Solid start with Ridge Riders Gives Nick Tetz Confidence Amid Push for Back-to-Back Canadian Championships

AIRDRIE, Alta. – After a long summer stretch of events, the PBR Canada national standings are starting to show the front runners heading into the fall season.

However, with plenty of PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, events still on the docket, and a good stretch of Touring Pro events as well, nothing is set in stone.

But as of this week, the stars of PBR Canada are chasing the reigning Champion -- Nick Tetz.

Fresh off both an impressive showing being the first man out for the Arizona Ridge Riders at the first PBR Teams Camping World Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and a placement at the PBR Canada Touring Pro event this past Sunday in Lacombe, Alberta, confidence is high for the Calgarian as he chases back-to-back Championships.

Newly inked to the Ridge Riders, Tetz was called up from the Reserve Roster weeks ahead of the Cheyenne event, and he said it was nothing but confidence knowing the team also selected his out to be the very first of the season.

“I got a text from Colby [Yates] a week or two before the event,” Tetz recalled. “He said start looking at flights to Cheyenne. We have a meeting to decide who we are taking, but you have my vote. Next day he called me to book the flights and said I was in.”

“Couple days after that Paulo [Crimber] called and he had the list of bulls. We talked about what bull to get on. When I showed up, I knew what I had, and just went about the day like a normal bull riding.”

And that out resulted in an 88-point score on the back of Crazy Times, the only score put up for the Ridge Riders in their season opening game against the Oklahoma Freedom, resulting in a loss 89.25-88.

For Tetz, however, getting that first bull under his belt felt like an event win knowing that an entire team was riding with him.

“You get off and you do your normal celebration that you do when you ride a bull, and then you look back at the chutes and there are six guys hooting and hollering for you. Two idols of the sport screaming in happiness that you got your job done.”

“It’s like the winning an event type of feeling,” Tetz continued. “But you did it with everyone else on your back at the same time too.”

Dealing with that different pressure is something Tetz is taking seriously.

Knowing your matchups are chosen to suit you is a positive, but that additional pressure of being in a team environment is something he wants to handle and leverage for positivity.

“It's completely different from any other event. It’s something I have never had to deal with at that level on a team. In hockey you have five guys who have your back. In this, if you mess up it's a zero on the board for your team.”

“We came up with some ways to deal with that pressure,” Tetz explained of a conversation with his mental coach. “At the end of the day, just keep it simple and do what got you to the dance and that is riding bulls. There is nothing else I would rather do than be at a bull riding every single day, and that is what it boils down to.”

Leading the heated 2023 Canadian Championship race, Tetz says having the full support and confidence of his team is going to be a little extra motivation heading towards the PBR Canada National Finals this November in Edmonton, Alberta, and his hopes of a back-to-back titles, which has never before been accomplished.

“Paulo, Colby and Casey [Lane] all want me to win this title up here again. It shows good for them, but it shows that they value your time and your efforts and the things you are striving for. Picking me up halfway through a PBR Canada season, the Teams league was on my radar, but it wasn’t the main focus, it was winning a PBR Canada title.”

“They are super supportive of that.”

Tetz said though that while his confidence is there, he knows there are guys riding better than they ever have in their careers in Canada, and not a single guy in the dressing room is going to make it easy on him, or anyone, to try and walk off with the title.

“Everybody that is in that Top 10 is not making it easy on a guy,” Tetz said. “They are making it difficult to accomplish that. But good competition is what we want. Between how Coy [Robbins] is riding, and Jared [Parsonage] hardly ever falling off a bull, or Jordan [Hansen]. Between all those guys, I have to make sure when I show up to an event in Canada and know that I feel good, in the right mindset to know that I can go do what I set out to accomplish.”

“I know those guys are snipping at my heels, and want it as bad as me,” Tetz continued.

“In my mind I don’t think anyone is putting in as much work during the week like I am. I feel like between being on this team, and having that backing and support, my family, it gives me that much more confidence rolling into events up here.”

When asked if the Arizona Ridge Riders, who will not be in competition during the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, could make the trip up north to cheer on their teammate, Tetz said there is one member of the team who wouldn’t be hard to convince to come back to Canada.

“I can’t speak for them, but I don’t think Colby would mind coming back up here, seeing his buddies,” Tetz concluded. “He enjoyed his time competing in Canada. I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get all the boys up here and do some celebrating if we were able to get that done.”