FORT WORTH, Texas – As the captain of your squad; any sport, any season, any environment, part of the leader’s duties involve setting the standard.
In the community, in the gym, at practice and especially on the dirt/turf/ice/pitch etc.
And while Andrew Alvidrez has a reputation of being a humble, involved member in his neighborhood and top-tier example of what it means to be a well-rounded rider, he thrives in the gym more than most cowboys on tour.
“We’re hitting the gym every day,” he shared plain and simply.
“Even the days I ride because I’m not building myself for the weekend. Everything I’m doing today is for next year. I remind myself, every bull I get on, it’s not just for this weekend, it’s for the bull rider two years coming. I feel like what we do today matters in the future.”
The grind comes naturally to the Seminole, Texas, native, as his fitness-first approach has been in the works for nearly two decades now. But there comes a time for all athletes, artists and creators of the sort where it’s healthy to think outside the box and explore other areas needing improvement.
“My dad embedded it in me. I remember my first time working out. I was in fourth grade and he made me do six sets of 50 pushups and six sets of minute wall sits because we come from a family where, just like the Western culture, strong work ethic is admired,” Alvidrez shared.
“My dad always told me you want to be the guy; whether it’s on a job site, riding bulls, whatever it is … be that guy that’s willing to do more than another person. I’m still evolving, man. Not to sound arrogant, but I know I’m the strongest guy in this locker room, so what else do I have to elevate? I have to figure that out, elevate that, and bring the same effort I do in the gym to whatever else is going to help me level up.”
While we’d love to see Alvidrez, Keyshawn Whitehorse and other physically-forward riders compete in an arm-wrestling contest to settle that one day, we’ll take his word for now.
When a prideful man like the Missouri Thunder captain has seemingly seen it all over the past 18 months, from being ranked No. 1 in the world to sinking deep into the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) standings, it’s appropriate to question things.
Thankfully for the 27-year-old, he was able to ditch a bit of the funk he was experiencing when it counted most.
“I’m a big spiritual guy, so I knew it was going to come. It was all in my Creator’s timing,” Alvidrez shared following the big conversion.
“It gives me more reassurance. I questioned my ability at times. I questioned circumstances in life and he always reassures me. ‘Hey, I’m here. Just keep pressing on. Keep going and it’s all going to work out.’”
Teaming up with Dark Thoughts for a campaign-high 89.25-point strike Sunday afternoon during the final of four Eliminations rounds, he couldn’t have picked a better time to go the distance, for the conversion earned him a spot at this weekend’s 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship inside AT&T Stadium.
Logging an 89-point journey atop Sneaky Situation during his season debut in Tucson, Arizona, on November 10, some six months ago, Alvidrez originally got his 2024 slate off to a hot start.
However, his next premier series conversion didn’t come until March 29.
Teaming up with Buck Cherry for his first qualified ride on Unleash The Beast in 140 days, the spark kickstarted his 3-for-4, fourth-place finish in Nampa, Idaho. Which not only represented his best finish since winning consecutive UTB events in Albany and New York City, New York back in the 2023 but went a long way in helping the veteran to qualify for World Finals.
The three-plus-month stint between those qualified rides?
That’s where the grind comes in. Harnessing one’s mental fortitude, and ultimately believing in yourself to dig your way out and ascend back to the top.
Being relegated to the secondary tour in itself isn’t the most exciting of experiences. Covering one out of every four bulls on said level, just the same.
Entering Fort Worth, Texas, last week with just six premier series conversions (6-for-35) and a mere seven successful attempts in the PWVT world (7-for-25), it wasn’t a pretty stretch for Alvidrez.
But in a reality where it’s typically darkest before dawn, the dark knight can always rise again.
“This is the most humbling sport. One moment you’re on top of the world. The next moment, you’re back in the trenches. I lean on that. I’ve gotten to the top before in worse circumstances. Now I have the resources I’ve acquired through my success. Let’s do the same thing, you know what I mean? God forbid I get cut next year. It’s not going to falter my spirit because I know what it takes to get to this level. Now it’s all about getting to No. 1 and maintain that level,” he said.
“I remind myself that I’ve been No. 1 in the world before and I lean on that. I’ve gotten into that position. I can do it again.”
That’s the beauty of this season’s enticing new World Finals format. It recognizes both riders who have put in the season-long grind while also rewarding the hottest riders of the postseason.
And while each of Alvidrez, Sage Steele Kimzey, Silvano Alves, Claudio Montanha Jr. and Dener Barbosa haven’t performed to the top of their potential in 2024, they surely aren’t upset about punching their respective tickets to the May 18-19 finale inside Jerry World via the unique Eliminations format.
RELATED: Seven-time World Champion Sage Steele Kimzey leads event qualifiers into AT&T Stadium
One of 20 riders from the inaugural weekend to fight for his right to party, tying 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen for eighth place during Eliminations, he was officially into the big dance himself, with six of the event’s Top 7-perfprming athletes having already secured their respective spots.
Having recorded the highest-scored ride during the 2023 iteration of the endgame showdown, we know he’s got plenty of next-level capability.
And despite plenty going on upstairs when it comes to improving and preparing for his craft, once Alvidrez begins the journey inside the home of the National Football League’s (NFL) Dallas Cowboys, he’s staying vanilla.
“Just keep it simple. Ride my bulls and let the outcome take care of itself."
With the final five spots inside Jerry World up for grabs May 15-16, be sure to grab your tickets to the two-day showdown inside the legendary Cowtown Coliseum!
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
