Paintin finishes 4th in Junior World Finals

In late July, 11-year-old Tanner Paintin of Elsie rode a bull in competition for the first time.

On Monday, Paintin walked away from the Junior World Finals in Las Vegas as the No. 4 bull rider in the world for his age. Not bad for a little more than four months.

In the first of two qualifying rides at the JWF, Paintin finished in second place with a 77.5-point ride.

In the second go-around, he placed fifth with a score of 66. Those two rides qualified him for the short go-around Monday. 

He was one of only two riders to cover both bulls and his scores put him in the lead going into the short go with 143.5 points. 

For the short go, the 10 rankest bulls from the two previous rounds go into the short go, Paintin’s dad Chase said. 

The draw didn’t go in Tanner’s favor as he drew one of the rankest bulls in the pen.

He made it about four to five seconds, Chase said, before the bull got the better of him. “He got roughed up pretty good,” Chase said. 

Juniors are required to wear protective jackets, helmets and mouthpieces. 

While the helmet protects the head, it doesn’t do much for the chin as Tanner found out the hard way. 

Not only did he get a cut under the chin, the bull stepped on Tanner’s thigh as well. 

That made for some anxious moments for his mother and grandma, Chase said. 

He didn’t realize he had cut his chin until he took off his helmet, Chase said. Then there was blood everywhere. 

As a result, Tanner had the distinct honor of getting five stitches in the Justin boots sports medicine trailer.

They also fitted him with a compression-type wrap on his thigh. 

Chase said his son was a little bummed initially not to cover his final bull. Had he gotten a different bull, the outcome may have been different.

But to finish fourth in his first year, that’s still quite
an accomplishment, Chase said.  “It sure makes a guy proud,”  he added. 

Tanner’s perspective changed by Tuesday morning after the plane ride and drive home. He said he was still a little sore but was “really happy and excited” with his success at the JWF.

Chase said they got a lot of support and well-wishes locally, including from Tanner’s fifth grade class at Perkins County Elementary. 

The short go was streamed live and the school taped it so he and his classmates can watch it. 

Paintin qualified for the JWF by competing in sanctioned junior rodeos in the Colorado/New Mexico region throughout the summer and into early September.

He finished third overall for the season to qualify for the finals. 

He won four of the events he competed in and had several second and third place finishes. 

He had to compete in a rodeo in New Mexico in early September to meet the required number of events to qualify for the JWF.

Tanner is the son of Chase and Jessie Paintin.