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Covy Moore | PBR
AIRDRIE, Alta. – Nick Tetz will be competing at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Ride For Redemption on Wednesday and Thursday night at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, as a PBR Teams pick to have one more shot at riding into AT&T Stadium for the final Championship weekend, May 18-19, for the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
At Ride For Redemption, the final five berths to the Championship will be on the line, with the Top 5 riders in the aggregate following two rounds advancing.
As a protected roster member of the Arizona Ridge Riders, Calgary, Alberta’s Tetz is grateful for the opportunity from the team, and the new three-stage format for navigating the PBR World Finals.
“It is pretty great. With Colby [Yates] and Casey [Lane] giving me the opportunity to try and qualify again, it means a lot,” Tetz said. “Third time’s a charm now. Tried to do it in the regular season, and some injuries got in the way. Then I tried to do the Velocity Tour Finals, and it wasn’t our weekend. Regroup, refresh, get to feeling good. I think. I have a pretty good one drawn. I figure it’s two bull rides, then you get to ride in Arlington.”
“I think if you ride two, it should solidify it. And if it doesn’t, you can hang your hat on the fact you did your job.”
Tetz’s individual PBR season didn’t go exactly as planned, battling an injury to his foot early on and trying to push through. But with a regular season to forget, Tetz said that this season is teaching him a lesson.
“It was a tough way to start the year looking back at December,” Tetz said. “I feel like this year is teaching me a lot. The biggest thing is that the bull riding game is one where you have to have a short memory. And the fans have a short memory, too. It doesn’t matter what you have accomplished, you have to put out the effort and get those results.”
“I am looking forward to this week, then going into the PBR Canada schedule and out East as we roll into the PBR Teams season. I think it is going to be a fun year, just rolling and getting into a flow state getting on a lot of bulls.”
With two new squads joining the PBR Teams schedule, an Expansion Draft occurred last month that saw many team rosters lose members to the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters. Each of the eight founding teams were allowed to protect a trio riders from the Expansion Draft, and Tetz was one of them for Arizona.
“It gives me a lot of confidence rolling in, knowing I was one of those pivotal players. There were some other things going into that that had an effect. I think it helps a guy’s confidence when your team is backing you like that. They don’t want to take a risk with losing you,” he said.
“I am excited to get back to rolling with the team and all those guys.”
With the backing of his coaching staff, Tetz said he is again free to build a schedule that considers his push for another PBR Canada Championship. He will easily be able to attend a good portion of that schedule but said there is one event he is looking forward to most.
“For sure that is our home event, Ridge Rider Days. With all the cool stuff we do out there. We do another pickleball tournament out there again this year. Getting to skate with the hockey team out there was awesome. The crowd and everything in between. It felt like it got turned up a notch for the home event,” Tetz said.
“That is one I don’t want to miss.”
Tetz had a tough weekend in Brooks and Camrose, Alberta, May 10 and 11.
But with a surprise winner in Brooks, and Cody Coverchuk taking home another event win early in the season in Camrose, one must consider some of the newcomers like Brooks Champion Gilmar Santana.
Tetz thinks there are some rookies coming up who will be worth keeping an eye on.
“I would say the one I have my eye on the most is Beau Gardner. I remember watching him as a steer rider and thinking this kid just doesn’t have it. He can’t sit up, he gets hunched over. Now I am watching him go to pro rodeos and stuff and strapping them, making damn good bull rides,” Tetz said.
“Another one that will surprise people is Dusty Golden. He has been out with injuries the last couple years, just some bad luck. Had to get some surgeries and struggled getting healthy. But he has been back and getting on bulls again. I have been talking to him a little bit and he will be coming to some of the bull ridings out east. I think that is another guy that will be popping up here shortly that you have to keep your eye on.”
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
