Richie Champion turned heads when he became a millionaire at just 21, and for good reason. He's the first competitor ever to win one of the biggest trophies a cowboy can strive for - $1,000,000 at THE AMERICAN. Today, his same fearless attitude continues to pay off in the arena. He's a 3x WNFR qualifier and reigning champion bareback rider of the Calgary Stampede.
Q:
What goes through your head when you first wake up in the morning before you bareback ride?
A:
Where is the coffee? Then I can think about riding bucking horses.
Q:
Where is your favorite place to bareback ride?
A:
Without a doubt the most electric atmosphere to ride a bareback horse is inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas at the NFR. Most rides throughout my season are imagined in that setting.
Q:
How do you up your game year after year?
A:
It's easy. At the end of every season comes a reassessment of goals - ones that I've accomplished and those that were short comings. Then I prioritize new goals and move forward, all while trying to think outside the box. Where is my edge? How can I find it? What's it going to take?
Q:
If you could do anything better what would it be?
A:
Playing the guitar. It's something that has always interested me but I've never taken the time to get better at it.
Q:
Who are your heroes? Who do you look up to?
A:
Kaycee Feild and Bobby Mote - two of the most dominant bareback riders to ever climb on the back of a horse. They're true pioneers of the sport and ambassadors of what it means to be cowboys.
Q:
What haven't you accomplished that you aspire to do in your lifetime?
A:
Be a World Champion. It's that simple.
Q:
If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?
A:
Anxiousness and nerves. If I don't have them, I'm missing them, but when they hit it's like finding comfort in discomfort.