Calling all rodeo aficionados! Do you consider it impressive for a teenage bull rider to have been named the International Professional Rodeo Association, IPRA, Rookie of the Year and World Champion? What if that same teenager was also named IPRA World Champion in 2 consecutive years, was declared the International Finals Rodeo, IFR, average winner for those same 2 years, qualified for National Finals Rodeo, NFR, in 2 of 3 subsequent years, and earned 2 wins of NFR Go Rounds?
Surely, it will not surprise you to learn that the same young man is currently ranked in first place of the IPRA; however, what if you learned that the champion bull rider in question is a Bristow High School, BHS, graduate and is coming off of a 4-year hiatus from bull riding? Prepare yourself for the story of BHS alumnus Garrett Tribble as he sits atop the leadership board, having won more than $40K in only 4 months.
For Garrett, it all began when he was a young child of about 4 years of age. His dad, Rodney Tribble, took him to rodeos. Friends and family got him started mutton bustin’ before he ever began kindergarten. Those early rodeo experiences of riding sheep around the arena combined with 1990s movie “8 Seconds”, which chronicled the life of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, PRCA, bull riding champion Lane Frost, ignited a passion for rodeo that led to riding calves and eventually bulls. Like Frost, Tribble turned out to be a champion.
Tribble graduated from BHS in 2015 after completing his senior year virtually while he trained and competed nationally and internationally in bull riding competitions. Although he only began riding bulls at around 15 years of age, he competed professionally within 2 to 3 years, becoming the 2014 IPRA Rookie of the Year and World Champion. He earned the title of 2015 IPRA World Champion the following year and was declared IFR “Average Winner” in both 2014 and 2015. Later, he qualified for NFR in 2016 and 2018 and won 2 Go Rounds as well. Unfortunately for Tribble and the bull riding and rodeo communities, he was badly injured while competing in the PRCA circuit in early 2020, forcing him to take a break from his passion while he recovered.
As a bull rider for the PRCA, Tribble broke his neck after falling from a bull. “When I fell, I landed underneath the bull, and he stepped on my head”. Ouch. Upon being medically released, Tribble did not immediately return to his passion due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, as life often does, he found a new spark in his stepson and began to ride again around June of this year, finding success quickly. Within 3 to 4 months, Tribble found himself atop the rankings for the IPRA. As of October 31, his winnings totaled $41,691.37, putting him a whopping $11,570.70 ahead of his second-place competitor.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that bull riding proves Tribble’s favorite aspect of rodeo. His reasoning? “It’s a rush. There’s just nothin’ else quite like it.” He credits his stepson, Max, as a source of inspiration to start riding again. Tribble explained that Max recently began riding bulls, too. In an effort to support his stepson, teach and mentor him, and to fulfill his own passion, he reentered the arena this year. Based upon his immediate results, that decision seems to have been a good one. Tribble will compete in the IFR in January 2025.
Tribble expressed gratitude to all those who have supported, taught, and inspired him throughout his rodeo and bull riding career, especially his family. He thanked his dad for “always helping me and pushing me down the road”. He also thanked his late mother, Judy, and brother Josh, who supported him during his earliest years. Additionally, Tribble wished to thank Jay Paul Ganzel, Jimmy Morris, and David Berry for their roles in helping and teaching him as an adolescent. Finally, he thanked his partner, Jenifer, and Max for living life with him and inspiring him to live his dream.