ProRodeo Sports News - July 23, 2021

Being Refocused With first child on way, Utah bull rider re-adjusts priorities

BY KEVIN CARMODY Special to ProRodeo Sports News I t took a while, but Payton Dean Nelson finally feels like he belongs among the Wilderness Circuit’s top bull riders. All it took was a little confirmation from some of the best from his home base. “I got to grow up and high school rodeo with guys like the Wrights and Josh Frost, and now that I’m up there with those guys, it feels good,” Nelson said. “It feels good when those guys notice me and go out of their way to talk to me.” Nelson, 25, sees only fellow Utahans StetsonWright, the reigning two-time World Champion All-Around cowboy and 2020World Champion Bull Rider, and Frost, a 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, ahead of him in the Wilderness Circuit bull riding standings. That’s thanks to paydays at the Western Stampede in West Jordan, Utah, and the Oakley (Utah) Independence Day Rodeo over Cowboy Christmas that suddenly put the Smithfield, Utah, cowboy into third place and in prime contention to qualify for his second consecutive RAM Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo. “Now that I’m in there and don’t have to worry about

rich area famous for producing such bull riding legends as Ty Murray, Jim Sharp and Michael Gaffney. But one semester later, Nelson found himself close to home, soon after landing a gig working for the Wilson family at a rodeo inWyoming, where he stayed for several years. “I got to help those guys out and had a lot of fun,” Nelson said. “I learned a lot, too.” But something was missing. He had little to show for his riding talents, and he needed to hear that from a rodeo veteran. Plus, he wasn’t getting any younger. “BuskinWilson used to compete in ProRodeo, and he helped me mature quite a bit,” Nelson said. “That’s the reason I was a 24-year-old rodeo rookie. He told me I was wasting my time riding in all these amateur rodeos. That made me turn the corner. He told me if I was going to do this, do it for some real money.”

“I realize I’m getting older and have hit that stage that if I really want to do this, I have to give 110 percent to bull riding and keep smiling and stay positive.” – PAYTON NELSON

FAMILY PUTS CAREER INTO FOCUS On May 15, Nelson married Tori Moulton, a childhood neighbor, after a longtime courtship that survived relocations for each and long-distance challenges. Soon, Nelson will be a father, and with his confidence rising from his recent run of good fortune, this late-blooming cowboy has every reason to think he can duplicate what his competition in the Wright brothers and Frosts have been doing for years. “I really haven’t ever tried to go really hard as a pro,” Nelson said. “Now with a baby coming and my wife really encouraging me to go, I want to take advantage of the years I have left in the sport. My goal is to be in the top 50 by the end of the year and really break out next year. Making the circuit finals would be big.” And if Nelson stays in the Wilderness Circuit’s top 12 and things work out just right at the circuit finals, then everything would change, especially if he were to qualify for the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo. “The crazy thing about rodeo is you could literally have your worst ride one day, and the next day you go out and win 25K,” Nelson said. “It’s the coolest sport and so, so fun and frustrating at the same time. I just have to keep trying, stay positive and hopefully keep it rolling.”

making the circuit finals, that’s a big stress reliever for me,” Nelson said. “Now I can go to just riding them. I got married this spring, and we’re (with wife Tori) expecting a baby next February. I realize I’m getting older and have hit that stage that if I really want to do this, I have to give 110 percent to bull riding and keep smiling and stay positive. That’s why we started doing this when we were little.” LATE BLOOMER READY TO RISE Nelson, a third-generation farmer in northern Utah, didn’t turn professional until 2019 after a handful of years of riding regionally in the amateur ranks. Before that, he headed down south to Snyder, Texas, on a rodeo scholarship toWestern Texas College, a chance to hone his skills in a rodeo-

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ProRodeo Sports News 7/23/2021

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