CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The PBR Pendleton Whiskey Velocity Tour Finals took place at the American Bank Center, Saturday, and featured the best bull riders in the world.
Brandon Davis has been riding since he was 12, and professionally since 2014. He entered Saturday's competition at the top of the leaderboard, but he did not underestimate the bulls he would be riding. "You got, you know, 140-160 pound two-legged athlete, a cowboy. Then it's man vs. beast. A four-legged athlete that weighs upwards to 2,000 pounds."
Davis' competition is fierce, but other riders like Conner Haverson say the more experience you have, the less intimidating the spotlight. "As you get older and you get better, you're able to go to the bigger events and bigger stages in the bull riding world. And so, you just kind of inch your way up from when you start to when you make the world finals."
Riders have eight seconds to stay on and are judged as a rider and by the bull for a total of 100 points. 45 riders competed Saturday for a chance to move on to the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, but in a sport this dangerous, it's about focus.
"We all know it could be our last time we ever leave that chute again. It could be the last time we ever walk. It's mind over matter for us, we know what the extremes are in this sport, so we just kind of put it in the back of our head and just have faith," said Davis
For younger riders like Haverson, who has only competed professionally for two years, he was excited to be on the big stage.
"I'm feeling really good right now and I'm really looking forward to the bull I have tonight. He's really good. I'm just looking forward to staying on and doing my job and whatever happens after that, it'll fall in its own place," said Haverson.
The Velocity Tour finals wrapped up Saturday with around ten riders advancing to the championship round.
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