BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
After years of dominating the Badlands Circuit, Jessica Routier has moved on to dominating on a national stage.
The South Dakota native has made four consecutive NFRs and has never finished lower than No 8 in the WPRA Barrel Racing World Standings in those years, including a Reserve World Championship in 2018.
This year, Routier finished the regular season No. 5 in the world with $78,847.
Routier started off 2021 by finishing fifth at Rodeo Rapid City in February and then winning the First Round of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
ROUTIER IN SAN ANTONIO
Routier only competed at two rodeos in March and placed at both before she won a total of $10,711 at April’s Ram National Circuit Finals and won Round 2.
ROUTIER AT RNCFR
After the RNCFR, Routier did not compete in May and then finished second at two rodeos in June. In July, however, Routier placed at 11 of her first 12 rodeos. The consistency culminated with her winning $12,500 for her 17.04-second run in the Short Round at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. Routier won more than $30,000 in July.
ROUTIER’S WINNING RUN IN PIKES PEAK
Routier competed at just 13 rodeos combined in August and September and won a check at every single one. She also was the champion at three of them, the highest paying being the Lawton Rangers Rodeo in Oklahoma ($3,910). Her 49 rodeos attended in 2021 was the third-lowest of any NFR qualifier in the barrel racing.
Routier has placed in 16 of 30 NFR Go-Rounds in her career.
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