Bruce Tippets

btippets@cherryroad.com

Utah cowboy Kade Madsen clinched the annual Bull Riders Challenge title with a wild 92-point ride in the finals at Western Park Indoor Arena Jan. 21.
The 17-year-old from Honeyville was pumped when he lasted the eight seconds in front of a large crowd.
“It was a struggle to get that one rode,” Madsen said. “He was trying to work me to the ground. I felt like the score was going to be up there.”
With the title, Madsen became the first cowboy to repeat as champion in 23 years of the event. He won his first title in 2021.
“It’s awesome to win the title again,” Madsen said. “I have just been blessed in my young career. I didn’t get to come last year. I tried, but I had some other things going. I’m just grateful to be able to ride.”
The victory this year helped Madsen win $5,000 in the two-day competition that featured 49 other bull riders. The talented cowboy came up with a 73 in his first ride Jan. 20. He followed that score up with an 81 on his second bull.
“They have really good money,” Madsen said. “I figured that I wanted to ride everything that they put me on. I was a little disappointed in the first round. The bull didn’t perform as well as I wanted to. It was a pretty low score, but I was able to get my job done.”
Bull Riders Challenge organizer Justin Monsen wasn’t surprised to see Madsen repeat as champion.
“I love that kid,” Monsen said. “He is talented and he is hard to beat. Right now he is the man. He has put the bull riding world on notice. I think this is a tough event to win once. The competition is fierce. Kade is going to do big things in the bull riding world.”
Brock Udy, from Idaho, finished second to win $3,000. He posted a score of 81.5 on his first bull. He registered an 80.5 in the second round.
“I could have done better, but I’m happy with how I did,” Udy said. “They were awesome bulls and really fun to ride.”
Udy didn’t last the required eight seconds in the championship finals.
“I think that I was on the bull for six seconds,” he added. “That was a really good bull. I wish I could have ridden him.”
This was the second time Udy has been in the Vernal event.
“I came here because the money pays good,” Udy said. “This is the best that I have done since I have been here.”
Waylen Daley scored an 82 Jan. 20, which was the best score in the evening. He didn’t ride any bulls in his last two attempts to place third to win $2,000.
Monsen said this was the best year yet for the event that featured large crowds back-to-back nights.
“We probably had the biggest crowd and the most prize money for the bull riders that we ever had,” he said. “We never had a time in our 23 years that we had four returning champions in the field.”
Monsen explained the majority of the bulls came from Utah and New Mexico.
“The bulls were amazing,” he said. “Anybody who rides a bull in the short round (finals) is going to win a lot of money.”