WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Ahead of the 2019 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, Team USA-Wolves Coach Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) has selected Navajo athletes Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah) and Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) as the next two riders for his seven-man contingent comprised exclusively of Native American bull riders.
The PBR Global Cup, the only nation vs. nation international bull riding competition, will make its US debut and third stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 9-10, 2019.
In Arlington, the PBR Global Cup will debut a new competitive element for the international competition. The home team, which in the past has received an advantage by fielding more riders whose qualified ride scores contributed to the overall team aggregate, will now be split into two teams of seven bull riders.
For the U.S. stop, the host country will add a team comprised exclusively of Native American riders, called the Wolves, competing against the other American team, the Eagles, and all visiting teams.
“They were on my list even before I started looking at other Native American riders,” Petersen said of Whitehorse and Jesus. “These guys are proven. They have been to PBR events. They have been on rank bulls. They have proven they can ride them.”
Whitehorse, part of the Kin ichii'nii (Red House People Clan), is having the best season of his four-year professional career, currently ranked No. 15 in the world and leading the 2018 Rookie of the Year race. He joins the team with Global Cup experience on his resume having competed at the five-nation showdown’s latest stop this past June in Sydney, Australia.
Recently crowned the 2017 CBR (Championship Bull Riding) Champion, Jesus will be making his Global Cup debut in Arlington. This season on the elite 25th PBR: Unleash The Beast, after earning the annual Native American invite to the Ty Murray Invitational, Jesus notably finished seventh in Albuquerque. Among his accomplishments, the 20-year-old is also the 2016 INFR (Indian National Finals Rodeo) bull riding champion.
The duo of Navajo riders join the already announced Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) of the Cherokee Nation, and Stetson Lawrence (Williston, North Dakota), who has ties to the Chippewa and Sioux, as competitors on the Team USA – Wolves roster.
Their team will be squaring off against five other seven-rider squads including:
Team USA -- Eagles coached by Justin McBride (Elk City, Oklahoma) and including riders Cooper Davis (Buna, Texas) and Cody Nance (Paris, Tennessee).
Team Australia coached by Troy Dunn (Bloomsbury, Queensland) and including riders Nathan Burtenshaw (Coonamble, New South Wales) and Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South Wales).
Team Brazil coached by Renato Nunes (Buritama, Brazil) and including riders Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) and Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil).
Team Canada coached by Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) and including riders Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) and Tanner Byrne (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan).
Team Mexico coached by Gerardo Venegas (Juarez, Mexico) and including riders Juan Carlos Contreras (Huichapan, Mexico) and Jorge Valdiviezo (La Mision, Mexico).
Tickets for the WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA are on sale now and start at just $10. They can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, PBR.com, or by calling PBRDirect at (800)732-1727.
