Pozzobon relishes challenge
Ty Pozzobon wanted a challenge. He certainly found one.
He pulled Mr. Buddy at the Calgary Stampede’s bull-riding event, a development the Merritt, B.C., cowboy considered to be rather tasty.
“That bull is exactly what I wanted,” said Pozzobon. “I knew that I was going to have my hands full, but I knew that our styles fit each other.” And he would know. He had jumped on Mr. Buddy in Clovis, Calif., in April — and rattled off 89.5 points. Wednesday? Same thing. Exactly. Which was enough to vault Pozzobon into first for the day, the second go-round of Pool B. Next had been Mike Lee, of Fort Worth, Texas; Zane Lambert of Ponoka; J.B. Mauney of Mooresville, N.C.
“He gave me a little more trouble than he did before,” said Pozzobon. “He was a little more bull here in Calgary — must have been the atmosphere, I guess. I knew I was just a little bit out and I had to gas it the whole ride to get there. I never really did get the sweet spot on him. But it was long enough. It was a fight.”
Coming into Calgary, he’d prevailed in Cody, Wyo., then won high average in Ponoka.
“It’s been a hot streak for me,” said Pozzobon. “A pretty awesome month. But I haven’t been thinking about all that — that’s in the past now. You’ve got to live for the present and take each bull at a time. The bulls don’t care how hot you’ve been in the last month.”