Coy Robbins earns his first PBR Canada Cup Series victory in Grande Prairie, collecting 136 points and climbing nine places to seventh in the standings

Camrose bull rider climbs nine spots to seventh after two qualified rides deliver a long-awaited victory

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. — Tip your hat to Coy Robbins—the wait is over.

The 2017 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year finally checked a stubborn item off his career goals list, capturing his first PBR Canada Cup Series victory at the Peace Country Invitational in Grande Prairie.

Robbins covered Burnt Ends for 87.5 points in the opening round, then answered the call aboard Snoopy for 87.3 points in the championship round. Both bulls came from Skori Bucking Bulls.

Two bulls. Two qualified rides. One long-awaited breakthrough.

“Yeah, it’s huge. It was a sigh of relief, one could say,” Robbins said.

“When I stepped off of that short round bull and Dave [Poulsen] announced that I got it done, it’s been a long time coming.”

Patience finally pays off

Robbins has collected wins since entering the PBR Canada ranks in 2017, but a victory on the elite Cup Series had remained just beyond his reach.

Close finishes made the pursuit all the more frustrating.

“Some close second-place finishes, but those are usually always the hardest, where it’s just a couple points from getting the win,” he said. “But with enough patience and perseverance, you can prevail. So, I’m glad to have gotten it done.”

The goal had appeared on his annual list since his rookie season. Now, with that box finally checked, Robbins is looking for more.

“I could look at it with the thought of, ‘Why did it take me so long?’ But at the same time, I am just grateful to have gotten it done finally,” he said.

Nine places gained in one weekend

The victory did considerably more than fill a gap in Robbins’ trophy collection.

He entered Grande Prairie ranked No. 16, with the supplied event account identifying 18 qualifying spots for the PBR Canada National Finals.

His win earned 136 national points, launching him nine positions to No. 7.

That is the kind of move that changes the conversation in a hurry.

“These Cup events are massive this time of year,” Robbins said. “They pay an insane amount of points. I think it moved me to seventh, so I moved nine spots off one event.”

The result improved his position in the Finals race, although it did not mean qualification was mathematically secured.

Finding his focus when the pressure arrived

Robbins acknowledged that a busy life outside the arena had competed for his attention.

His growing agriculture business, work producing events and purchase of his first property had all demanded time and energy. Bull riding, he said, had slipped onto the back burner.

As qualification pressure mounted, he returned to a familiar mindset.

“But I guess I just keep going back to pressure is a privilege, and how privileged am I to be able to feel the pressure to make the Finals doing what I love.”

In Grande Prairie, that renewed focus translated into two rides when he needed them.

An unfamiliar bull proved the right choice

Robbins knew little about his championship-round opponent, Snoopy.

He had heard veteran Aaron Roy had scored 88.6 points on the bull at the Glen Keeley Memorial Bull Riding in Stavely, Alberta. Beyond that, Robbins said he did not even know what Snoopy looked like.

For him, that was an advantage.

Studying a familiar bull too closely can create expectations about how the ride will unfold. When the bull changes its approach, those expectations can get in the way.

“I feel I do my best when I don’t have a clue about anything about the bull,” Robbins said. “That was the same case with the long round.”

He also credited PBR Canada Stock Boss and two-time national champion Zane Lambert for assembling strong championship-round pens with opportunities for both right-handed and left-handed riders.

Plenty of contenders still in the chute

Robbins knows the competition will not get easier.

“It really is riding against not only just the best guys in Canada, but some of the best guys in the world at these Cup Series events,” he said.

He pointed particularly to the younger riders coming through the ranks.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog game out there, and a lot of dogs to compete against, for sure.”

At the time of the interview, two Cup Series events and one Touring Pro Division event remained on the schedule. Robbins’ plan was to keep preparing with his crew at Acumen and concentrate on the bull underneath him.

“Just show up confident, believing in what I can do,” he said. “Just show up and do the job.”

The first Cup Series buckle is finally in the books. Now Robbins has his eyes on making the next ride count.