RO
KEEP THE
An Interview with
Dustin Boquet
Rodeo Life: You’ve competed at the WNFR in both Las Vegas and Arlington, which venue do you favor more for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR)? Are you excited to be returning to Vegas this December? Dustin Boquet: I'm not going to lie, I'm really excited to go back to Vegas. I'm thankful that Arlington put the WNFR together so fast and gave us somewhere to go compete for the Finals. It's just that Fort Worth and Arlington have Cowboys in it every day. There is just something special about Vegas. If you go there right now there isn’t a cowboy in sight, but when the WNFR comes around, you can’t look anywhere without seeing a cowboy hat. I just like how Cowboys takeover Sin City.
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Rodeo LIFE
RL: How have your first two appearances at the WNFR helped you going into this one? What is the greatest thing you’ve learned being and competing against the best in the World? DB: It's going to help out a lot going into this year. I’ve been twice and the jitters are still going to be there. If you don't get fired up about going to the WNFR, then I don't know why you rodeo. It’s the Super Bowl of rodeo. I broke my arm 2 weeks ago, so I have been on a break unlike some guys who are still going and trying to finish the year off strong. I have this broken arm that's going to set me back, but it is just fueling my fire up again. I'm ready to heal and head for the Finals.
You have to stay humble and keep level headed. You can't get ahead of yourself and you can't get too down on yourself. That's why I like watching rodeo; In every event you have guys that could have just had a terrible weekend and the next weekend they win everything they go to. It's awesome with the gracious hospitality and how people treat you – It's just one big family. RL: You’ve entered some PBR events over the years, what has made you focus more on your career within the PRCA than the PBR? Which do you prefer? DB: I haven't been to a PBR event since 2013 or 2014. I like my rodeos. I like to watch all of the other events. I like to see everybody rooting for everyone, no matter if we are competing against each other or not. Like I said, I like how it is just one big family. RL: How many bulls on average do you get on a year? What is the toughest bull you’ve been on so far? Is there any bull you’ve yet to face that you hope to draw at the WNFR? DB: On average, I bet we get on between 100 to 120, if not more. I've been on some tough ones. I wouldn't mind getting a rematch with the Cliff Hanger from Jack Simmons. Chiseled from D&H Cattle too, everybody wants to get on him. RL: How important is physical fitness to your career as a professional Bull Rider? DB: It's really important. We ride bulls for fun; but our real job is sitting behind a steering wheel driving all day to get to from one rodeo to another. It's definitely important, especially for me right now because when I come back off of this arm injury, I’m going to be rehabbing it, getting back to exercising, and getting my muscle memory back to where it was. RL: Are rides different when you are riding for higher payouts? How do you stay mentally focused when a big check is on the line? B: It can be pretty hard to do, but myself, and a lot of others, have been doing it for so long. You have to know to block it out, do your job, and let the puzzle lay where it wants to lay. I just go with the flow. Sometimes I get worked up and let it get to me. But this year I've had a phenomenal year and I just took it one bull at a time, kept a steady pace, and kept knocking them out.
