FORT WORTH, Texas – When the calendar flipped to 2022, Brady Oleson started the PBR season with zero expectations.
And that’s not just lip service.
Oleson had made his premier series debut in 2018, but surgery on his riding wrist that April and left shoulder surgery five months later had him using alcohol to cope.
Just over a year ago, the 25-year-old admitted himself into a 60-day alcohol addiction treatment program at The Renaissance Ranch Treatment Center in Logan, Utah. He then joined the Renaissance Ranch’s outpatient program and still attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
RELATED: After reclaiming his life, bull riding career is cherry on top for Oleson
“After I won the first Velocity (in January in Portland, Oregon), I kind of started thinking, ‘We’re back, and yeah, I’d like to make the World Finals,’” Oleson said. “And so that’s kind of a goal I set a month or two in, and we hit that. That’s about as much pressure as I put on myself. I wanted to kind of focus on my life, too, kind of stay put together, not fall apart.”
Oleson did indeed qualify for his first PBR World Finals, and he immediately made it count. He rode Alakazam for 91.25 points – the highest score of his PBR career – to win Round 1.
“It went really well,” Oleson said. “I just kept telling myself up there, ‘Keep moving. Keep going.’ Lately, I’ve had a lot of 6, 7-second bull rides, and it’s frustrating, but I kind of came here with nothing to lose. I’m in 33rd (in the world standings). I don’t really have a whole lot of pressure. And I just knew that bull was going to be good, and I just needed to keep going for the full 8.”
Coming in with such modest hopes for himself had one distinct benefit: no nerves. Oleson says he felt completely normal when he nodded his head on bull riding’s biggest stage.
“Even at normal events, the only pressure I have is what I put on myself,” Oleson said. “I kind of came into this with no pressure at all. I told myself whatever happens, we’re going to put out the most effort we can, and however we leave here, we leave here.”
It’s also allowed him to enjoy his World Finals experience to the fullest.
“It’s actually been really fun,” Oleson said. “They take care of you pretty good here. That’s pretty sweet, just to show up, go to check-ins and all that. We got a bunch of cool stuff, and I’ve been staying busy with all the events going on and stuff.”
Oleson finished ahead of Joao Ricardo Vieira (90.25 points on Flapjack), Dalton Kasel (90.25 points on Tulsa Time) and Mason Taylor (90.25 points on Overcross), who tied for second place. Cody Jesus (89 points on Short Circuit) rounded out the Top 5.
Placing so high in Round 1 set Oleson up well for Round 2 as he got the first pick in the draft, allowing him to choose his ideal opponent. He ultimately decided to take on Juju in Round 2 (8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network).
“Just taking it day by day,” Oleson said. “Obviously, I want to ride each bull I get on, but just put out the effort and give myself a shot to do well. So staying out of my own way.
“It really just comes down to me doing my job.”
The 2022 PBR World Finals is a marathon, not a sprint – eight rounds of competition in 10 days – and Oleson’s focus now turns to the work he still has to do.
But after such a long and winding road to be bull riding again, let alone get to the World Finals, Oleson is taking a moment to appreciate the journey and what he’s accomplished.
“Life has a funny way of working out, because this season’s been hard,” Oleson said. “I haven’t done the best, and with all of it kind of being new, in sobriety, there’s been some hard times. But you just keep going, and you get nights like these every once in a while, so it makes it more worth it.”
PBR WORLD FINALS: UNLEASH THE BEAST
Fort Worth, TX, 2022
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Round 5-Round 6-Round 7-Round 8-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Brady Oleson, 91.25-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-91.25-89 Points.
2. João Ricardo Vieira, 90.25-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-90.25-45 Points.
(tie). Dalton Kasel, 90.25-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-90.25-45 Points.
(tie). Mason Taylor, 90.25-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-90.25-45 Points.
5. Cody Jesus, 89-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-89.00-36 Points.
6. Josh Frost, 88.75-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-88.75-32 Points.
7. Ezekiel Mitchell, 88.5-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-88.50-28 Points.
8. Eli Vastbinder, 87.5-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-87.50-24 Points.
9. Jose Vitor Leme, 85.75-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-85.75-16.33 Points.
(tie). Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 85.75-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-85.75-16.33 Points.
(tie). Andrew Alvidrez, 85.75-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-85.75-16.33 Points.
12. Brady Fielder, 84.25-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-84.25-12 Points.
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Clayton Sellars, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Marcilio, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Davis, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Casey Coulter, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.00