Pat Vanek
Age: 21
Occupation: Ranchhand
Resides: Lewistown, Montana
To finish strong is what alot of competitors and teams talk about when they are commenting about their chosen sport. Most will say that it isn't how you start, but how you finish. Well that seems to be the case for 2003 S\<> Finals Champion Mr. Pat Vanek. Pat competed in about four of the 11 season events, and placed at just one of them. He rode at one of the Hays and Box Elder events with no luck. Roy was particularly good to Pat though as he split the win there and came away with over $400. But he finished the season strong winning two of the three rounds plus the average at the year-end Finals coming away with about $1200.00.
Pat got his start riding bulls in Lewistown with his cousins and his uncle Rod Bailey. Rod was a former PRCA bull rider that competed in the Montana circuit. He is named by Pat as the major influence of his bull riding career. Pat rode his first bull at a practice session of his cousin's at the age of 14. Previous to that he rode about seven head of steers. From his first bull he jumped right into high school competition. In fact it was at one of these high school rodeos that one of his most memorable moments took place. He was riding a bull that was a pretty good one, and eventually hung up to the bull. Well he was slung out of there and landed under a panel with a part of his vest hung up to the top rail of the panel. He was stuck needless to say. The bull discovered him and proceeded to work him over pretty good.
The win at the S\<> Finals is his biggest win to date and also his favorite moment of this past season in the S\<> Series. Like many other bull riders, Pat grew up idolizing the late great Lane Frost. He says that he wishes he could ride like him. His traveling partner is Dusty Chrisman on most trips with the occasional endeavor with his cousin Justin Bailey. Sometimes his girlfriend Kandy will accompany him to rodeos and bull ridings. He also enjoys team roping. So Pat seems to be a complete cowboy. Other organizations that he rides in are the NRA and PRCA. He has a permit in the PRCA and is a cardholder in the NRA.
He plans on hitting as many of the S\<> events as he can next season. That year-end title is something that he said he would like to get. With the rides he made at the year-end finals, there is no doubt that Pat will be a contender for that title. Once again, your 2003 S\<> Finals Champion......Mr. Pat Vanek.
