Alvidrez Trying to Channel Mauney Tenacity to Help Team Boot Barn Reach Sioux Falls Championship Weekend
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – It was more than two weeks ago when Team Boot Barn captain Daylon Swearingen and Andrew Alvidrez stopped by two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney’s ranch in Texas to get on some practice bulls.
The Team Boot Barn General Manager worked on a variety of technical things with Alvidrez, such as learning how to not only break at his hips, but to also drive off his hips with a purpose.
However, it was getting an opportunity to dive more into Mauney’s mental approach to the game that really has stuck with the 2020 Rookie of the Year contender.
“What I never knew about Mauney was his tenacity toward bull riding,” Alvidrez said. “It isn’t just, ‘Oh, you do this.’ No. You do this with purpose. You just do it. You do it with aggression. It is wanting to be the greatest. That is the thing I took from J.B. Regardless if I work harder than him, he believes he is a better bull rider than me. Seeing that through him shows me his mental side. That is what I picked up from him more than anything. Like, wow.
“If I can take his mental capacity and add it to my work ethic, the limitations are not there. There are no limitations. That is what I picked up from J.B. He doesn’t allow the distractions around him to define what he can do in the arena. He is still going to beat your ass when the gate opens. Yes I work hard, but what is my mental state at?”
Alvidrez is now trying to channel that kind of tenacity and help rally Team Boot Barn on a late push to Championship Weekend of the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol.
The 23-year-old went 2-for-2 in his METC debut Friday night and led Team Boot Barn (2-2) to a crucial 254.50-167.75 victory over Team Lucas Oil (1-3) at the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘Er Buck Saloon at South Point Arena.
Team Boot Barn (2-2, 509.50) is now tied with Team South Point (2-2, 589.75) for the third and final playoff spot for the postseason in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 10-12 with two games remaining in Division B play this weekend. South Point currently owns the tiebreaker with a higher total aggregate score.
The Top 3 teams in the Division B standings following Sunday’s competition qualify for Championship Weekend in Sioux Falls, which will take place at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in front of fans.
The top finishers in Division B will join Team Cooper Tires, Team Las Vegas and Team Can-Am in Sioux Falls in two weeks.
“It was comforting, but with what I learned from comfort is it decreases your ability more than anything,” Alvidrez said. “I feel like we did as much as we could today due to circumstances, but we still have a lot more to do to reach Sioux Falls. Yeah, we won, and that is cool and all, but really we didn’t achieve anything. We just achieved a W.”
Alvidrez gave Boot Barn an early lead Friday night with 87 points on Heartaches & Grease before Team Lucas Oil took back the lead with Ryan Dirteater (83.25 points on Bullfrog) and Dalton Kasel (84.5 points on Ribbon of Darkness) making qualified rides.
However, Alvidrez put Boot Barn on his back and gave them the lead for good when he began the second half with 83 points on Red Snapper.
Dirteater (4.07 seconds on Drop The Hammer) and Kasel (2.6 seconds on Melanie’s Dream) next bucked off before Swearingen inched Boot Barn further ahead by hanging onto to Saint Joe for 84.5 points.
Team Lucas Oil captain Matt Triplett saw his unit’s chances get wiped out in 1.84 seconds when Dust Bender bucked him off.
“I let a really nice one get away from me in the first half,” Swearingen told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison. “I wasn’t going to let it happen on the second one. Tomorrow against Team Ariat we can’t make those mistakes.”
Boot Barn takes on undefeated Team Ariat (4-0) Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET live on CBS Sports Network and RidePass. They then will take on a to-be-determined opponent Sunday based on divisional standings.
Alvidrez has drawn Crack Attack and Snake Eyes for Saturday night.
Mauney told Alvidrez at his ranch to drive out over his bulls with more aggression.
“I worked with him on the drop barrel and changed his form a little bit. Nothing big, but we just tweaked some things,” Mauney said two weeks ago. “I said, ‘You are going to the front, but you are just breaking at your hips. You are not driving at the front. You are keeping your back straight, but you are pretty much leaning forward. There is a difference between going to the front and leaning to the front. You are breaking at your hips, but you never see any daylight under your butt.’
“I kind of showed him how to push on his arm and drive out over that thing.”
Team Boot Barn has no time to relax with the playoff race now down to four teams and two remaining spots – Pendleton Whisky (3-1, 913), South Point (2-2, 589.75), Boot Barn (2-2, 509.5) and Lucas Oil (1-3, 593.25).
Pendleton Whisky is in prime position to likely get one of the final two spots. Therefore, the last spot may come down to South Point, Boot Barn and Lucas Oil.
“We still have a lot more to do,” Alvidrez concluded. “It is a whole weekend thing and then it goes to Sioux Falls. We need more than just one win. That is how I see it.”
Professional Bull Riders – Team Challenge – Game 29
Las Vegas, NV, 2020
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Andrew Alvidrez, 87-83-170.00
2. Daylon Swearingen, 0-84.5-84.50
(tie). Dalton Kasel, 84.5-0-84.50
4. Ryan Dirteater, 83.25-0-83.25
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0.00
Scottie Knapp, 0-0-0.00
JC Mortensen, 0-0-0.00
Braden Richardson, 0-0-0.00
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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