Path to Victory: Lawrence Motivated to Make These Last Years Count
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Stetson Lawrence had plenty of time during his first six weeks of recovery from a broken neck last season to decide what he wanted to do with his future.
In between watching episodes of Ted Lasso and trending shows on Netflix or playing endless hours of Call of Duty on his Xbox, Lawrence did not think about hanging up his bull rope for good and becoming an esports pro or a movie director.
If anything, the desire to return to the arena following a season-ending C7 fracture only grew as the days of recovery evolved into weeks and months.
Lawrence had essentially lost his entire 2021 season because of injuries.
He missed the first six months of the season recovering from reconstructive left shoulder surgery only to break his neck when Dirty Sancho bucked him off onto his head in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lawrence competed in seven summer Touring Pro Division events last year and two UTB events before undergoing his season-ending neck surgery.
“It was a big eye-opener, and it made me realize I am not doing this to just jack around,” Lawrence said following his 3-for-3 victory this past weekend at the PBR Tractor Supply Co. Invitational in Chicago. “I need to take this serious and be an athlete. Once I got that brace off, I started training as hard as I could, getting my neck and shoulder, arm and everything strong as I could so I didn’t have any excuses when I come back.
“I believe in myself and came determined to compete this year and not just hang around.”
Lawrence was flawless in Chicago and was a perfect 4-for-4 when you include his 89.75-point ride on Drago in the 15/15 Bucking Battle. Lawrence got better and better as the weekend progressed. He built off his 86-point ride on Street Fighter in Round 1 to jump to second overall in the event by winning Round 2 via 89.75 points on Bottoms Up.
The 33-year-old then won the event with a 91-point ride on Big Black as Homegrown bucked off Cole Melancon in 4.98 seconds.
“I am here to compete more than just to hang out,” Lawrence said. “I don’t have many years left to ride, and I want to make these last ones count. Win the freaking title and say, ‘Peace.’ There is a different motivation and a different set of eyes this year. Breaking your neck brings a lot out. I went through a lot, especially mentally, to get back to this point.
“I did a lot of mental toughness (training) after I broke my neck. Having that kind of injury is hard. I never thought of walking away. I knew I wasn’t done. That was another reason to come back stronger and prove that I am not done and that I am not just an old guy hanging around here.”
Big Black was marked 44.25 points in a strong showing from the K-Bar-C Bucking Bulls athlete.
“I thought it was awesome, one of the best rides on Black,” Kenny McElroy said. “I think Black is back, and he was bucking like he should. He was outstanding tonight. Both him and Stetson was a good matchup, and I hope to see it at the (World) Finals for a round win. And, you know, when you can win an event on your bull, it makes you feel good, for sure. I am really excited. All of our bulls bucked real good for us here this weekend. I was really pleased with Black tonight. After watching the replay, I thought maybe he could be a little bit more, but it is always good to at least be over that 44-point score.”
Lawrence’s victory pushed him to No. 3 in the early world standings heading into this weekend’s PBR Gwinnett Invitational in Duluth, Georgia. Round 1 airs exclusively on RidePass on Pluto TV, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The eight-time PBR World Finals qualifier also may have made quite the statement that he should once again be selected to the Team USA Wolves squad for the upcoming PBR Global Cup USA on March 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This year’s one-day Global Cup will feature five riders per team.
After missing the PBR World Finals for the first time in nine years last year, Lawrence most certainly looks poised to get back to the World Finals this year and contend with the top bull riders in the world.
Lawrence is 106 points behind No. 1 Joao Ricardo Vieira in the world standings.
“If Joao keeps going, I have ten more years before retiring,” Lawrence said, laughing. “Shoot, I am just here to ride bulls. I need to approach every bull the way I did this weekend. The mindset I have is to try to take the power away from them and trust my ability.
“I am just proving myself and believing in myself more than anything else.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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