Chippewa Sioux bull rider making his mark in PBR

ALBUQUERQUE

When you’ve competed in the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas for four straight years, you’re doing something right.

That’s been the narrative of Chippewa Sioux bull rider Stetson Lawrence.

Since joining the PBR nine years ago, Lawrence has gone from competing in the Touring Pro Division to the elite Built Ford Tough Series.

“I started out in the challenger events,” the Trenton, North Dakota bull rider said. “Now, I’m consistently getting on the top bulls in the world.”

Lawrence is one of two Native Americans touring on the BFTS full time with Oklahoma native Ryan Dirteater being the other. Both cowboys competed in the Ty Murray Invitational, presented by Isleta Resort & Casino over the weekend with Dirteater taking home seventh place honors, which was five places ahead of Lawrence.

“This is one my favorites places to go,” Lawrence said of the Ty Murray Invitational. “The crowd and the atmosphere in that building is fun. The fans are awesome and they motivate you to ride.”

The two Natives rode 1 of 4 bulls during the three-day event with Dirteater winning Sunday afternoon’s performance with an 87.5 ride aboard Damn Frustration, a Martinez Bucking Bulls product.

Lawrence, meanwhile, finished in a two-way tie for third in the opening round by scoring an 86.5-point ride on Juicy Fruit, a bull owned by Western Star Bucking Bulls.

“That was a great bull,” said Lawrence, who is currently ranked No. 25 in the world. “He hit me good and I was able to get a check on him.”

With those top scores, both cowboys qualified for Sunday’s BFT Championship Round where they were matched with some of the world-class bulls in the PBR.

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