YORKTON - When it comes to sport, any sport, there is a special sense of pride when you are chosen to represent your country, and in the case of Canada, to wear the red and white uniform.
That includes bull riders who are picked to represent the five countries taking place in the PBR Global Cup.
The event set for March 5, when it makes its third stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, is on the eve of its fifth edition being the only nation versus nation bull riding competition.
The team tournament debuted in Edmonton, AB., in November 2017, visited Sydney, Australia, in June 2018, and made subsequent stops in Arlington in February 2019 and 2020.
On three occasions, the first three editions of the Global Cup, Tanner Byrne of Prince Albert rode wearing Canada’s colours.
Byrne has more recently transitioned from riding bulls, to protecting riders as a bullfighter.
And, now he will add yet another job to his professional bull riding resume having been named as the coach for Team Canada.
“One hundred per cent it’s a big honour for me to be selected,” he said in an interview with Yorkton This Week.
The selection is one that Byrne said he has pride in because it reflects “a faith” in what he brings to the position from those involved with the Canadian camp.
“It’s super cool for me,” he continued, adding the work begins in earnest now helping “select the best team possible.”
At the 2022 PBR Global Cup USA, each team will be comprised of five competing riders, all selected by the nation’s coach.
The selection process is one Byrne said will be far from easy.
“There’s a lot of different moving parts to it,” he said, starting with bull riding being a rough sport where injuries can occur on any ride. A rider might look poised to be part of the team but with about six-weeks to the Global Cup they might well be on the sidelines.
“Lots of injuries pile up. Picking the right team you’ve got to have the right fit at the right time,” he said.
That said, Byrne said he has talent to draw from including the 2021 Canadian champion Cody Coverchuk from Meadow Lake, SK. and Dakota Buttar of Eatonia, SK. who led the standings most of the season.
“We’re really deep in a lot of good bull riders,” said Byrne, adding with only five on the team, “some really good bull riders will not be there because we had to get it down to only five.”
Byrne said having riden in the event should help when it comes to team selection – having a feel for what it takes to ride well on such a stage.
“It was my favourite event to be involved in,” he said of his days as a rider, adding there is pressure to do well for teammates and country, but he always felt that motivated him to ride his best.
That is what the teams in Arlington will do.
“You have to step up to the plate when it’s time to be the best,” he said, adding he felt that way and hopes to instill that in the five riders to go south.
While he is the coach, Byrne said he isn’t there to tell the team members how to ride. Once the team is selected it’s more a case of being a motivator, and a cheerleader.
“It’s about getting the best of the guys,” he said.
The 2022 PBR Global Cup USA will feature six teams representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. For their home-nation advantage, the USA delegation will field two squads via the Eagles and all Native American Wolves.
The one-day event will feature two rounds of competition, where three riders from each team will attempt one bull. Throughout those rounds, every rider from each team must attempt a minimum of one bull. Following the initial rounds, each team will select one rider to attempt the nation’s final bull in the bonus round. The 2022 PBR Global Cup USA Champion will be the team with the top combined score through their seven outs, explains a PBR release.
Byrne said getting a scored ride with the first rider out of the chute would be huge.
“It’s a momentum game,” he said. “If you start out with a good ride it fires up the team and gets things rolling.”
It will also be important not to be in awe of the situation and of the great riders the American and Brazilian team will have on their rosters.
“Our Canadian best day is as good at the Brazilian or Americans on their best day,” said Byrne. “. . . At the end of the day they all put their pants on one leg at a time... It’s just about getting the best of the guys.”
