Wrangler Spotlight- Ky Hamilton
Odessa College Bull Rider, Ky Hamilton is coming off an impressive weekend at the West Texas A&M Rodeo in Amarillo, TX.
Ky won the first round on Thursday night with a score of 81 points that qualified him for the Finals on Saturday Night. He wrapped up the weekend going two for two as he completed another qualified ride in the finals for 81 points. His two ride score of 162 points claimed second place in the Bull Riding competition.
Ky is no stranger to pressure events as he competed for Team Australia in the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) Global Cup Event and finished second at the Youth Bull Riding World Finals in 2018.
The Mackay Queensland Australia Cowboy stopped by the office to talk to us about his weekend and the 2018-2019 Rodeo Season.
Q: What are your thought on your weekend in Amarillo?
A: it was a pretty good weekend, I rode my bulls, did my job, so I was pretty happy with that.
Q: Bull riding is not your typical sport most kids participate in, what got you interested in the sport?
A: I started getting on bulls when I was 12. Rodeo has always been a part of my life, my family has always competed so it was a pretty easy decision to make.
Q: What is going through your head as you climb on the back of a Bull, any pre-ride rituals?
A: I try and make sure I'm limbered up and stretch, I like to listen to music. I want to make sure my mind is clear and I'm in the moment, concentrating on what I'm doing.
Q: Tell us about your journey to Odessa College being for Australia?
A: Brady Gray a former OC bull rider, sparked my interest in Odessa College. I learned a lot about the program from him. I was in the states at the youth finals last August in Abilene and had a chance to come over to Odessa and look around. I really liked it here so it was an easy decision to choose OC.
Q: What are your thoughts on Rodeo in the United States, is it much different that back home?
A: There are a lot more ranked bulls here in the US, the money is better and there is more of a following (more popular in the US) than back home in Australia.
Q: What do you like about Odessa College?
A: The rodeos we go to are really good and it's nice to have the sports center and the athletic trainers around. They really give you a lot of opportunities to excel.
Ky hopes to continue his streak of eight second rides throughout the fall. The OC Rodeo team will be back in action October 25th through the 27th as they travel to Lubbock for the Texas Tech Rodeo. The Odessa College Rodeo will be February 21st to the 23rd inside the Ector County Coliseum.