, will be in Las Vegas this weekend as the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo gets underway.
Dr. Poor, the owner of Eagle Physical Therapy in Fairfield, will be at the Thomas and Mack Arena because of one special cowboy.
“We absolutely will be rooting for Jessy Davis,” he said.
Davis, the seven-time NFR qualifier who moved to Power several years ago and now has a young family there, is among the bareback stars who will be competing as the $8.8 million event begins a 10-performance run Thursday night at the Thomas and Mack.
Davis, who missed out on the 2015 NFR by a few hundred dollars and was recovering from shoulder surgery when the 2016 pro rodeo season got underway, owes some of his resurgence to Poor.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Davis said Tuesday afternoon while taking a break from stretching exercises in his Las Vegas hotel room. “I wish it started tonight.”
The 36-year-old Utah native and former College of Southern Idaho roughstock star sounded a little anxious about the whole deal.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s the National Finals, and I worked pretty hard to get here.”
Poor knows that better than most.
“He started rehabbing with us in the middle of May, and worked very diligently,” Poor said. “Like all those rodeo guys he’s tougher than nails and as soon as he felt better he was ready to roll. We were worried he may have gone back a little early.”
Davis hurt his shoulder late last fall and was sidelined following surgery for the potentially lucrative winter season. He was in a sling and couldn’t compete at the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals and was far behind the leaders when finally getting doctor’s clearance to resume in June.
And as soon as he started riding, he started winning.
“Missing the Finals last year really pushed me,” he said. “Then when I got to the end of the summer and saw I had a shot I decided I’d better go for it.”
He finished 14th in the 2016 world standings. The NFR, of course, features the top 15 money-winners in each of pro rodeo’s seven events.
“I feel pretty lucky,” Davis said. “And very thankful.”
It’s an attitude Dr. Poor and the folks at Eagle Physical Therapy are familiar with.
“He’s very positive, for sure,” Poor said. “I’ve never really seen him have a bad day. Always pleasant to be around. Like any professional athlete, he’s willing to put in the work. And he’s got a lot of motivation, too.”
Davis and his wife, Cassidy, and 10-month-old twin daughters Cru and Quincee, own a small cattle ranch near Power.
The plan at the NFR?
“The goal is to place in as many rounds as I can,” Davis said. “There’s a few scary horses, though. Hopefully I can get by them and get the rest rode, too.”
There are many Treasure State connections at this year’s NFR, which begins nightly at 8 and will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
Cut Bank roping star Dustin Bird is in the hunt for world titles in both the team roping (heading) and all-around, and Helena’s Ty Erickson enters the NFR leading the steer wrestling.
Wyoming’s JR Vezain, whose father is from Great Falls and who has many relatives in central Montana, is entered the bareback. And South Dakota’s Lisa Lockhart, who was born in Wolf Point and grew up in Circle, is making her 10th straight NFR trip in the barrel racing.
In addition, veteran pickup man Gary Rempel of Sun River has again been selected to work the NFR.