BRADIE Gray is a teenage Tamworth High School student bucking away with the best of his age in the world.
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The 15-year-old has just retuned from the Gallop, New Mexico, USA where he was crowned Reserve World High Schools Bull Ride Champion.
He also contested the breakaway roping but it was the bull ride where the talented teenage cowboy excelled, riding all three of his bulls for the required eight seconds.
12th in his first round, he improved to second in his second round and then won the short go in a field which numbered 110 bull riders.
He was one of six Aussie cowboys competing and included Quirindi’s Justin Scoggins who also had some success in the chute dogging (steer ride).
To get to the world titles, Bradie had to compete at the nationals in Coonamble where he won another Australian title.
“I’ve won four Australian titles in different age groups,” he said.
“And I’ve won two national finals championships.”
The Year Nine student has a good rodeo pedigree.
His dad Mick and grandfather Robert were champion bullriders as well.
That ensured he was put on a calf at a young age and has been trying to stay on bucking beasts ever since.
He looks up to Aussie PBR rider Lachlan Richardson and also has family connections with Cliff Richardson and Steve Mason and he would like to follow in their footsteps and compete in major rodeos and professional circuits like the Australian PBR and the biggest one of them all, the PBR in America.
In two years the high schools championships will be an even bigger event for Bradie because that is where full college scholarships are handed out, and he would love to nab one of those.
“I’d like to go over there for college,” Bradie said.
“And I’d like to get into the PBR.”
By running second this year, Bradie picked up a reserve champion buckle, as well as a heap of other prizes, and also received a $1700 scholarship deal to go towards his
education.
Competing in the ABCRA competition on weekends takes Bradie all over the
country.
In between events, he likes to keep fit and strong by training at his home just outside of Tamworth, where he also has a bucking barrel to practise on.
He is off to the Gloucester rodeo this weekend but then flies to north Queensland for more events at Mareeba and Charters Towers.
It will be worth the trip though because he is on top of the ABCRA under 18s steer ride leaderboard at the moment and he wants to stay there.
