Arizona Ridge Riders Riding 80% at Gambler Days

By: Justin Felisko

AUSTIN, Texas – Arizona Ridge Riders General Manager Casey Lane slapped his coaches Paulo Crimber and Colby Yates on the back following the team’s 344.25-258 victory over the Nashville Stampede on Saturday night.

It was the second consecutive night in which Arizona went 4-for-5.

“We are currently riding 80%,” Lane said with a grin.

The Ridge Riders have been close to perfect at Gambler Days, ripping off two straight wins and going a blistering 8-for-10 ahead of Championship Sunday inside the Moody Center.

Arizona will have the chance to pick up its second event victory of the season if the Ridge Riders can defeat the Kansas City Outlaws and then perform better than the winner of the Austin/Carolina game in the Bonus Round.

The Ridge Riders began Gambler Days with a 340.5-260.75 victory over the Missouri Thunder and are sitting second in the PBR Team Series standings.

Arizona trails No. 1 Austin (9-3) by one game in the season standings but leads the league in qualified rides with 28 in 12 games and four Bonus Rounds.

Crimber explained to PBR.com that the Ridge Riders’ dominant start stems from many things, but it all begins with team camaraderie.

“Like I keep saying, it’s just the camaraderie between the teammates,” Crimber said. “We’re helping each other out. We’re trusting each other. We trust the selection of the bulls. We talk about it. And that’s what the team should be. No disagreements, no second-guessing. Just full commitment and trust, and it pays off, man. That’s all it is.”

Speaking of commitment and team bonding, one of the Ridge Riders’ heroes on Saturday night was young gun Ross Freeman. The 23-year-old practice squad rider’s 87-point ride on Gold Chain was the difference-maker in Arizona getting the win as Nashville ended the game with three consecutive rides from Matt Triplett, Ryan Dirteater and Kaique Pacheco.

This week, Arizona almost lost Freeman to Oklahoma after the Freedom requested to talk with him about potentially joining their team.

“I don’t want to say it was an easy or hard decision,” Freeman said. “Everything was thought through, 100%, but the decision to stay with these guys was definitely a blessing in disguise, as this whole season’s been. This team is more than just a team. It’s more than just brothers. It’s a family, and every aspect of it is. Even though there’s a language barrier, you can’t mistake the love and the support behind each and every one of these guys.

“That’s been one of the biggest things for me, is just knowing that they have my back.”

Crimber was happy to see Freeman want to stay a Ridge Rider, and he certainly was proud of Freeman stepping up with a crucial ride.

“Ross is a really special kid,” Crimber said. “He’s going to stay with us as long as he wants to. They tried to take him from us this week, Oklahoma, but he wants to be with us. That’s what it’s about. The guys want to stay on our team. It’s not about whatever the best deal is. Just wherever they feel comfortable, wherever they feel welcome as a family, and that’s what it takes to win.”

Arizona also received rides from its core veterans in the victory – Alisson de Souza, Eduardo Aparecido and Luciano de Castro. Castro iced the game with his 84.25-point ride on I’m No Angel, while Aparecido has now ridden four consecutive bulls.

 
However, the vets couldn’t do it alone, and Freeman stepped up in a big way, especially considering he had bucked off his first eight bulls (preseason + regular season) before Saturday night’s qualified ride.

“We’re all here to do a job,” Freeman concluded. “We’re all here to ride bulls, and being able to be a part of that and contribute is great. It’s an awesome feeling, just to know that I’m giving back to the team that’s given to me.”

SUNDAY’S GAME SCHEDULE (1:30 p.m. ET, CBS SPORTS NETWORK)

Nashville (3-9, Gambler Days 0-2) vs. Texas (3-9, Gambler Days 0-2)
Arizona (8-4, Gambler Days 2-0) vs. Kansas City (5-7, Gambler Days 1-1)
Missouri (7-5, Gambler Days 0-2) vs. Oklahoma (4-8, Gambler Days 1-1)
Carolina (7-5, Gambler Days 2-0) vs. Austin (9-3, Gambler Days 2-0)

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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