SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Freedom and Carolina Cowboys, which compete in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams bull riding league, today announced a trade sending Tate Pollmeier to the Carolina Cowboys in exchange for Conner Halverson and future considerations.
“We are pleased to have Conner join the Florida Freedom. I have been following his young career and believe his talent will be additive to our impressive roster,” said Florida Freedom Head Coach Paulo Crimber.
When PBR Teams launched in 2022, Halverson was selected in the fifth round of the league’s inaugural draft by the Austin Gamblers. Halverson appeared in five games for the Gamblers, helping the team finish the regular season No. 1 in the league.
After beginning the 2023 season as a free agent, Halverson was signed by the Carolina Cowboys in late September, going 1-for-3 in his limited time with the team.
In individual competition, Halverson, currently No. 25 in the Unleash The Beast standings, is a two-time World Finals qualifier and in 2023 was crowned the PBR Canada Rookie of the Year following a breakout season in Canada, including logging the high-marked ride of the Canadian National Finals.
Halverson hit his stride at the start of the 2024 season, finishing a career-best fifth at the first Major of the year in New York City to briefly rise inside the Top 15 in the race for the 2024 PBR World Championship, glittering gold buckle and accompanying $1 million bonus.
The charismatic Nebraskan joins the Freedom, who competed in Oklahoma for the league’s first two seasons, ahead of their debut homestand in Florida at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Aug. 2-4.
Halverson will ride side-by-side his fellow riders in Caden Bunch, Alex Cerqueira, Elizmar Jeremias and Thiago Salgado, among others, under the leadership of 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier and Head Coach Paulo Crimber.
“We’re happy to welcome Tate Pollmeier to the Carolina Cowboys,” said Carolina Cowboys General Manager Austin Dillon. “We would like to thank Connor Halverson for his time with the Carolina Cowboys and wish him the best.”
Pollmeier also began his PBR Teams career as a fifth-round selection in the bull riding league’s inaugural Draft, picked by the Kansas City Outlaws. After appearing in eight games for the Outlaws, Pollmeier was signed from Kansas City’s Reserve Roster to the then Oklahoma Freedom’s Protected Roster.
He concluded the league’s inaugural season going 2-for-7 for the Freedom as they finished fourth at the inaugural PBR Teams Championship.
Pollmeier returned to the Freedom’s roster in 2023, riding in three games before his season was cut short due to injury.
The 2023 campaign also marked Pollmeier’s rookie season in PBR’s premier individual competition series, the Unleash The Beast. He qualified for his first World Finals and finished inside the Top 20 in the race for the World Championship, winning five elite tour rounds in the process.
Pollmeier will join the Cowboys who boast a roster including 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis, 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen and seven-time PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey, under the leadership of PBR Co-Founder and Head Coach Jerome Davis.
The Carolina Cowboys will welcome the league for their third-annual PBR Cowboy Days Camping World Team Series homestand on Sept. 20-22 in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Greensboro Coliseum.
For more information about the Florida Freedom visit https://pbr.com/teams/florida-freedom,Florida Freedom on Facebook, @flfreedompbr on Instagram, or @FLFreedomPBR on Twitter.
For more information about the Carolina Cowboys visit https://pbr.com/teams/carolina-cowboys,Carolina Cowboys on Facebook, @carolinacowboyspbr on Instagram, or @CARCowboysPBR on Twitter.
Stay tuned to PBR.com for more information on the Florida Freedom, Carolina Cowboys and the league’s six other teams, and the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series season.
Photos courtesy of Bull Stock Media
