Teel: ‘I am moving in the right direction for once this year’
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – There was no guarantee last Sunday morning when Cody Teel woke up inside his RV that he would be coming back to the Lazy E Arena this week.
The 2012 PRCA champion was down to his final guaranteed day on the Unleash The Beast, and he entered Round 2 of the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat, sitting 55th in the world standings.
Teel knew the predicament.
There was no hiding from the facts.
The 27-year-old had to ride Danny Boy in Round 2 to keep his spot on the Unleash The Beast.
“It is hard not to think about where you are in the standings when you were as low as I was and I was out of the Top 35,” Teel admitted. “It did come down to that last day. I don’t know. Just focused on getting that first one. That was all I really was worried about right there, doing my job in that moment, and it worked out.”
Teel took care of business against Danny Boy, riding him for 86.25 points. Teel then made sure to solidify himself back inside the Top 30 of the world standings by conquering Milk Man for 89.75 points in the championship round for a second-place finish overall in the event.
Once he returned to his RV to grab his things and head home, Teel was back to a comfortable No. 24 in the world standings.
“It was a big relief,” Teel said. “Kind of take a breath there. I am moving in the right direction for once this year. It felt good. It felt like I got it all together. I have been working hard at it during the week and it felt good when it paid off there. I still have to work to do.”
Coincidentally, Teel has randomly drawn Milk Man for Round 2 this weekend at the PBR Lucas Oil Invitational, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, at the Lazy E Arena. It will be the fifth time the duo has met. Teel is 3-1 so far in his career against Milk Man.
Teel was happy last weekend to see Milk Man available in the latter half of the championship round draft.
“I have had some success on him in the past,” Teel said. “In my opinion, the trip that he had with me Sunday was the best trip he has ever had with me. He really bucked with fire. Coming off the break, just feeling great. So it all worked out. I was really pleased with it and it felt great.
“I ended up coming back kind of low (in the championship round) but I had a good pick and somehow managed to pull off a second place finish at the end with everyone coming down. Thankfully, it worked out.”
Teel will first take on Two Socks (4-0, UTB) in Round 1 Saturday night (CBS Sports Network / RidePass 8 p.m. ET).
The PBR Lucas Oil Invitational concludes Sunday with the championship round at 2 p.m. ET live on CBS national television.
Teel missed two months this season after he aggravated torn ligaments in his right knee that first occurred back during the 2019 World Finals.
During the time off, Teel, who went 0-for-2 three weeks ago in his first return to competition, worked hard on not only his knee, but also getting himself back in the right frame of mind.
He was not being aggressive on the back of a 1,800-pound opponent. His timing and rhythm were not where they needed to be, and his riding percentage (37.5%) was a representation of that.
“It hasn’t actually necessarily been hurting me while riding,” Teel said. “It hasn’t bothered me at all. It just happens to be riding with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. Being timid and hesitant. Not riding bulls like I need to, and that was showing in my riding, and also on get-offs putting me in bad sports, being scared of hurting that knee.
“What I have been doing lately is getting on a lot of practice bulls during the week. I told myself if I am not getting it fixed, I am going to ride through it and get over it. That is what I have been doing.”
Teel was not just getting on simple practice bulls to stay loose.
He instead was getting on bulls with fellow Texan Boudreaux Campbell that challenged him on a consistent basis. Ones that would not be a walk in the park.
“I have been hard at it and getting on some bulls that will challenge me,” Teel added. “In the practice pen, I was about 50-50 because I was getting on some bulls that I don’t like getting on. Trying to make it work on them, and working on things I need to get better at. It was really fun. I hadn’t been on practice bulls like that in quite a while. It kind of brought it all back, the perspective of why I do it and why I love bull riding. It was fun getting on and trying new things.”
Now that he has a spot back inside the Top 30, Teel is going to keep pushing forward.
He feels he is now closer to the rider that won the PRCA title in 2012 and the one that concluded 2018 ranked No. 3 in the world standings than the one that was struggling this first half of the season.
“For sure,” Teel said. “I am in the best position to do that than I have been all year. Not just because I was able to get a second-place finish, but just because of the way I felt on those two bulls. If I would have finished eighth or 10th, I would still feel the same as I do right now just because of how I felt on those two bulls and put it all together.
“I am pretty confident going forward. It is not going to be easy by no means because for everybody that has been watching at the Lazy E, it has been some of the rankest pen of bulls we have seen being in a hot spot right there in central Oklahoma. It has been a tough, tough competition.
“It is moving forward. Last weekend was last weekend; it is going to be a new challenge. I am looking forward to it.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.