Team Yeti Gets on the Board With First Qualified Rides and First Victory

By: Darci Miller

PUEBLO, Colo. – On Sunday morning at the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, Cole Melancon was in the draw for Team YETI against Team Can-Am despite a re-aggravated right knee injury suffered on Challenge Day 1.

However, when he was bucked off by Big Black Cat in 3.76 seconds, something wasn’t right.

As Melancon limped off the dirt, he pointed to the back of the bucking chutes.

Eli Vastbinder, it said, you’re up.

Team YETI’s alternate rider was called into action as Melancon was pulled due to his injury, and Vastbinder stepped in against Red Rocker.

The 29-year-old had been in the draw on Saturday night in lieu of Melancon, going 0-for-2. Vastbinder wasn’t alone, though: following its first two games, Team YETI had yet to record a qualified ride, falling to Team Las Vegas 88.25-0 on Friday and Team Cooper Tires 332-0 on Saturday.

But the last-minute replacement got the monkey off the team’s back on Sunday, as Vastbinder rode Red Rocker for 85.75 points.

Team Can-Am captain Fabiano Vieira had ridden Notorious for 86.5 points in the opening out of the game, but Vastbinder breathed new life into a team that badly needed it.

 
“Nice job by Eli there,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride said on CBS Sports Network. “That’s just what the doctor ordered for YETI. Got something to build on, and they’re right in the thick of this game now. Eighty-five and three quarters, not able to overtake Fabiano, but just three quarters of a point away, so they’re in the thick of this thing now.”

For Vastbinder, who’s been a regular on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour since 2014, he was glad to step in to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

“Momentum is everything in this sport,” Vastbinder told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison. “Confidence. That’s what we all thrive on. That’s how we do good, and when we do good or we do bad, it’s all off of confidence. It’s just good to be on the board.”

Just two outs later, and YETI captain Derek Kolbaba capitalized on that momentum, riding Blue Stone for 87.25 points.

When Ezekiel Mitchell bucked off of Church Bells for Team Can-Am, YETI had clinched its first victory, 173-86.5, improving to 1-2. Can-Am falls to 1-2 as well.

“I guess we just needed that early morning wakeup call today,” Kolbaba told Harrison with a grin. “Sure, we really didn’t like the way it went the first two days, and they’re not going to hold us down forever, that’s for damn sure. Yesterday was yesterday, today is today, and it was great when Eli got that first ride. I think it just boosted everybody’s confidence, and it was exactly what we needed. And we’re ready for more.”

 
Team YETI will have to wait until next weekend for more, and will take on Team Union Home Mortgage (1-2) Friday live on CBS Sports Network and RidePass. On Saturday, Team YETI will face off against Team Wrangler (0-3) before rounding out Division A Competition beginning at 10 a.m. ET Sunday.

Every game at the METC is comprised of 12 collective outs, with each team attempting six bulls. Three riders per team, as selected by the General Manager, will attempt two bulls per game. The winner of each game will be the team with the top combined aggregate score from their six outs.

The Monster Energy Team Challenge features 12 teams, 48 bull riders and two Divisions (A & B). The Top 3 teams in each division, based upon win-loss record, will qualify for Championship Weekend and a single-elimination tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 10-12 in front of fans.

Team YETI now sits at No. 5 in the six-team Division A. They are tied with No. 3 Can-Am for the last playoff spot but Can-Am leads YETI by 347.75 points in the event aggregate standings, which is the first tiebreaker.

While climbing into the Top 3 and playoff contention may look like a long shot, with two teams ahead of it in the standings with matching records, it’s still very much within the realm of possibility.

Especially now that the pressure of just getting a ride, as well as a victory, on the board has been alleviated.

“Just to get those rides out of the way, I think it also just fuels our fire,” Kolbaba said. “I know that we ride as good as, if not better than, everyone, and I’m confident in the team that we have here, and confident in every single one of them.”

 

Professional Bull Riders – Team Challenge – Game 8
Las Vegas, NV, 2020
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Derek Kolbaba, 0-87.25-87.25
2. Fabiano Vieira, 86.5-0-86.50
3. Eli Vastbinder, 0-85.75-85.75
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gula Moreira, 0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0.00
Jordan Spears, 0-0-0.00

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