Mellers and His ‘Aussie Charm’ Make His Mark on North America
PUEBLO, Colo. – Lane Mellers may not have had exactly the kind of results he would have liked in November, but his cowboy grit was on full display over the course of a three-week span.
Mellers was the only bull rider to compete at the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, the 2019 PBR Australia Grand Finals and 2019 PBR Canada Finals.
The 20-year-old racked up the frequent flyer miles, going from Australia to Las Vegas for the Nov. 2-3 Velocity Finals, then back to Australia for the Aussie season finale on Nov. 15-16 before returning to North America for the Canadian Finals on Nov. 22-23.
Mellers finished 2019 ranked No. 52 in the world standings. The Mundubbera, Australia native capped his year as the 2019 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year after finishing 21st in the Canadian national standings.
In a moving tribute, Mellers presented his Rookie of the Year trophy spurs to Klayton Lakevold, the 19-year-old bull rider who sustained serious injuries at the PBR Canada Touring Pro Division event in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, this past July.
Some high school students of the Current Ag Concerns Media Group from DeWitt, Iowa, attended the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals at the South Point Hotel Casino and Resort to get hands-on experience with photography, social media and digital media content creation. The Current Ag Concerns Media Group is part of the Clinton County Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom program.
Megan Clark, a sophomore in high school, interviewed Mellers for PBR.com during the Velocity Tour Finals.
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Megan Clark: Lane, to start off, I heard you had to take five flights to get to Las Vegas before the Velocity Finals. How was that whole experience?
Lane Mellers: Well, it was pretty busy and pretty rushed, but I’d do anything to get to this level and ride bulls over here (in the U.S.).
MC: Is this your first time here in the United States?
LM: No, I’ve been here a few times, but this is my first time in Vegas and that’s always been on my bucket list.
MC: What are you most looking forward to doing with your time here?
LM: Just ride some bulls and maybe some partying afterward.
MC: What are you most excited about sharing with other people while you are here?
LM: Some Aussie charm, a nice smile and some good bull riding.
MC: As being still very young, how do you plan to improve and finish higher in the world standings?
LM: More experience. The more bulls I get on and the more I can ride, it will just get me higher and higher, win more money and have a lot more fun.
MC: Have you ever had any major setbacks in your career?
LM: I’ve broken a few bones in my legs and broke my spine once, but nothing has majorly set me back. I’ve always wanted to be the best and that’s what I’m aiming to be.
MC: How did you push through your injuries to get where you are now?
LM: I mentally thought about what I want to do and this is all I want to do. I want to ride bulls. I don’t want to be a carpenter or anything like that, I want to be riding bulls.
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