PUEBLO, Colo. – Paulo Crimber spent the 2024 Unleash The Beast season in his most important role: supportive dad, helping his son John Crimber chase a world title and ultimately finish the season ranked No. 2.
Now that the UTB season is in the books, he turns his full focus to his other role – head coach of the Florida Freedom.
Crimber, who coached the Arizona Ridge Riders alongside Colby Yates, is now on his own with the squad in the Sunshine State.
“I’m very excited,” Crimber said. “Especially now – we have the first pick in the draft. I’m really excited to get back at it. I’m excited to work with the new team, the guys, and some of the prospects we’re looking to draft, and I think it’s going to be good.”
With no assistant coach, Crimber says his role has him serving almost as coach and GM, allowing him more control over his team.
“Arizona was good, too,” Crimber said. “It was a great experience. We did great. We won second the first year, and then got third the second year. I’m going to miss the guys because that was the first team I put together with the guys. I’ve never had a problem working with people – I’m always good about that. I think now it’s different because there, Casey (Lane) made most of the decisions, and we kind of talked through it, but he always has the final say in the matter. And this one, it’s me. It's all me. If I win, it’s on me. If I lose, it’s on me. It’s just a different format. It’s not like it’s better or worse. I learned a lot with Casey, Colby and those guys, and we did a great job, but I think this is just different because it’s all on me. And I like that spot, I really do, because I think I have great ideas to run with. And just going to be – certain that it’s either going to work, and if it doesn’t, we learn with it and change some stuff.”
As Crimber said, Florida has the No. 1 pick in the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series New Rider Draft, which will be held on May 29 in Nashville (7 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV).
And with John the top prospect in the pool of eligible riders… well, there’s not too much mystery about who the No. 1 pick will be.
Florida secured the No. 1 pick back in April.
“I screamed, and I didn’t even want to scream – it just came out,” Crimber said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was so nervous.
“I know a lot of guys were looking at John, and there are some teams that have been trying to trade picks and stuff. But I think it’ll be great for the Freedom to have John to build a team around, and some older guys, some younger guys that can work together. John knows all of them, and they’re friends, and I think the environment’s going to be great. I’m looking forward to have a family bonded team together. We’re going to be all in. I’m excited about that.”
John has already joined Freedom’s strategic team, helping Paulo review potential draft picks and discuss prospects.
“I’ve asked him about some guys I’ve been looking at, asked his opinion about it and stuff, because we’ve got two first-round picks,” Paulo said. “We’ve got first and sixth, and I’ve been looking at some guys in Brazil. Me and him talk about it, and he helps me look over some guys and some younger guys I maybe don’t know. I ask him about it, and we talk.”
At just 18 years old, the younger Crimber may seem like an interesting resource to tap, but he’s grown up around the business and is well on his way to becoming a star. Not only that, but he knows his stuff.
“He was picking bulls for some of the guys at the World Finals when he was 14, helping them with bulls,” Paulo said. “He knows. He knows a lot of bulls.”
But the Florida Freedom isn’t just the Crimbers. Paulo inherited the roster of the former Oklahoma Freedom when the team relocated, and he’s excited to dig in with his riders.
“I’m excited about Thiago (Salgado),” Crimber said. “I’m excited about Alex (Cerqueira). I’m excited about Elizmar (Jeremias). I’m excited about Joao Lucas (Campos). We’ve got Conner (Halverson). We’ve got Caden Bunch. I mean, I think we look pretty good.”
With two first-round draft picks on their way, the Freedom will soon look even better.
While we know the first rider that will be donning the red, white and blue, Crimber still has criteria for the other riders he’s looking for.
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“The guy has to be good not just inside the arena, but outside the arena, because they’re representing a brand, and I don’t want anybody that doesn’t respect that,” he said. “That’s first. Then I want a guy whose riding style fits what I’m looking for, but the first thing is grit and heart. Everybody’s looking for that, and it’s something we have a hard time finding lately. It’s thinning up a little bit.
“It’s just more like a tough guy that’s going to lay everything on the line, and that’s going to give everything they’ve got, and that’s going to be a team player, respect the brand. That’s what we’re going to build. Now I’ve got a place, we’ve got an arena, we’ve got bulls – we’re going to work out and do everything together, and I think it’s going to be fun.”
The Freedom plan to host a training camp in June at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, not too far from their home base in Sunrise. It’ll be three days of training, plus quintessential Floridian activities like deep-sea fishing, and interaction with the South Florida community.
While PBR Teams is new to Florida, bull riding – and Crimber himself – is not.
“We’ve had some events there because I broke my neck in Orlando,” Crimber said. “We have it in Tampa, Orlando. We’ve had it in a lot of places there. And now we’re bringing it back. That’s why I want to get the community in, just kind of get everybody involved and show them how good we can be, get their support, and just kind of see if we can get their help to make a great team and make them proud.”
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media
