GREELEY, Colo. (February 16, 2010) - Under normal circumstances, Josh Koschel tends to focus on one jump at a time.
But this weekend’s Iron Cowboy Invitational isn’t your normal Built Ford Tough Series event.
It features 24 of the top riders in the world in a head-to-head tournament-style bracket that pays the winner $260,000. It won’t be any easy payday with the winner, who will have to get on four or five bulls in a three-hour period.
And, of course, there’s the location. Cowboys Stadium.
After two of four rounds this past weekend in Oklahoma City, Koschel said he was trying not to think past the Express Classic, but the 25-year-old admitted he wasn’t really able to focus on one jump at a time, much less one ride at a time.
“I’ve just been trying to take it one day at a time,” he said, “but, yeah, it’s hard not to think about it. It’s going to be a cool opportunity just to be able to ride there.”
In analyzing the bracket, Koschel comes up as a legitimate contender to win the honor of being the first ever Iron Cowboy.
Competing in his sixth season on the BFTS, the soft-spoken travel partner of the reigning World Champion Kody Lostroh is enjoying what has been a career year.
He’s currently covering 57.7 percent of his bulls, which is more than 20 percent up from his career average of 36.9 percent. He’s ridden six of his past 10 and 10 of his past 15 bulls.
Even more impressive is how strong he’s finishing this year’s events.
In eight events, he has five Top 10 finishes, and has qualified for six of eight short rounds, including a 4-or-4 performance in Anaheim, Calif. Only once this year has Koschel failed to earn at least one qualified ride at a BFTS event.
“I’m just trying to do my best every bull I get on,” said Koschel, who added that he corrected a pair of problems from a year ago that affected his ability to consistently make the 8-second whistle. “I’ve been drawing good, picking good and just trying to make it count.”
Last season, he was healthy enough to compete in all 32 BFTS events and finished 20th in the world standings. After only eight events in 2010, he’s ranked fifth in the standings, and has won more than a third of the money he did all of last season.
He’s been working out in the gym on a daily basis, and like Lostroh, he elects to use barrels as opposed to practice bulls.
“I’ve just stepped it up,” he said, “been working hard at home and doing my best.”
If Koschel plans to be this year’s Iron Cowboy, he’ll need to be at his best Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.
The 11th overall seed in the tournament, he’ll attempt to ride Carrillo Cartel in his opening round matchup with Elliot Jacoby, who drew Commotion. If Koschel were to win that battle, he’d then get on MoeBandy.com in a matchup with 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi.
Marchi, who has been out for the past three weeks with a wrist injury, is paired with Maverick.
The winner of that matchup would get on Spit Fire in the third round, and faceoff with either Austin Meier, L.J. Jenkins or Ross Coleman, who would attempt Uncle Buck. That winner would earn the right to go head-to-head with whoever comes out of the other half of that side of the bracket, and both would get an opportunity to ride Voodoo Child.
And the final round will pit the Top 2 contenders – one from each side of the bracket – in a matchup with reigning World Champion Bull Code Blue.
“It’s not just five bulls,” Koschel explained. “It’s five of the rankest bulls there (are), and I just think that’s the big thing about it. The guys that are in shape and have been working at it are definitely going to have an advantage, because it’s going to be five bulls, [and the riders] are going to be sore and worn out.
“It is the Iron Cowboy. Not only are you going to have to ride good, but you’re going to have to be tough to get through it to win that deal.”
The Iron Cowboy Invitational will be Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium.
