PUEBLO, Colo. – Andrew Alvidrez is perhaps one of the most well-rounded athletes in the PBR.
In high school, Alvidrez competed in football, powerlifting and swimming, qualifying for the state tournament in powerlifting.
So being back on a team is right up his alley.
Alvidrez was drafted in the fourth round by the Bass Pro Shops Missouri Thunder in the PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, on May 23.
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“This is the first time that bull riders will be put on a salary,” Alvidrez told Lee Scheide of the Odessa American. “I’m extremely excited; bull riding is a sport where you get paid when you do your job, otherwise you get nothing.
“Now we will be seen as real, professional athletes.”
Alvidrez joins Colten Fritzlan, Clayton Sellars, Cody Teel, and Jesse Petri under the tutelage of coaches Luke Snyder and Ross Coleman when the inaugural PBR Team Series season begins on July 25-26 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
It’s just the latest step in a career that, by all counts, came out of nowhere.
While Alvidrez’s father had trained racehorses, nobody in his family rodeoed. His fascination with bull riding began in front of a TV screen.
“When I was three, my mom would rent 8 Seconds,” Alvidrez said. “That movie made the decision for me to ride bulls.”
He began mutton busting, and by the time he was 8 years old, he was riding steers. At 13, he attempted to ride his first bull.
“It’s the same feeling as it is now,” he said. “It was badass, being that young.
“When I was 8, I started riding steers. I had done it so long; you don’t negotiate with yourself. You just do it.”
All the while, he participated in other sports while competing in open bull ridings on weekends. His was forward in bull riding was unclear – could he make a living doing what he loved?
Then he saw a PBR event on television, and suddenly he had his path.
Alvidrez attended Wharton County Junior College to compete in college rodeo, but after one semester decided that it was time to go pro.
“I wasn’t really interested in going to school,” Alvidrez said. “I learned that real quick.”
He began with the Touring Pro Division in 2015, working his way up and winning the 2018 Touring Pro Division Championship. He transitioned to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour before making his Unleash The Beast debut in 2020.
In three seasons on the premier series, he’s finished the season ranked No. 26 in the world standings each time.
Most recently, at the 2022 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in May, Alvidrez finished 10th, going 3-for-8, including a 91-point ride on La Grande in Round 6.
“I ended up 10th overall,” Alvidrez said of his effort at the event. “The bull (in the sixth round) was called La Grande, probably the biggest I’ve gotten on all year.
“It’s good to see your name climb up the ranks, to finish strong at the Finals.”
While he did finish strong, Alvidrez also broke his foot in Round 3 when Blue Duck pinned it against the chute gate.
In the coming weeks, he’ll shed the boot and get on practice bulls before slipping on his Thunder jersey and breaking new ground not only for himself, but for professional bull riding.