![a32c37a5-3922-4666-bb70-68f907443def.jpg](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2F7sel2bql6qur%2FmJfxao6NdPZocKAS8QmGw2%2F78e06e603ad8c8fdc949b1707f9d6caa%2Fa32c37a5-3922-4666-bb70-68f907443def.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
PUEBLO, Colo. – The goal has always remained the same for Cody Webster when he steps foot inside the bull riding arena.
It does not matter if Webster is fighting bulls at the PBR Global Cup USA at AT&T Stadium or at the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field.
Nor does his goal change if Webster is helping his buddies in the practice pen or at a Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event.
“The job is always the same,” Webster said this week during some down time at the NFR. “Step in and save everybody and keep these guys safe as I can. That is always my main goal.”
Webster never tries to purposely launch himself in front of a 2,000-pound animal for the sake of garnering a viral social media clip or for superstar fandom.
The true bullfighting greats are not just physical athletes in the arena, but they are selfless, courageous, fearless and willing to sacrifice their own safety for the protection of the athletes that have entrusted them with their lives.
That is why Webster has always cherished being selected to work the PBR World Finals and the NFR over receiving any individual accolades. When the sport’s top bull riders trust you with their lives and safety, there is no greater pat on the back a bullfighter can receive.
However, even Webster hoped one day he would be named the PRCA Bullfighter of the Year, which is the ultimate honor a bullfighter can receive in the PRCA.
“To be named that, and get the credential for it, is unreal,” Webster said earlier this week. “It is something I have wanted to do for a long time. My main goal has always been to make the Finals and do my job when I get here. But, at the same time, it has been in the back of my mind as something I wanted to do. The Finals buckles are the ones I was always after first and foremost though.”
View this post on Instagram
Webster has been blown away by a different aspect of being named the 2020 PRCA Bullfighter of the Year on Dec. 2. Receiving a gold buckle saying you are the best in the business is a gratifying moment, but the honor for Webster is everything that happened in the moments following his acceptance of the award.
Dusty Tuckness, who had won the previous 10 PRCA Bullfighter of the Year awards, was the first man to step forward and give him a celebratory hug. Minutes later, the news from inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth had begun to spread across social media, and a series of congratulatory texts and phone calls sent Webster’s phone into a buzzing and vibrating spiral.
“Getting a buckle is really cool, it is something I will dang sure cherish and hang onto for the rest of my life, but man, the amount of people that have reached out. The calls, the texts, just the overall support of thousands of people. When your phone dies the next day because it is blowing up is unreal,” Webster said. “That really hits home to me. The buckle is cool, but the amount of support says it all. It has been really cool. There hasn’t been one sour person. It has been really, really cool.”
Webster won the award via vote of the PRCA’s best bull riders, and he is the first bullfighter to be selected to work the PBR World Finals, the NFR and be named the Bullfighter of the Year since Joe Baumgartner in 2007.
The six-time PBR World Finals qualifier was unable to work the 2020 PBR World Finals because of the PBR’s COVID-19 protocols, but he has since made a full recovery and is working the NFR this week.
“I am pretty sure this is my ninth year to be nominated for (Bullfighter of the Year),” Webster said. “To get nominated nine years in a row and to always come up short, it is just one of those deals. This is huge to win. It is so cool.”
Webster is the only premier series PBR bullfighter that balances both a PRCA and PBR schedule, and it takes precise planning, let alone the physical training, to make sure he reaches the necessary threshold in the PRCA to become eligible for the NFR.
The Oklahoma native had to work at least eight pro rodeos, with a minimum of 20 performances, to make himself eligible for the 2020 NFR.
“It is so tough to balance the whole entire schedule,” Webster said. “I want to be there for the guys on the PBR tour and I want to here for the guys in the PRCA. When I am just rodeoing full time that is not too hard to get to, but when you are trying to do rodeo full time and the PBR full time, it is kind of getting tricky to keep it all together. It is a lot of miles. You are going coast to coast throughout the summer, and coming into August, September, October, you are working a rodeo four or five days of the week and then flying in to work a PBR on the weekend. It is a crazy hectic schedule, but I am young, and I just really enjoy what I get to do and I am thankful for that.”
WEBSTER EXCITED FOR UNLEASH THE BEAST: AMERICAN ROOTS EDITION
Webster will take a few weeks off following the NFR before the Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition begins the 2021 season in Tucson, Arizona, at the historic Tucson Rodeo Grounds on Jan. 9-10.
The annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson is the largest outdoor winter rodeo in the United States, but Webster has actually never fought bulls there. Normally he has had a scheduling conflict, so he is certainly excited to experience another historical rodeo stop this year.
Webster said the American Roots Edition of the Unleash The Beast will be a great opportunity for some of the PBR’s best bull riders to get a taste of Western sports history. Similar to the nostalgia that comes with holding Last Cowboy Standing at Cheyenne Frontier Days, Webster expects riders, such as 2020 World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, to appreciate the opportunity to visit the roots of the sport.
“It will be neat, these guys being able to experience some of the rodeo heritage and history,” Webster said. “It is a cool deal. Jose has come from Brazil and to be a PBR World Champion, but we go to indoor buildings every weekend. We have the same setup every weekend. There is something to it when you get to roll into town for those old school rodeos that have been around for ages. Speaking of Tucson or, hell, Del Rio for that matter. There is a lot of history that goes on. There has been a lot of bulls bucked out of them bucking chutes. It is neat. It gives you a little different perspective of what the rodeo mentality is and the rodeo heritage, but at the same time you get to bring the PBR in.”
UPDATED BEGINNING 2021 UTB SCHEDULE
January 9-10 Tucson, AZ – Tucson Rodeo Grounds
January 16-17 Payson, AZ – Payson Rodeo Grounds
January 23-24 Pecos, TX – Buck Jackson Arena
January 30-31 Del Rio, TX – Val Verde County Fairgrounds
February 13-14 To be announced in Florida
February 20-21 To be announced in Florida
February 27-28 Longview, TX – Longview Rodeo Arena
March 6-7 To be announced in Louisiana
“It is going to be a really cool deal for everybody to get to go experience the ultimate rodeo experience,” Webster said. “Cheyenne is a prime example of that. We have a PBR event, but it is outdoor right there in the same arena. The same crowd, but it has a different feel but you know you are the Daddy of ‘em All.
“You see all the movies and clipping when you are growing up watching rodeo. Now you get to roll your bag into those place.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media