Oleson ‘done wasting chances’ Heading into the New Year
By: James Youness
ALBANY, N.Y. – The beginning of each Unleash The Beast season marks an opportunity for riders to push the reset button, allowing them to rest, revisit approaches and possibly even enjoy a little time with the family.
While each cowboy has a bit of a different lead-up to the season debut each year, they all share the same goal: starting off on the right foot. Ideally, winning that first event title and establishing an early advantage in chasing the ever-coveted world championship.
After putting on a flawless 3-for-3 showcase during the tour-opening PBR Monster Energy Invitational Nov. 26-27 in Tucson, Arizona, Brady Oleson did just that en route to capturing his career-first UTB event title.
“Yeah, that was pretty crazy, really. You can’t ask for a better start than that,” Oleson said. “I drew some good bulls and everything went perfectly, really.”
Momentum is an important aspect in any sport, especially in bull riding, which is why Oleson’s surge to start the season was a bit unexpected after the Blackfoot, Idaho, native spent a majority of his PBR Team Series season with the Texas Rattlers watching from the chutes rather than riding bulls.
“I sat out most of the Team Series,” Oleson said. “I got to go to each event and watch and that really just had me fired up and wanting to ride really bad.”
Gym reps, practice bulls and supporting teammates go a long way in earning a role as a regular in Head Coach Cody Lambert’s lineup, but it’s the simplified version that will keep Oleson within the premier series’ Top 10.
“From Cody, that’s the message, ‘Stay on the bull, just do your job,’ so that’s changed a lot for me, just being around him and having his knowledge there and his words in my head all of the time,” Oleson said.
“It’s been big, right out of the Team Series and a lot of us got some really good knowledge from our coaches and that’s helped to evolved what we already had.”
Eventually getting the opportunity to shine during the inaugural campaign’s biggest stage, the PBR Team Series Championship inside Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, the taste of action may have kickstarted the 26-year-old’s quick start to the UTB season.
“I finally got to get on in Vegas, it went okay. I rode one for 90 and the other one got me down. It just kind of fired me up enough to ride that out when I got home and I just got straight to work.”
Taking advantage of the two-week break, Oleson envisioned his reps and efforts from the practice pen and summoned them for the big show. Beginning his weekend paired against Hard Candy, Oleson rode supreme, netting an 89.75-point score to tie Cooper Davis and Daniel Keeping for the Round 1 victory.
Championing White Face for 88 points in the second round, it was Oleson’s 90.75-point ride atop Pickle Moonshine which helped him separate from the pack and exit the opening weekend of action with the No. 1 rank.
The early-season success demonstrated how important momentum is for Oleson, and continues to be for all riders on tour, but since starting the season 3-for-3, he’s been in a bit of a funk.
Eventually bucking off both of his bulls during the PBR St. Louis Invitational Dec. 3-4, Oleson was again unsuccessful in the first round of the PBR Minneapolis Invitational but was able to right the ship in Round 2 via an 86-point effort matched against Prime Tested on Dec. 10.
Going 1-for-5 since his title-winning performance in Week 1, albeit missing last weekend’s PBR Manchester Invitational due to injury, Oleson got back in the ride column Friday night in the second round of the PBR Albany Invitational.
Besting Dan Post’s Night Moves for an 87.5-point score, Oleson’s confidence is rebounding after the encouraging performance, but after failing to record a ride in Round 1 Thursday, he fell victim to the championship round cuts as the first not to make the short round field.
Oleson exited the showcase in 12th place and having earned 15 Unleash The Beast points, but slid back to the No. 7 ranking after entering the weekend in the five spot.
“I’ve been slipping in the standings. The last couple of events didn’t go so well, so I kind of look at it like I wasted those,” Oleson said.
“I’m done wasting chances from here on out.”
Olseon and the field will get their next chance to earn Unleash The Beast points in New York, N.Y., during the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden Jan. 6-8, with Round 1 set to begin Friday Jan. 6 at 7:45 p.m. (on RidePass on Pluto TV).
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media
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