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Swearingen Working on Controlled Aggression, Leaves St. Louis With Multiple Round Wins

By: Justin Felisko

ST. LOUIS – Daylon Swearingen had quite the commute this past Wednesday to get on some practice bulls at PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert’s ranch in Bowie, Texas,

Swearingen made a 10-hour roundtrip drive from Carthage, Texas, to Bowie so that he could get on some practice bulls of J.W. Hart’s following his 0-for-2 showing at the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, last weekend.

The 20-year-old had bucked off six in a row, including four bulls beyond the six-second mark, and Swearingen knew he had to work on some things.

Swearingen attempted three practice bulls – riding all three – and left Bowie with a reminder that he needs to finish every move he makes on the back of bull.

Be aggressive, but focus on staying in the middle, Swearingen explained.

“That controlled aggression, and finishing every move I make,” Swearingen said. “Sometimes I get complacent, and I get here one jump, but I wouldn’t finish it 100%. I’d half-ass it.”

Swearingen demonstrated his patience in his aggression this weekend at the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational.

The Piffard, New York, native bounced back from a Round 1 buckoff against Choctaw Bingo (2.47 seconds) to win the 15/15 Bucking Battle Saturday night with a 91.75-point ride on I’m Legit Too.

 
“I kind of kept moving on that one,” Swearingen said. “I feel like I was just moving to get around there at the beginning, and then I started spurring more or less at the end. I want to have a controlled aggression in the beginning of the ride, and then be aggressive at the end of the ride.

“I just have to control it, and just kind of keep everything controlled.”

Swearingen built off his 15/15 Bucking Battle victory by riding Peanut Butter Falcon for 85.5 points in Round 2 Sunday before winning the championship round with a 90-point effort aboard Sosa’s Alley Cat.

“It was a really nice bull,” Swearingen said after riding Sosa’s Alley Cat. “A bull I have been wanting to get on for a long time. A bull I grew up watching and stuff. I was thankful to get on him. He kind of sat me back just a little bit, but I felt like I had a controlled ride.”

Swearingen had not ridden three consecutive bulls since winning the Chicago Invitational in January.

The No. 4 bull rider in the world standings finished third overall in St. Louis with 59.5 world points, and he will head into the Caterpillar Classic next weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, 210.34 points behind world leader Jose Vitor Leme.

Lambert said he was trying to help Swearingen get back to the fundamentals of bull riding and not over-complicate things.

“We were trying to get him to find the middle,” Lambert said Sunday before the start of Round 2. “Bull riding has been over-complicated so many ways. It is a very hard thing to do, but fundamentally it is very simple. He is trying to get from out under you, and you have to try and stay on him. The best way to do it is to be balanced and in the middle. That is what we always try to help them with, just finding the middle. Then they know what they are fighting for.”

Swearingen is third in the PBR with three round wins on the Unleash The Beast, and he now has four career 90-point rides after beginning the weekend with two.

The defending college national bull riding champion said his trip to Bowie was the kind of recipe for success he was searching for in recent weeks.

“They’ve always offered it, and I just haven’t took it up, and I don’t know why, but I’m glad I finally took it up and take advantage of the opportunities I get,” Swearingen said.

Swearingen is 12-for-23 (52.2%) in seven UTB events heading into Kansas City.

“(My confidence) is definitely up there,” Swearingen said. “It is kind of what I needed this week because I was kind of down on myself. You just can’t get down, you have to keep looking and be positive.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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