Teel Evolving into World Champion Contender

By: Justin Felisko
March 23, 2018

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Cody Teel at first brushed off his wife’s opinion earlier this year when she thought she noticed a small error with his riding.

Kaitlin thought maybe Cody had been running his rope to far back on some of the bulls he was getting on.

Cody simply shrugged it off, but once he turned on his computer and began watching some videos he realized Kaitlin was on to something after all.

“I realized, ‘Dang. She’s right,’” Cody said last week at the Ty Murray Invitational. “Talk about humbling. I have to give her credit. I will swallow my pride and admit she was right.

“Just a small basic thing that helps in the long run.”

It is a small microcosm of the attention to detail that Cody has made sure to have on a weekly basis while competing on the 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast.

Teel has evolved into a World Champion contender during his second season on tour in part because of his ability to fine-tune any minor mistakes he may discover throughout the week at home in Kountze, Texas.

The 25-year-old heads into this weekend’s Ak-Chin Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, ranked sixth in the world standings. He is 19-for-32 (59.38 percent) and is coming off back-to-back, second-place finishes in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Duluth, Georgia.

 
Teel normally spends a few hours per week studying videos of himself from the prior weekend of competition.

He will then spend an hour per day on either his Buckrite machine or Mighty Bucky to correct any of his mistakes.

“Competing in the PBR, the biggest thing I have noticed is little problems and little flaws in your basic fundamentals gets exposed around here,” Teel said. “When you are getting on great bulls day in and day out, if there is any little glitch in your riding it gets exposed.”

Teel, who won his first career event last year in Glendale, analyzes nearly every one of his rides and buckoffs, which is one benefit Teel has learned to appreciate about competing in the PBR.

During his rodeo years, Teel may not have clean, quality video of each of his rides unless he had a friend on the back of the bucking chutes. On the Unleash The Beast, every one of his ride attempts is recorded on television or Ridepass.

Fans can watch Round 1 from Glendale on Friday night exclusively on RidePass beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Teel has drawn Make-N-Magic (1-1, PBR UTB) for Round 1. He will then square off against Wild Goose (7-3, PBR UTB) in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

The 2012 PRCA champion bull rider was a proven contender on the rodeo trail and won the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo event average.

In the PBR, Teel has realized he has grown into a stronger all-around bull rider now that he has to take the time to really study every tiny detail if he hopes to win a PBR World Championship.

“It helped me recognize some things I have been doing for years and got away with from getting on not as good bulls day in and day out,” Teel said. “I didn’t really notice it. It has made me improve my riding being in the PBR for that reason.”

Some of the mistakes are super minor, such as how he is leaving the chutes. Other times it is where his free arm position is and if he riding aggressive or not.

Teel spent time two weeks ago looking over his 6.15-second buckoff against two-time World Champion SweetPro’s Bruiser.

“That little backup he did. He kind of threw it in reverse and I overcompensated,” Teel said. “I threw my free arm back and tried to get my heels back underneath me. I was using my free arm and that is ultimately what pulled me into my hand and whipped me down.

“Just knowing what I did (wrong) and I go work on those things at home.”

The benefits of his daily one-hour routines are helping him make his aggressive moves become second-nature.

He doesn’t have time on the back of a 2,000-pound bovine athlete to overthink things.

“I am making good habits,” Teel said. “I practiced dragging up and loosing up my feet. Having longer legs, I have to get new holds. That is what keeps me square. Not spurring, but loosing up and throwing them feet around either direction. That keeps my hips square and keeps me gathered up. I am working on an aggressive riding style. Scratching and clawing until the bitter end.”

Teel went 4-for-4 for the first time in his career last weekend in Albuquerque. He made it a point to be aggressive during his 86-point ride on Northern Moxie in Round 1.

“He is a day off for any guy here,” Teel explained. “You are supposed to ride that bull, but instead of just sitting there riding him, I was scratching and clawing and just stayed aggressive.

“That is something you have to do around here.”

 
PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert said everyone could learn from Teel’s approach to the game.

“That is how you are supposed to treat it,” Lambert said. “Not get too high and not get too low. Just get your job done. Cody Teel is not surprised he rode them all here. He expected to when he got here.”

Teel is loving the competitive nature the PBR has given him.

He understands one week he can be perfect and the next he can be putting up a goose egg.

Teel feels the need to work on the physical and mental side of his game like never before.

“I have a fire lit in me that I haven’t had since I first started,” Teel said. “It is so competitive. It has changed my approach a lot. I like it. It is like a real professional sport. Guys in baseball or football can do that stuff.

“It really has enhanced my preparation a lot.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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