Nick Tetz Reflects on 2024 Canadian Championship Race Following Strong Run Through Cowboy Christmas

AIRDRIE, Atla. – With the Cowboy Christmas portion of the summer months behind us, the PBR Canada standings have shifted.

No. 1 Cody Coverchuk continues to hold onto the lead, but after Calgary, Alberta’s Nick Tetz rode to four event wins in the month of July, he closed the gap to 123 points.

Affectionately named “Mister July” by the Arizona Ridge Riders, his team in the PBR Teams league, Tetz was victorious in thrice in Calgary, before earning his most recent victory in Czar, Alberta. 

“It’s been really good for me. It’s been nice having some close to home, but also travelling some, too,” Tetz reflected. “Chanse [Switzer] is great to roll with, we both like to have fun and get on bulls.” 

“It’s my favourite time of year because you can't dwell on a buckoff, because you are always on to the next one,” Tetz added. “There is always another bull to get on. It keeps the vibes positive.”

Tetz’s latest win at the Czar Lake Bullarama was icing on the cake. Having won the event in 2022 en route to the PBR Canada Championship, Tetz says it's not just the victory but the incredible committee that organizes that event that makes it so special. 

This season, the Czar Lake Bullarama included a team-based side pot, where set captains chose a team of five riders to compete for an additional $5,000 prize. Tetz and his team won that too. 

For his win, along with an accompanying sixth-place effort earned from his double entry, Tetz earned 142 national points. His success, coupled with Coverchuk being shutout, allowed him to gain significant ground in the national standings as Tetz chases his second PBR Canada Championship this November.

“That win was huge for me to close that gap to Coverchuk. He’s still quite a ways ahead, but picking up those points at an event like that was crucial for me. The team side of the event was fun. The committee at Czar does a great job for the cowboy and wants to do what is good for us.”

“They had to get creative,” Tetz continued. “That community is so supportive of the event, adding more money to the main pot wouldn’t do much to up the ante or even to get guys to enter. So they came up with the team idea. I am sure next year will be pretty special, sounds like they are working on something big. I can't wait to see what they pull out of their sleeves. They sure take care of us and keep money in our pockets.”

While Coverchuk may have faltered at Czar, allowing Tetz to close in that much more, the Calgarian believes there is no question in who is a top contender for the title of Champion in 2024. 

“I think Coverchuk's year so far has been unreal. The amount of bulls that cat has got on, and rode. He is riding so dang good. It speaks to how good of a rider he is, how much he wants it and how focused he is. It’s nothing short of spectacular.” 

Coverchuk’s success led him to gain ground fast, building up a notable lead just a few months into the season. His early lead led to questions raised from bull riders across the country about the differential in points between events on the PBR Canada Cup Series and Touring Pro Division.

And while Tetz feels a small change can be made to help those smaller events ensure full rosters, it's those small events that skyrocketed Coverchuk to his lead. 

“Part of the reason he has a lead like that is because he went to a lot of the smaller events at the start of the year,” Tetz said.

“For the most part he is hitting them all, that is how Coverchuk got so far ahead. He didn’t win Red Deer, or Lethbridge. He didn’t win on the Cup Series side till London.  You have to look at it that there is money up for grabs, and those points are crucial. There is a reason he got so far ahead.” 

Tetz advocates for tweaks to the points system to encourage even more turnout to the smaller events.  

“Make them worth a little bit more,” Tetz said. “But no matter the points, if you roll into them confidently, you are leaving with another $3,000. Can't worry about things you can't control.”

The Cup Series’ most recent event in Kelowna, British Columbia, saw a new title contender emerge.

Now ranked No. 3 in Canada after his victory at the PBR Okanagan Challenge this past week, Jared Parsonage is doing what he does best within the PBR – sneaking up and winning at the pivotal times of the year.

Tetz says when you see Parsonage’s name on the draw, you best be ready for a riding competition.

“He can stay on just about anything on any given day. When he shows up, you have to make sure you are trying to match him and ride just that bit better. You can't worry about other guys, but with Coverchuk, Jared, Jordan [Hansen] or Coy [Robbins] there, you know it's going to be a riding contest, not a staying-on contest.”

Two of the more surprising additions to a strong Top 5 are recent PBR convert Switzer and Weston Davidson.

Davidson, sitting No. 4 in the nation, missed out on the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals by a very slim margin and is riding with renewed energy to make sure that doesn't happen again this season.  

 “He spent the winter going to Velocities and seeing some success down there,” Tetz said of Weston. “I think he just has that confidence rolling now. He knows he can hang with the big dogs. Last year he missed out on Finals by a tiny margin, and he doesn't want to let that happen again. He’s coming into this year with a chip on his shoulder a little bit.” 

“He has always been a PBR-first guy,” Tetz said further of Davidson. “He supports all the events the PBR puts on. He has just been riding well and has that confidence and is having fun. He got to go to the Calgary Stampede this year, too, and knocked that rodeo off the bucket list. I am excited to see what he does in this second half; I think he will be turning it on and stringing together some great bull rides and stealing some more event wins.”

Tetz's own travelling partner Switzer rounds out the Top 5 in the standings. Prioritizing the PBR in Canada this season, Switzer has made it count, logging an event win and eight accompanying Top 5 efforts, to hold firmly the No. 5 rank in Canada. 

Tetz says that he plans on helping Switzer with some training to get him riding into his hand a bit better, adding that if a bull rider is more confident away from their hand they are merely a small tune up from being incredibly consistent. 

“We spent a lot of time in the van driving from place to place, and we don't turn the radio on too much. We chat a lot on those drives,” Tetz said.  

“Now that he is going on the PBR side and is seeing what it’s all about, I think he is really enjoying it. There are a couple places he knows he struggles. He is coming to the house and we are going to get him right. In the next couple weeks we will see him strapping a lot. He has so much talent, and he rides bulls better away from his hand.”

“For a guy to say that and believe it, that is only a good thing, because most struggle with that,” Tetz said further of Switzer. “He will be knocking down the door. He might be in that title race with us come Edmonton time, too, you never know. I think he has a lot coming in the next little bit. He has been a blast to travel with this year. We get along really well.”

This weekend is a double-header with PBR Canada Touring Pro Division events in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and Lacombe, Alberta.

With a summer and fall schedule packed full of events, standings are still likely to change quite a bit. 

Tetz, however, has his eyes on a second PBR Canada Championship, balancing his involvement with the Arizona Ridge Riders along the way. The stacked team, 2-0 after the league’s opening weekend in Oklahoma City, is a top contender for the PBR Teams Championship come late October in Las Vegas.

“I think it’s always easier being the chaser instead of being chased. I just have to keep that pressure on whoever is ahead, and right now that's Coverchuk. I don’t foresee him falling off much,” Tetz said. 

“I hope it comes down to a round win here or there at Finals, and it can be mine that way. It’s going to be a nail biter coming down to Rogers Place in Edmonton. It’s going to be a good year title race-wise.”