Young Guns: Three Up and Comers Leave Their Marks at the Junior World Finals

Young Guns: Three Up and Comers Leave Their Marks at the Junior World Finals

By Megan Clark CAC Media Group

January marks the start of another new year and for many bull riders, another new season. With both the lights of Vegas and the lights from another holiday season in the past, it is time for riders to make good on those new year’s resolutions and get back into the chutes. But it is not just the professionals who are finding themselves back at work. The riders coming from the recent Junior World Finals are also heading into another action-packed season, which includes bigger bulls and more opportunities to show off their skills.

Eighteen-year-old Taylor Allen of Glynn, Louisiana knows a thing or two about the bull riding industry. With ten-years of riding experience under his gold belt buckle, Allen’s story began when he was a spectator at an area rodeo.

“I thought it was great,” he said. “I saw those guys riding and I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Like many kids, he started riding sheep at the local mutton busting competitions. As he got older, he wanted to take his riding skills to the next level, so he moved to steers. Normally a younger rider would work their way up from riding sheep to calves and then to steers; however, Allen was ready for the big jump and took on steers right away.

Taylor Allen takes a 3rd place check in the LRCA Finals short round in Monroe, LA.

Photo provided courtesy of CAC Media Group.

Allen’s perseverance and determination kept him coming back even though it took him a while to make his first full ride.

“It took me a whole year of riding to cover one eight second ride,” he said. “Once I did it though, I knew I could do it again. Your body just knows how to do it after that.”

After making his first complete ride, Allen continued to improve and get better, eventually earning himself a spot at the Junior World Finals Rodeo.

2021 marked Allen’s fourth time as a qualifier and came after winning the 17-18-year-old regional competition in Oklahoma last summer.

Allen left his mark in Las Vegas, covering all three of his bulls and turning in a 237.5 for his final score, earning him second place in the world. This extraordinary score marks the fourth time that Allen has placed in the top ten at the finals, which he won in Fort Worth back in 2020.

Allen’s success hasn’t come easy, however; he has had to work incredibly hard to make it to the top.

This hard work includes a huge amount of effort, which is the one piece of advice he would give to those looking to get into the sport of bull riding.

“Try your heart out,” he said. “You can have all the talent in the world, but without try you will never consistently get the results you are looking for.”

Now that he is 18, Allen plans on purchasing his PRCA permit in early January, with the goal of purchasing his card before the beginning of the summer. It has been his long-time dream to rodeo professionally and while he says college is not out of the picture just yet, his primary focus is on improving his riding skills, so that he can ride full time and eventually find his way back to Las Vegas.

Another up and comer in the bull riding world is 16-year-old Marco Rizzo from Quitman, Georgia. The junior in high school is a seasoned rider that has seen the Junior Finals arena a time or two.

Rizzo grew up watching his father ride bulls professionally, sparking his own interest in riding. While Rizzo lives in Georgia, he spends much of his time riding in Texas, which has started to feel like his second home.

Marco Rizzo makes his favorite ride of his career when he covered DB for 88 points at an SJBRA event in Dallas, NC.

Photo provided courtesy of CAC Media Group.

It is no surprise then that Rizzo showed up to ride last year in Fort Worth, bringing home second place and an impressive Junior World Finals belt buckle.

This year with the finals returning to Las Vegas, Rizzo and the other riders experienced extra excitement that comes from the bright lights and night life of the city.

Although the Cowboy Town in Texas holds a special place in the young rider’s heart, it is every bull riders dream to be crowned in Vegas.

“The pressure’s on in Vegas,” he said. It is just a cooler experience to get one knocked down in Nevada.”

And knock one down he did, winning the second round and placing eighth in the world this year.

With the finals over, Rizzo is focused on the upcoming year and has big aspirations in mind.

Now 16, Rizzo will move up in his age bracket, which means bigger bulls with more power.

“I have spent a lot of time getting on better bulls this year,” he said. “And I think I am ready to move up. As the bulls get bigger, they have more power and are more athletic, which means as a rider, I cannot make any mistakes.”

Like any other cowboy, staying humble and focusing on the simple things he can improve is how Rizzo finds success.

“I don’t let the word pro stick in my head,” he said. “My job is the same as theirs. It is all about staying on and not letting go.”

Rizzo is not the only one with big plans for 2022. 14-year-old Elijah Jennings of Cleveland, South Carolina is also looking to leave his mark this upcoming season. Jennings might be the youngest of the three, but what he lacks in age, he makes up for in talent.

Jennings’ story is also rooted in family tradition, and he says he made the decision to ride after seeing a photo of his father riding at an International Pro Rodeo Association event in Clemson, South Carolina. Jennings has traveled all around the country and ridden in both local and national rodeos including the most recent Junior World Finals.

No matter where he is riding though, he says his routine is always the same.

“I try to stay calm by breathing in and out and I always pray,” he said.

Keeping a clear and positive mindset is vital to the young rider’s success. Even though he has not been in the circuit for very long, he has made a name for himself within the industry.

This year marked his fourth consecutive appearance at the Junior World Finals, where an event high score of 90 points in the first round pushed him to a fourth-place finish overall.

Like our other two riders, his hopes for the future include a successful 2022 season.

The boys all together at the 2020 Junior World Finals in Fort Worth, TX. L to R: Taylor Allen, Marco Rizzo, Ryder Carpenetti, and Elijah Jennings.

Photo provided courtesy of CAC Media Group.

“I want to make it back to Vegas next year,” he said. “Qualifying to ride in the finals is what all of this work is for. I know that my road back starts in January and that I must work hard all season if I want to be there. Training is a huge part of that. I have a practice pen at my house and every week my dad and my little brother, Huntley, are out there helping me prepare.”

Big dreams and a lot of heart are what sets Jennings apart from others in his age group and is one of the main reasons he continues to find success.

“Bull riding is hard, and I know for me to succeed I have to work hard. For me, every time I get on a bull, I give it everything I have, and I keep pushing and looking forward.”

At the start of another competition season, all eyes will be on these three young guns as they blaze their path to the bright lights of Las Vegas. With their talent, try, and heart, it is easy to see why they continue to find success in one of the toughest sports around.

You can follow their progress and the progress of all of the junior athletes at nfrexperience.com/juniorworldfinals or on Facebook at Leal’s Junior Bull Riding Championship.

Photo provided courtesy of CAC Media Group.

Megan Clark is a senior at Central DeWitt High School in Eastern Iowa and is a part of the CAC Media Group. She has been involved in rodeo media for three years and covered both the PBR Velocity Tour and the National Finals Rodeo in Fort Worth. Her work has been featured in more than eight magazines and she has even hosted her own television show, Agri-Vision.