Grayson Cole is a New Jersey guy. Having lived in the state for many years I was surprised to hear that you could train to be a professional bull rider somewhere in the Garden State. Cole set me straight on that right out of the gate.
“All PBR tours are family-friendly,” said Cole. “It’s very action-packed.”
Training is hard for any sport but especially for this one. It’s hard and it’s specialized.
“I went to a lot of schools and I tried to get the best foundation I could get especially up here (Phillipsburg, NJ). It was a little bit harder finding bull riding schools and the correct way to be taught. It’s a lot easier in Texas there are a lot more people who have ridden bulls,” Cole added.
“I was always a decent rider but it took a while to become the rider I am today. One of the oldest rodeos in the U.S. is out of South Jersey (Pilesgrove) and Pennsylvania. It’s not as big as Texas.”
Some training involves riding horses bareback. I did that once and didn’t fall off, but it was hard. Very hard. I did it in the water in Jamacia. It was an experience. There was another training method that surprised me.
“I rode around my unicycle.”
Cole didn’t conventionally get into this sport.
“There’s really no explanation for it. My family wasn’t a part of it. They took me when I was three years old and you don’t know what you want to do yet. I just pursued it with a hard head and an attitude,” Cole believes it was that and divine intervention.
This sport is dangerous. I would be scared. Most people would be scared.
“You’re always going to be scared. For us we’re not scared of bull riding for us, I’m more scared of getting hurt and not being able to get on bulls,” Cole revealed.
Cole owns a house but he doesn’t have a tour bus. He puts a lot of mileage on his car. It’s not a star-studded life, but it’s the one that he knows and the one he loves.
*Hailing from New Ringgold, Cole has established himself as one of the best bull riders in the world, etching his name in the history books last year when he was crowned the 2024 Velocity Tour Champion. Learn more about him here.
