When Jett Echols pointed his rig toward Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene, Texas, for the Original Team Roping Association (OTRA) Finals, held July 1-6, 2024, his focus was set on coming back home to Caddo, Texas, with the 2024 Sierra 3500 HD Crew Pro Dually, which was to be awarded to the high point roper of the event.

“That was the whole goal I had going to that roping was to win the truck,” said Echols, who turns 19 on July 20. “I was pretty nervous the whole time, I was pretty worried that I could get beat even though I’d been doing good. After winning first and second in the 3.5 Point Roping some of the older guys who’ve been going there for years told me there was no way I could get bumped on points, that it wasn’t possible for anyone to do it, but I was still relieved after it was official.”

With 3,330 teams entered and a payout totaling $384,550, the OTRA Finals offered lucrative payouts, stacked prize packages and attracted plenty of ropers hungry to get their piece of the pie in every roping. In fact, Echols needed to win the truck in order to haul all the loot he won home from Abilene, which included a Massimo Buck UTV in the 2.0 Roping.

Echols headed for Ryan O’Donnell in the 3.5 for a cumulative time of 30.69 seconds on four steers to win that roping and $2,550 a man, plus a Scott Thomas Trophy Saddle and Champions Choice Buckles. Shawn Darnall heeled for Echols in the 3.5 to win second with a total on four of 30.90, which was worth $2,110 a man plus leather trophy jackets.

“Winning first and second in the 3.5 definitely helped,” said Echols. “Kyler Beshirs and I won the 2.0, and also Jake Saunders heeled for me in that roping and we were 17^th, which helped too. I’m thankful for all my partners for helping me do it.”

Echols, a first generation team roper, says he was initially exposed to the sport of team roping through his friend Kyler Kanady and Kanady’s dad, Jeff.

“I used to go to public school at Graham and that’s how I met Kanady’s because Kyler is my age. They got me into roping about three or four years ago,” said Echols. “No one in my family was really involved in it, although my family runs cows south of Caddo, which is 20 minutes south of Graham [Texas], and my dad [Monte] has bred a lot of the horses I ride. When I started going to ropings, Shawn Darnall helped me too because we roped in the same OTRA regional ropings.”

Darnall trained the horse Echols calls “Player” that he rode at Abilene. Player’s registered name is Hard To Get Stylish. He is out of the Feature Mr Jess daughter FeatureSacredPromise.

“He’s an 11-year-old gelding by Playin Stylish of the 6666’s. He was bred by the Busby’s,” said Echols, who credits mentors like Darnall and the Kanady’s, his parents Cara and Monte, as well as his horse for helping him achieve his goals.

Echols, who is a graduate of White Horse Christian Academy, says he plans to enroll at Ranger Junior College where he will compete on the rodeo team. He says that his longterm goals include ranching, rodeoing and training horses.

“I’d like to make the college finals and then join the PRCA and get to the NFR,” said Echols. “One day I would like to train horses.”

Full OTRA Beginner Roping Results are posted HERE.