Teel Decides Against Knee Surgery and is Focusing on 2021 Gold Buckle
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Cody Teel may have scheduled himself for an offseason knee surgery prior to the 2020 PBR World Finals, but the 2012 PRCA champion already was having some second thoughts before he stepped foot inside AT&T Stadium.
Then add in a 3-for-5, eighth-place finish at the World Finals, and that was enough to really push Teel into a state of indecisiveness.
Teel began to wonder if he really needed to undergo reconstructive knee surgery and miss the first four months of the 2021 season.
Therefore, Teel talked over his situation with Dr. Tandy Freeman, and the 28-year-old has decided against undergoing surgery for the second year in a row.
“It has been feeling really good the last few months,” Teel told PBR.com this week. “I didn’t have surgery. After talking with Tandy about it, he said I’m in the same boat I was last year after the Finals. If I’m able to get by without daily instability, and it’s not getting worse, damaging the meniscus, etc., then he’s fine with me going the route I am. I started working with a new trainer/physical therapist the day after the Finals to be more aggressive with it, and my whole body feels better already. Just playing the hand I’ve been dealt and I’ll go from there.
“I wasn’t wanting to go under the knife before the Finals, and doing decent didn’t help change my mind.”
Teel has been rehabbing his knee with Dr. Brian Watts at College Station Physical Therapy & Performance, in College Station, Texas, and he has dedicated himself to an “aggressive” rehab and physical conditioning program this offseason to ensure he is ready for the 2021 season opener next month.
The four-time PBR World Finals qualifier tore his right ACL/MCL at the 2019 PBR World Finals, and this past season was an up-and-down battle after he decided to not get surgery during the 2019 offseason.
Teel still finished 16th in the world standings, and he nearly won the 2020 PBR World Finals, but his 31.03% riding average was the lowest of his career. The College Station, Texas, bull rider was nearly cut from the Unleash The Beast in the spring, and it was an uphill battle for him to overcome his knee injury and qualify for the World Finals.
Teel, though, told Watts on The Active Texan podcast that he believes he can return to World Champion contention in 2021 without undergoing surgery. He expects this coming season to be more like his 2018 (No. 3 in the world standings) and 2019 (No. 6 in the world standings).
“I tore my ACL/MCL a year ago, and didn’t have it fixed,” Teel said. “It would get to feeling good and then I would tweak it or aggravate it, and I think I let that bother me mentally more than anything. I was too focused on it, or in the back of my mind worried about hurting it. It translated to my riding being timid, hesitant, and I wasn’t being near aggressive enough. Even when I did stay on, I was real hesitant getting off and I would find myself in a bad way under them getting stomped on and taking unnecessary hits from letting that bother me.
“Here at the end of the year, these last few months, it has felt great and I got over that. I finished the year strong and had a decent Finals. I finally go to a place where I learned to deal with that. It caused me to slack in the standings. I didn’t have quite the finish I wanted to have.”
Teel talked about a range of topics with Watts on the 54-minute podcast on Dec. 3. Watts has helped Teel develop a more robust physical training program compared to what Teel normally would do in the offseason.
Teel used to primarily focus on body weight exercises, such as lunges and squats, and a stretching routine to work on his flexibility. He then would take a more traditional approach to his training with riding horses bareback, practicing on a stationary barrel, etc.
While those training habits still are important, Teel learned in 2020 that he must step up his game if he wants to succeed in the arena and get his knee stronger.
Therefore, Teel has teamed up with Watts to adapt a more strength and agility-based program this offseason to strengthen his lower body and improve his reaction time.
“I like the agility stuff we have been doing, hand-eye coordination with the tennis ball, shuffling,” Teel said. “Having to do that stuff without thinking. Just reacting. That sort of thing. Strength training lower bodies.
“Now incorporating specific strength training is another thing to add. A new year, something new. That is why I am really exciting working with you.”
Teel is also undergoing cryotherapy treatments as part of his recovery process.
The veteran bull rider and Watts spent a good amount of the podcast focusing on the mental side of bull riding, which Teel believes he can improve through increasing his physical training.
“That is a big part as anything to show up every weekend and be competitive, by being in shape and feeling good, being able to take the wear and tear is also a big plus,” Teel said. “As the year goes on, you see so many guys sitting out at home with injuries with bumps and bruises or are just too sore to go. To show up and be competitive, that is a big piece of a puzzle to have a successful year.”
Of course, the end goal is the PBR’s gold buckle and its $1 million World Championship bonus.
“Trying to win a PBR world title is the main focus and goal,” Teel said. “That is day to day you have your yearlong goals and day to day things to make yourself better and achieve that. It is my full-time job. I have nothing else I do or am even thinking about. I have moments where I try to think about other things to get involved in and I find myself coming back. It is hard to be great at something else while trying to be a professional athlete.
“It has all of my focus.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Christopher Thompson/Bull Stock Media
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