Philly cheesesteak, the Philadelphia Eagles, and TV show The Office often come to mind when people think of Pennsylvania. It is rare that the words “cowboy” and “Pennsylvania” are ever associated with each other, and even at times may be considered oxymoronic. It may come as a surprise to some that the number ten bull rider in the world is from the small eastern Pennsylvania town of Fredericksburg, and he is counting down the weeks until making his first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada this December.
Dustin Bowen, 24, competed in a total of 122 rodeos this season across the country and in Canada, and with an incredibly busy schedule over the past couple of months, he barely made it to his sister’s wedding in September, which is where he learned about his NFR qualification. Although he has been to Vegas a handful of times, this will be his longest stay, where he hopes to not only win in the bull riding, but at the blackjack tables as well.

If you were to hop in Bowen’s car during any regular season rodeo, you would probably see bull and bareback rider Trenton Montero of Winnemucca, NV in the passenger’s seat, an Arby’s cup in the cup holder, rock climbing gear in the backseat, and you would be listening to a medley of musical genres on the radio, however, this time he plans to make the trip alone, departing from Stephenville, TX early and stopping in Arizona to go rock climbing and hit a few other scenic spots along the way.
Bowen is excited to get back to the lively atmosphere of Sin City this year with only seven weeks left in the countdown to the first performance. In the meantime, he will be getting on practice bulls, lifting weights, climbing rocks, and eating healthy in efforts to be in the best shape of his life for the one opportunity that many hope to obtain, but only a small percent accomplish.
If you can’t make it out to Vegas this year, check out CBS Sports Network coverage of the Wrangler NFR every night December 3-12 at 10:00 PM ET.

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