Coy Robbins holds on during his ride on the bull named, Unkle Kranky, during the championship round of PBR's Thunderbuck in the Badlands at Co-op Place Saturday night.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
He may not have been a Hatter for long, but Coy Robbins enjoyed his return to the place he once called home at Professional Bull Riding’s Thunderbuck in the Badlands event on Saturday at Co-op Place.
Robbins was one of 27 riders to hit the dirt for the event. The Camrose product lived in Medicine Hat for a year and a half before moving back home this June. He says the atmosphere and fans in Medicine Hat were tremendous.
“We’ve ben to quite a few events that have been open this year and this has been by far the best atmosphere we’ve experienced,” Robbins said. “The fans here, I remember 2019 there was a PBR here and it was the same deal, fans were into it and the bulls bucked and we did good. It was a good show.”
He says it’s been great being back in arenas and in front of fans, as that’s how they make their living.
“For us bull riders, it’s not like a hockey player that’s on a contract. We’re only making money if we do good and we’re going to events. So with COVID and not being able to go to too many events it was tough and we had a few events with no fans and it just wasn’t the same. We thrive off the atmosphere and the loud music and the cheering fans. It’s really incredible having fans back.”
The 22-year-old opened Thunderbuck in the Badlands with an 81.5 scored ride on a bull named Big Easy. Robbins says he knew the script on Big Easy, as he has seen him since he was a year old.
His second ride in the championship round, on a bull named Unkle Kranky, went the full eight seconds but Robbins was disqualified. The judges decided his free hand came in contact with the bull, which is not allowed under the PBR’s rules. In the championship round, riders choose which bull they will ride and Robbins says Unkle Kranky fit him well and that he just got the better of him.
“He tricked me a little bit and it caused me slapping him. But you move on and look to the next one,” he said.
He says to succeed in the bull riding business, a rider needs to have a short memory and stay positive. The PBR’s next event is Saturday in Calgary. Robbins says he is big into working out and will try and get some sweat sessions in before approaching the event with the same positive attitude he had in Medicine Hat.
Robbins added he got into bull riding from growing up on a ranch and watching his dad ride bareback horses and his uncle ride bulls. He says his mom tells a story on his rise to becoming a professional rider.
“I was three years old and we were all sitting in the living room watching the PBR on the TV and I looked at my mom at three years old and said, ‘one day you’ll be watching me ride bulls on TV,” he recalled. “Fast forward to 2017, my rookie year of pro, and I haven’t looked back. It’s been a hell of a journey.”
