Sask. teen makes big mark heading into Calgary Stampede bull riding final

A teenager from rural Saskatchewan is making a big impression on one of rodeo's biggest stages.

Grady Young, 19, from Leader, Sask., is heading into Showdown Sunday at the Calgary Stampede as the top bull rider in the Pool B standings — and could walk away with the $50,000 grand prize.

Earlier this week, Young scored an 87 and a 91 on two of the toughest bulls in the country — putting him at the top of the aggregate standings with $14,400 in winnings, despite getting bucked off during a midweek ride.

The Calgary Stampede is a major milestone in a journey that started early.

"I was wanting to be a bull rider since Day 1," Young said. "Just kind of grew up wanting that and then slowly just worked my way up."

His father, Blade Young, a former pro bull rider himself, says it's not easy watching from the stands.

"I was pretty choked up, actually, his first ride at Calgary when they announced the score," Blade said. "That makes a guy pretty proud, but a guy gets awful damn nervous."

Blade trained Grady from an early age. He says part of the success comes from Grady's grounded perspective — especially when dealing with high-calibre animals bred for explosive performances.

"Multiple generations of the best bucking bulls in the world bred up to the one you're getting on — he's just some cow's calf and he's kind of your vehicle to success," said Blade.

Grady doesn't downplay how difficult bull riding is — or how much of it is out of a rider's control.

"You're never gonna ride 100 per cent of your bulls. It's never going to go 100 per cent your way," he said. "The only thing that helps with that is just keep getting on bulls.… Getting a lot of animals underneath you is pretty much the only way you can learn and get better."

He says he approaches each ride with the same calm and focus — no matter the size of the crowd or the stakes.

"It doesn't matter who's watching. If you choke up, get nervous, you can't perform at your best."

He's also trying to stay grounded despite the pressure of Sunday's final.

"I mean, I don't know anyone who would want to turn down a $50,000 cheque," he said. "But really, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. I'm happy to be there."

Representing Saskatchewan

Grady says it means a lot to represent Saskatchewan on the big stage — especially in a sport where the spotlight often shines on Alberta.

"There's not a lot of bull riders come out of Saskatchewan," he said.

"There's more bull riders in Alberta, but there's bull riders in Saskatchewan. Just to represent Saskatchewan, show everyone else from Saskatchewan it's definitely not impossible — you just gotta work at it."

And no matter the outcome, he says he's just trying to stay true to who he is.

"I'm just an ordinary person, not anything special. Just trying to make a living the funnest and best way I think possible."