ProRodeo Sports News - Oct.4, 2019

It wasn’t long before Pollock traded in his baseball cleats for cowboy boots as part of the CSI rodeo team. “It was the best decision I ever made,” Pollock said.

but if you fight through them and believe in yourself, you’ll get through them. It’s like life, if you run into things putting you down, you have to stay positive and work through it.” Ryder agreed. “He’s always ridden good, but he’s a lot more confident now,” Ryder said. “It seems like he was a natural, like he caught on pretty quick.” Pollock didn’t break into the Top 15 of the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings until Aug. 19 when he jumped from 18th to 13th thanks to winning the Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo and splitting the win at the Canby (Ore.) Rodeo for a $10,868 weekend. A couple weeks later he won $11,014 and jumped to 11th in the world standings by winning the Tri-State Rodeo Cinch Shoot-Out in Fort Madison, Iowa, and placing fourth at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City. “The last part of the season is crunch time, and Fort Madison was huge for me,” Pollock said. Before heading to Las Vegas, Pollock has a different kind of gold in mind, a wedding ring, as he’s marrying Jordan LaRoque in October.

“I had no idea I would be riding broncs professionally, but the last five years have been the best in my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” – MITCH POLLOCK

GOING BIG

Pollock’s ProRodeo career gained momentum over the years, winning $1,159 during his rookie season in 2016, $9,330 in 2017 and $36,918 in 2018. “It’s pretty cool how far he has come in riding broncs in a short amount of time,” said traveling partner Ryder Wright. “He’s never in a bad mood and always happy-go-lucky.” Although 2019 marks Pollock’s fifth season of ProRodeo competition, it’s his second year of going at it hard, as prior years involved only 25-35 competitions. “All of my friends go to work at a mine or something and get up early and are always complaining, but I can’t complain much,” Pollock said. “Traveling with friends and seeing different places and getting on bucking horses – there’s nothing better to me. I had no idea I would be riding broncs professionally, but the last five years have been the best in my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Pollock has spent the last year-and-a-half traveling

with Spencer Wright, Rusty Wright and Ryder Wright, and he credits the experience to his growth as a competitor. Ryder Wright won the saddle bronc riding world title in 2017, while Spencer won it in 2015. “If you hang out with winners, you’ll be a winner,” Pollock said. “I truly believe that. “Mentally, rodeo isn’t easy, and it’s the most challenging sport I’ve ever done – and I’ve done every sport there is. Rodeo’s just so mental, you have to stay positive because you will have times it’s not going your way,

“She’s been with me since Day 1,” Pollock said. “I’d gotten on about five bucking horses and I told her I would rodeo for the rest of my life and be a world champ.” Pollock unofficially ended the 2019 regular season in 11th place in the standings with $99,542. “I’m happy we were there all year to see it all unfold,” Ryder said. “Oh, man, when I walk through those doors and see those yellow bucking chutes, I’ll have chills going through my whole body,” Pollock said.

Photos courtesy Mitch Pollock While most of his saddle bronc riding cohorts went to Pendleton, Ore., for the Pendleton Round-Up, Mitch Pollock originally went to Pendleton to play on the Blue Mountain Community College baseball team.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/4/2019

ProRodeo.com

39

Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs