The gates have cracked, the season’s first bulls have bucked, and the 2025 PBR Camping World Team Series is officially underway. For the Nashville Stampede, the opening weekend in Oklahoma City was a mixed bag — a hard-earned win surrounded by two frustrating losses.

But if you think that early stumble has shaken this team’s confidence, think again.

Their confidence starts at the top. Head coach Justin McBride brings championship pedigree and unmatched insight to the arena. A two-time PBR World Champion, 2008 Ring of Honor inductee, and 2022 PBR Teams Coach of the Year, McBride still holds the all-time PBR record for most event wins in a season. He’s not just coaching riders — he’s building them with the same intensity and focus that defined his own legendary career.

Training camp is in the rearview mirror, but its lessons are still echoing through the practice pen. The Stampede is sharpening its focus ahead of Week 2 in Duluth, Georgia, where they’ll try to even their record and show that the offseason work wasn’t for nothing.

Feet first: building from the ground up
At camp, the coaches didn’t waste time chasing highlight-reel moments. Their focus was clear: fundamentals first.

Before anyone climbed on a bull, riders took to horseback to work on posture, foot placement and control — the kind of details that make or break a ride eight seconds later. In one moment, coach zeroed in on Jefferson Silva’s stance.

“See how your feet are forward like that?” McBride asked Silva, eyes locked on his balance. “As long as they’re in front of you, you'll never be able to get off your ass.”

A small adjustment — loosen the legs, reset the stance — and suddenly balance returned. In a sport where every second counts, precision means everything.

No frills: just fundamentals
From day one, another message came through loud and clear: there’s no perfect template for how a cowboy should look on a bull.

“I don’t care how any of you look, what you do,” McBride said. “As long as the few core things are there, that’s all that matters.”

That belief showed up in Oklahoma City. Rookie Kaiden Loud delivered two of Nashville’s three qualified rides, finishing the weekend with a team-best 66.67% ride rate and 169.5 MVP points. His calm approach and quick learning curve set the tone.

Austin Richardson added an 89.5-point ride to help the Stampede shut out the New York Mavericks in Game 2. But with just three rides out of 15 total outs — a 20 percent ride rate — there’s work to do.

Still, Nashville isn’t worried about looking pretty. They’re focused on riding smart, riding tough and staying disciplined in the details. The foundation is in place — now it’s time to build.

Breaking the habit: the Gable Rule
One of the most talked-about lessons from training camp was what the coaches called the Gable Rule — a mindset rooted in repetition, muscle memory and the danger of letting things slide.

“If it happens once,” McBride explained, “there’s a greater chance of it happening again.” That concept was drawn from watching young riders like Loud, who developed certain tendencies as a kid and kept repeating them ride after ride — not out of stubbornness, but because no one ever stopped him soon enough.

Now, the Stampede coaches are making it a priority to correct mistakes the moment they show up. “When we see a guy’s head come up, we have to stop and address it,” Coach McBride said. “Because if we leave it unchecked, it’ll just keep happening.”

It’s not about being nitpicky — it’s about knowing that in this sport, bad habits don’t stay small for long. They grow, they stick and they cost you rides. The Stampede isn’t letting that happen.

Letting go: trusting the training
Toward the end of camp, attention turned from technique to mindset. Briggs Madsen, working through early nerves, got a reminder every cowboy needs.

“Just relax and ride,” McBride told him. “It’s still just bull riding.”

When the gate swings open, the noise fades. It’s just the rider and the bull. Confidence isn’t about blocking out the fear — it’s about trusting you’ve done the work when it’s time to nod and go.

And for this team, that’s the focus: trust the training and like coach joked, if you get tired of making the whistle you can always go back to doing it how you used to.

Duluth: a chance to reset
This weekend, Nashville meets the Oklahoma Wildcatters on Saturday and the Florida Freedom on Sunday. At 1-2, the Stampede sits on the edge of momentum or mediocrity. Duluth could tilt the scales.

Veterans like Alan de Souza, Cody Jesus and Anderson de Oliveira have yet to find the scoreboard. But with riders like Vitor Losnake, acquired in a preseason trade, and rookies like Loud stepping up early, the Stampede still has plenty of horsepower.

And guiding it all is Justin McBride — he’s not just building wins. He’s building a culture.

Eyes forward
Training camp may be behind them, but its impact is starting to show. Nashville is a team built on resilience and accountability.

They aren’t chasing a bounce back. They’re building a breakthrough.

And if that happens in Duluth, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder rolling through Music City.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media