When bull riders are interviewed about their roots, more often than not the decision to climb on the back of rank animals flows through their blood.
Generations of ranchers have spawned countless thousands of athletes intent on working toward the eight-second buzzer each time the gates swing open.
That’s not the path Seminole native Andrew Alvidrez took toward to the top of the sport.
His trajectory started with a trip to Blockbuster.
“When I was three, my mom would rent “Eight Seconds”,” Alvidrez, 25, said. “That movie made the decision for me to ride bulls.
“I was pretty much the first cowboy in the family. My dad trained race horses, but no one had rodeoed.”
“Eight Seconds” is the story of Lane Frost, the 1987 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion bull rider.
Frost was 23 when he won his crown.
Less than two years later, in July, 1989, he died after a successful ride in Cheyenne, Wyo., when a bull he had ridden, Takin’ Care of Business, turned and hit him in the back with its horn, breaking his ribs, which punctured Frost’s lungs and heart to be pierced after he tried to get up and fell back to the ground.
That didn’t deter Alvidrez.
Alvidrez left his living room floor and made the natural progression for bull riders through mutton busting (riding sheep), to sitting astride steers by the time he was eight.
When he was 13, he tied himself to the back of a bull for the first time, pulled the rigging tight and nodded his head.
Once the chute opened, he knew that was where he belonged.
“It’s the same feeling as it is now,” he said. “It was bad ass, being that young.
“When I was eight, I started riding steers. I had done it so long, you don’t negotiate with yourself, you just do it.”
Alvidrez continued to ride through high school even as he immersed himself in other sports at Seminole High School.
He played football for the Indians, along with powerlifting and competing as a member of the swin team, qualifying for the state tournament in powerlifting.
On the weekends, he was traveling around to open bull riding competitions, getting on as many as he could to hone his craft.
Still, he wasn’t sure about making a living at the sport until he watched a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event on television.
Watching PBR legends Adriano Moraes and Ty Murray, the Texas cowboy understood that there was a path forward for him in the sport.
Still, he wanted to make sure that he took the right steps and enrolled in Wharton County Junior College to compete in college rodeo.
That lasted one semester.
“I wasn’t really interested in going to school,” Alvirdrez said. “I learned that real quick.”
That was in 2015 and Alvidrez began making the climb up the PBR ranks, starting with the Touring Pro Division.
Next were events on the Velocity Tour, a one-off event in Canada in 2018, and then, finally, his first events on the Unleash the Beast Tour in 2020.
In 15 events at the top of the PBR food chain, Alvidrez made nine scoring rides in 33 outs, earning him more than $48,000 on the year and a 26th finish in the standings.
The No. 26 seems to be a favorite as he duplicated that result in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
His latest move up the rankings came May 13-22 at the PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
In eight rounds, Alvidrez covered three bulls, including a 91-point effort for a second-place marking in Round 6.
“I ended up 10th overall,” Alvidrez said of his effort at the event. “The bull (in the sixth round) was called Grande, probably the biggest I’ve gotten on all year.
“It’s good to see your name climb up the ranks, to finish strong at the finals.”
He finished in pain, as well, suffering a broken foot in the third round when the bull he was on, Blue Duck, rolled in the chute and pinned his foot against the gate.
Now back home in Decatur rehabbing, Alvidrez is getting ready to help the PBR launch its Team Series competition that will culminate at the Team Series Championship in November in Las Vegas.
The teams will be made up of five riders, with two or three alternates.
Alvidrez was drafted by the Bass Pro Shop Missouri Thunder and looks forward to getting out of his rehab boot and back on some bulls heading into the first team event, July 25-26, in Cheyenne.
He also understands what this event means for the cowboys.
“This is the first time that bull riders will be put on a salary,” Alvidrez said. “I’m extremely excited; bull riding is a sport where you can paid when you do your job, otherwise you get nothing.
“Now we will be seen as real, professional athletes.”
Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
