DENVER – In his debut on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, Ky Hamilton had to bear down and get tough.
In his Round 1 ride on Guy Brother’s Cookies & Cream at the Denver Chute Out at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, Hamilton was uncomfortable and out of sync from the beginning. But the Mackay, Australia native managed to make it work to the tune of 81.5 points.
Not the best score, but a score nonetheless, and he sits in 11th place after the first night of competition.
“That bull was sort of stutter-stepping, and sort of a bit funky going out there, and it was messing my timing up,” Hamilton said. “And then when he come around I felt good, and I guess I just should’ve started spurring, and it might’ve kept my feet down. And at the end there, he got me bowed down, but gave me something to work with, I guess.
“To be honest, it felt like shit,” he said with a laugh. “But I guess I just had to get tough and get the job done.”
The Denver Chute Out continues on Tuesday and Wednesday. Round 1 is split over the course of Monday and Tuesday, with the Top 30 riders overall qualifying for Round 2 on Wednesday. The Top 15 riders in following the first two rounds then advance to the championship round.
Fans can watch all of the action from Denver live on RidePass beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
While he’s new to the Velocity Tour, Hamilton is no stranger to PBR competition. He competed in Touring Pro Division events in 2019, was a PBR Australia regular in 2018 and competed for Team Australia at the PBR Global Cup in Sydney in 2018.
Lately, however, Hamilton has been focusing on the rodeo circuit, particularly as a member of the rodeo team at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. While he had to sit out of three college rodeos last semester after transferring from Odessa College, he has five on the docket for this semester.
“It was just an easy way for me to get over here and get started,” Hamilton said of his decision to attend college. “Being on scholarship, of course, helps. I thought I’d use it for a stepping stone, that and pro rodeo, and then slowly work into the PBR.
“It’s pretty good. I get along with some other kids down there that do other events in rodeo, and I’ve got C.J. Aragon, the coach down there, he’s very supportive and does whatever he can to help me out. I’m very thankful.”
While Australians don’t have a language barrier when they make the jump to the U.S., Hamilton did struggle with driving on the opposite side of the road.
And, of course, with that infamous Aussie slang.
“The slang’s very different,” he said, laughing. “I’ll say something and people will look at me, like, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’”
Luckily, Hamilton wasn’t the only Australian on hand in Denver. Lane Mellers also competed Monday, riding Juicy Fruit for 84 points and a tie for seventh place on night one, while Aaron Kleier, Lawson Nobbs and Brady Fielder are in the draw Tuesday night.
Hamilton will also be competing for Team Australia once again at the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy. At the 2018 edition of the event in Sydney, Hamilton converted in his only out, an 81.5-point ride aboard Dark Destroyer.
Thus far, the Australian roster competing for head coach Troy Dunn and assistant coach Brendon Clark consists of Hamilton, Cliff Richardson and Lachlan Richardson. The four remaining picks (three riders and one alternate) will be announced in the coming weeks.
Making his second Global Cup appearance, Hamilton looks back on his first fondly.
“It was probably the best thing I’ve ever been involved in,” Hamilton said. “Of course, being with Troy Dunn, he’s someone I’ve always looked up to, someone who’s always helped me along, so to be around him and have him in your ear, I can’t think of anything else that’s better than that.
“And then being around all the other boys, Lachy, Richardson and Nathan Burtenshaw, I’ve got a good friendly rivalry with them, so I enjoy being around them. We’re always trying to outdo each other, but at the end of the day we’re there for each other, so it’s good to be around them.”
Team Australia came heartbreakingly close to a Global Cup title in Sydney, falling just 0.75 points behind champion Team Brazil, but placed fourth in Arlington, Texas, in 2019.
But the Aussies are ready to come back and prove themselves in 2020.
“I’ve got 100% confidence in all the guys on the team, as well as myself and Troy,” Hamilton said. “And I know that we put in the hard yards, we got just as much chance as everyone else there. So we’re just going to go in there with our hammers cocked and ready to go show them what we’ve got.”
It’s been a tough time for Australia lately, with historic bushfires ravaging large swaths of the country. Hamilton’s hometown of Mackay is far enough north that it hasn’t been in the danger zone, with Hamilton’s family getting some rain over Christmas.
But he says he knows plenty of people in the affected area, and it’s something that’s on his mind as he competes on the other side of the world.
“I know they’re dealing pretty tough,” Hamilton said. “But that’s a tough nation down there, and they’ll come together and get it sorted.
“You see a lot of it on Facebook, and on the news and that, and it makes you think of everyone at home. And I guess it just makes you thankful for what you’re able to do over here, and it makes you want to do your job better, and make the country proud.”
To make a donation to assist Australian relief efforts, please visit redcross.org.au/pbr
