NASHVILLE – It hasn’t been a perfect start to the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series for the (4-6) Missouri Thunder.

Finding themselves on the wrong side of several close calls throughout the opening four events, the Thunder have produced at least one ride in nine of ten games so far. Furthermore, Missouri has been able to drum up two ride scores in four of their last five losses.

In a league where one ride can sometimes win a contest, things just haven’t fallen their way much.

But when the team walked out of Bridgestone Arena Friday night, they were a perfect 1-0 in Music City, as the team revisited the win column courtesy of a scrappy 175.5-74.5 win over the (4-6) Arizona Ridge Riders.

For as much of a rough start they have endured, they’re now one of five teams with four wins, respectively, as the league standings continue to represent utter chaos. Another win or two this weekend could quickly catapult the contingent into Top 4 range. Which would be one hell of a come-up.

With the team last securing a win two weekends ago during the PBR Teams: Freedom Days showdown in Sunrise, Florida, it had been 13 days since the red and yellow unit got the job done.

And despite not drawing into the starting lineup as the team continues to rotate through personnel, Andrew Alvidrez ensured his team some momentum for Saturday night, if not putting quite the exclamation mark on Game 2, in besting his opening night opponent for a sound 88.75 points.

“That’s the part, sometimes we think about these wins and losses so much that it’s almost like our guys feel that too. If we really get highs and lows about it. All of the bullshit comes down to we just have to put in the work and ride bulls. Let the winning and losing take care of itself. We know what our job is supposed to be and we know if we put in the work all week we’re going to be prepared and ready,” Thunder Head Coach Ross Coleman said.

“Primo was. Primo was prepared tonight and ready. He’s been working his butt off at home. He’s lost ten pounds and he’s been training hard. Riding practice bulls and getting better. So, we’re just going to keep that rolling.”

Somehow marking the veteran’s first conversion of the season (now 2-for-8) as the talented Seminole, Texas, native has struggled in 2024, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a guy who’s easy to root for. He’s one of the hardest working guys on tour – things just haven’t gone his way much this summer.

The same could be said for Boudreaux Campbell (2-for-10) and Felipe Furlan (3-for-9), who were and are expected to be leading this team from atop the chutes rather than on the bench. But with the squad featuring one of the deepest rosters in the league, Coleman and company aren’t afraid of mixing up some puzzle pieces as they continue to figure things out.

“That’s hard for me and (General Manager) Luke (Snyder) both. We talk about our guys so much and we want to give them all a chance. I love the starting five I guess you could say, but we’ve changed it up. We roll the dice a lot and we’re not afraid of it. I want to give all of my guys a bull if possible. But we’re going to be smart, too. We’re going to be taking care of business,” he shared.

“Primo and Boudreaux and Felipe have been having hell a little bit lately so maybe sitting out for a little bit might light a fire underneath them a little bit. It would be if I was them. I talk to them every day about it. They’re going to have to bring their A game and they’re going to have to come prove themselves tomorrow.”

Hinting at a possible shift once more for Saturday’s slate, Coleman saw the pep in Alvidrez’s step Friday night. Turning to the veteran after Grayson Cole was awarded a re-ride opportunity, it was good to see his captain step up. For the man himself, but more importantly, to help spark a run here as the season approaches its mid-way point.

“Momentum is for real in bull riding. Everybody knows that. Sometimes you start off with two 88-point rides right off the bat and it feels like everybody is going to stay on. Momentum is so real. But in the long run when it comes down to all of these wins and losses, which it’s true – you want to make sure you get the wins, that’s important. But if we over-think about that too much … If we think ‘win, win, win, win’ and shove it down your throat, then the pressure is on about that,” Coleman added.

“All we have to do is try to ride bulls. We just have to keep it simple. If you get bucked off one, go get better tomorrow. If you go stomp one down, go stomp one down again tomorrow. Sometimes we get to rolling too hot and heavy about just winning.”

Teaming up with Alvidrez to deliver the Thunder a big win, Paulo Eduardo Rossetto did exactly that – Lined another up and knocked another down.

“Just a workhorse. He loves what he does. He loves his job,” he said.

“Left hand down. Right hand down. He just loves to ride bulls. He’s such a good cowboy and he loves this sport.”

Capable of riding into or out of either hand, the ambidextrous rider was on display once more!

Now a team-high 7-for-11 on the season and successful aboard six of his last seven bulls, which includes a flashy 88.75-point conversion he produced in Friday's Shootout Round, the 26-year-old has been putting in the work. And it’s showing.

“I tell my guys this all the time – I said every single team on this tour, all ten teams, have exceptionally great bull riders. I tell my guys every day, it’s going to be the team that puts in the work outside of the arena (who will win it all),” he concluded.

“At the gym, practice bulls, cowboy work. Get your ass up in the morning and go to work, every day, all day. Hard work – every day, all day. That’s our motto.”

Making a few tweaks to the lineup when Saturday night's showdown against the (4-6-1) Oklahoma Wildcatters rolled around, Alvidrez found himself in the starting five. Teaming up with Rossetto once again, the duo's efforts were enough for them to steal a .25-point win over the year one squad. Furlan was back in the lineup as well, but didn't have as much as Campbell did, who stole the show via an elite 92.5-point dance with Big Bank.

Turning their attention to the (4-7) Texas Rattlers on Sunday, who ditched a six-game losing streak on Saturday, the Thunder watched on as veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira walked-off the game during the bottom of the fifth in dramatic fashion, thus ending their weekend with a 2-1 record. Alvidrez went the distance Sunday, though, to wrap up his weekend with a flashy 3-for-3 slate.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com, @PBR social media channels and Merit Street broadcasts for all of this weekend’s PBR Teams: Stampede Days action!

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media