I now know what it feels like to be a kid on the playground that is the last one picked to play on the team.

I was so excited to go to the PBR World Finals and couldn’t wait to test my strength and agility against some of the best bull riders in the world. If you’ve been reading my tales, you know I’ve had meetings with several already including Justin McBride and J.B. Mauney and Guilerme Marchi.

I couldn’t wait to get to Las Vegas and perform. I spent most of the trip out there laying down in the trailer and visualizing what I was going to do. I was hoping Brian Canter might get me or even Justin McBride. I had some new tricks I was ready to throw at him and if he rode me I was dreaming about confetti and fireworks after a 90-point score. By the way, I want to congratulate Justin on his second world championship. I’m pretty sure that 90.75 point ride he had on me in Worcester, Mass., last January helped him get that buckle.

We got to Las Vegas a few days before the competition started so I had plenty of time to think about what was going to happen. I also got to meet some of the new young bulls that have come out of the Classic events and see some of the veterans that I only get to see a couple of times a year.

The second round is always one of the toughest for the bull riders and I was so excited to find out that was when I got to make my first appearance. The fans there are incredible and I was pretty sure some of them would be cheering for me.

Jason Bennett is the guy that has drawn me. I’ve watched Jason make some great rides, but I didn’t really feel like he was any match for me. It might have gotten me overconfident and a little lazy but I bucked him off in 3.5 seconds and got a 43.75 point marking. I guess I should have tried a little harder and gotten my score up there. That’s another lesson I’ve learned this year.

People think that it doesn’t matter which bull rider gets on us bulls, that we put out the same effort every trip. Well I’m here to tell you that’s not true. I can tell what a bull rider is thinking when he sets on my back. I can feel his confidence, strength and have an idea about him just by how he puts his bull rope on and how he sets on my back. When I have a rider that tries harder, it makes me work harder.

So through all of this, I’ve learned that I need to pay less attention to my rider and just focus on getting those 45-point scores no matter what. After I bucked Jason off, I got back to the pens and all of us were talking about how much fun we had.

 I listened to what those other bulls said, but I really knew that next time I needed to try harder. So, we had a few days off before the competition started and every day when they came to sort, I picked my head up and watched and waited and waited.

Day after day, I was just waiting, wanting to yell at those guys, “pick me, pick me.” The final Sunday rolled around and they still hadn’t picked me. My head was hanging a little low and I have to tell you I was really disappointed. Just like a kid on the playground that doesn’t get picked to play.

We headed back to the ranch and instead of thinking about what a great finals I had, all I could think about was getting home to see Ivana and the girls. I just knew they would take my mind off of those 90-point scores I didn’t get.

 So we got to the ranch and Mack (Altizer) was there to meet me. He told me I’d done a good job and that made me feel better. I was already to head out in the pasture when they turned me into this little trap right by the house. I couldn’t figure that out until Mack told me that I better enjoy my quick trip home because in just a couple of weeks I’d be heading back to Las Vegas.

Well that perked me right up. I’m going to Vegas, I’m going to Vegas. I know that the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is quite a bit different than the PBR World Finals. For one thing, they don’t have as many riders or as many bulls. They have all those other rodeo events too. It doesn’t matter, any time you are chosen to buck at a championship event, you have reason to hold your head up high.

So now instead of feeling sorry for myself because I only got to play once at the PBR, I can’t wait to get back on the trailer and head out to the Thomas and Mack and show those rodeo fans what I can do. I’m at home eating, resting, and getting my exercise.

I really hope that J.W. Harris gets another shot at me. He nearly rode me last summer in Killeen. They don’t have confetti at the NFR, but I know if he would ride me, we’d get at least 90 points. And, if that happened, Mack would most likely get a buckle for a round win. Wouldn’t that be cool! I love performing for the people that care about me.

And, Bob Tallman is announcing the rodeo with Boyd Polhamus. They are both my fans and if it wasn’t for Bob and Mack, I’d never have had the adventures that I’ve had. We all know what happened the last time Bob got to talk about me, 45-points. That’s what I’m thinking about.

While I was at the PBR finals, my Bad Company Rodeo buddy Crazy Train got ridden at the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Finale in Dallas. Colin McTaggart won the round on him with an 84-point ride. That money was enough to get Colin to the NFR. Wouldn’t it be something if he rode me?

The only other time that Crazy Train has been ridden was last year at Huntsville. His scores have gotten better and I’m excited about that. Between him, Pretty Vegas and Super Freak, I think I’m going to get some new traveling partners. Boy could we tell some stories.

My name is Walk This Way and I am a bull with BADITUDE.

You can now email me walkthisway@badcompanyrodeo.com

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 1

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 2

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 3

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 4

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 5

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 6

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 7

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 8

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 9

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 10