Kacie Albert | PBR
KINGSTON, Ont. – As the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Cup Series event in Kingston, Ontario, concluded Wednesday evening inside Slush Puppie Place, an electric, sold-out crowd watched on as Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) went 2-for-3 to win the PBR Kingston Classic, the second Major of the season.
Tetz quickly converted in the opening round, riding Hat Trick (CJ Bucking Bulls) for 82 points.
Positioned fifth on the leaderboard as Round 2 got underway, the 2022 PBR Canada Champion then went head-to-head with Dealing After Midnight (Thompson Rodeo Livestock).
Making the whistle with ease, Tetz was marked 81 points. Despite being offered a re-ride, Tetz elected to keep the score, a decision that paid dividends. While the 8-second effort tied for third in the second round of competition, it catapulted him to the top of the event leaderboard.
Tetz, who rides for the Arizona Ridge Riders in the separate PBR Teams league, then drafted Look At This Dude (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) as his final animal athlete opponent. While Tetz was tossed before the whistle, at the 4.78-second mark, his opening two scores proved enough to cement the event win.
The charismatic Albertan also tied for the victory in the PBR Kingston Classic’s accompanying 5/5 Bucking Battle, outlasting Allemand Left (Wilson Rodeo) for 85.5 points.
Leaving Slush Puppie Place having earned 201 national points, Tetz surged from No. 7 to No. 2 in the race for the 2024 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $100,000 bonus. He now trails No. 1 Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) by 284.5 points.
Should Tetz continue his upward climb and be crowned the 2024 PBR Canada Champion, he would become the fifth rider in history to win the coveted honor multiple times.
Coverchuk went 1-for-2 in Kingston to tie for fifteenth. His 79-point ride on Red Carpet (CJ Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 netted him 1 Canadian national point.
Returning to the top of the event leaderboard, 2020 PBR World Finals event winner and Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) was second.
The standout for the Missouri Thunder earned 132 Canadian national points courtesy of his Round 1-winning, 85-point ride atop Lil’ Hooch (Two Bit Bucking Bulls).
Campbell rose from unranked to No. 12 in Canada, propelled within 518.5 points of the top spot.
Weston Davidson (Strongfield, Saskatchewan) parlayed an 83.5-point ride on Divorce Papers (Black Creek Rodeo Company) into a third-place finish.
Earning 95 Canadian national points, Davidson remained No. 3 in Canada. Chasing his first national title this November, Davidson now trails No. 1 Coverchuk by 295 points.
Rounding out the Top 5 and tying for fourth were Gilmar Santana (Ouro Preto, Brazil) and Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta).
Both marked 83 points in Round 1, Santana topped Twist Off (Black Creek Rodeo Company), while Radford bested Clear The Village (CJ Bucking Bulls), each collecting 58 Canadian national points.
Santana remained No. 5 in Canada, now 419.5 points back of the top spot, while Radford rose from No. 27 to No. 18.
In the bull pen, Ringling Road (Wilson Rodeo) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the YETI “Built For The Wild” Bull of the Event. Bucking in Round 1, the powerful animal athlete was awarded an unprecedented 45 points for his 2.98 seconds of work against Stefan Tonita (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).