YORKTON - Some athletes come to sport based on blood and pedigree and you could certainly say that about John Crimber and his arrival on the PBR scene.
Crimber is the son of 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier Paulo Crimber, so the pedigree is there, but just because dad could ride bulls well was no guarantee the younger Crimber could.
Early experience on the other hand suggests he most certainly can best the bovine opponents.
Crimber, 18, who was in Saskatoon for a PBR Canada event the final weekend of October first garnered national attention when he won the Mini Bull Riders Senior Division Championship in Las Vegas in 2019 at the age of 14.
Crimber continued to take the youth bull riding circuit by storm, winning the National High School Rodeo Association Bull Riding titles in 2021 and 2022 and the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding buckle in 2023.
Crimber can now add a win on Canadian soil to his resume.
Victorious in his Canadian debut, Crimber’s 10th career win in less than three months netted him 144.5 national points, vaulting him to No. 22 in the national standings.
At the regular-season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, finale in Saskatoon Crimber from Decatur, Texas delivered a flawless three-for-three performance, including a monstrous 90-point ride, to win the PBR Saskatoon Classic.
Crimber put points on the board in Round 1 when he rode Desperado (Vold Rodeo) for 83.5 points.
“Tied for sixth, the teenage phenom used his early pick in the Round 2 bull draft to select Uncle Rico (Kinky Buckers). In a decision which proved dividends, Crimber teamed with the powerful animal athlete for a round-best 87 points, surging to the top of the event leaderboard,” noted a PBR Canada release.
“For his championship round opponent, Crimber chose to go head-to-head with Bull of the Year contender Langham Kid (Two Bit Bucking Bulls). Nodding with confidence, Crimber burst from the chutes, matching the bovine athlete jump-for-jump enroute to the requisite 8 as the crowd erupted in boisterous cheer.
“As Crimber celebrated in the arena, he was awarded a mammoth 91.5 points, tied for the second highest score this season on Canadian soil, cementing his tenth career victory.”
Crimber has progressed to the top level of the sport and on the campaign trail to gain experience.
Crimber noted he has been riding since he was five, adding it was something he always wanted to do.
“My Dad rode bulls professionally for a long time. I was always looking up to him and wanted to be like him,” he told Yorkton This Week.
Crimber said it went from a dream to something he just had to pursue.
“I've always had big goals,” he said. “If you want to do something you’ve got to go do it.
“I’ve been working at it my whole life.”
That said it hasn’t always gone smoothly.
Crimber said he has struggled to the point “I doubted myself a little bit.”
It was a time Crimber said he had to self reassess and get back to his natural confidence.
The experience in Saskatoon will be new for Crimber in the sense that he hasn’t seen the bulls.
“I don’t know much about the bulls up here,” he said.
While he said there are always videos to watch, or other riders to quiz for suggestions, in the end it comes down to just doing it.
“You have to ride them jump for jump,” said Crimber.
The trip north also takes Crimber to another new city, part of the process as a new rider too.
“Every weekend you ride somewhere different,” he said, adding there’s an excitement “going to these places.”
Every ride also honours Crimber’s parents too.
“I feel like my parents are really proud of me,” he said.
And it never hurts to have his Dad’s sage advice at times too.
“My Dad tells me everything I need to know. If I do something wrong he tells me what I should have done.”
Mom by contrast just wants her son to do well.
“She watches me she gets nervous I can tell. Dad gets nervous too,” said Crimber.
