story by Riata Cummings
The 17-year-old son of Todd and Angie Mattinson, Beau Mattinson, is a senior at Springville High School. He enjoys welding, fishing, hunting and bull riding. His siblings are Dylan, Kash, Kylie, Telisha and Tyon, and as a family they enjoy barbeques and camping trips. Beau also has a young son, Tuff Pozzy Mattinson. Beau’s brother Dylan rode bulls and helped Beau get into the sport. Beau started with mutton bustin’ when he was only 2-years-old. His gold buckle dreams keep him going, though now he has graduated to bulls. He loves the event because of the adrenaline he feels when he climbs down in the chute and the thrill that comes when he makes the buzzer.
So far, his favorite rodeo was the 2011 Briggs Madsen Invitational Bull Riding. He has found success at some winter series rodeos and mini-bull ridings. His favorite Utah High School Rodeos are the Dixie 6, a series of rodeos hosted in Hurricane, Utah each fall. The distance from home and the atmosphere of competition give the rodeos a unique appeal for Beau.
This year Beau hopes to win go-rounds at state, as well as qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo and win some go-rounds there. Beau practices his balance on a drop-barrel every day and tries to get on practice bulls at least every other week. Rodeo has taught him a lot of pain tolerance and persistence. Working through the hard times and bad weekends, he has learned the value of determination. He has noticed that he tends to be hard on himself, beating himself up when he doesn’t perform well. Reviewing his rides and recognizing the things he does right helps him remember to stay positive and get back on.
Beau’s hero is Stetson Lawrence, a PBR cowboy and owner of the B. Resilient brand. Beau likes that Stetson stands out among his peers and that his brand is sending a good message to the younger generation of bull riders. One day Beau hopes to help the youngsters in a similar fashion. Beau’s motto is “ride eight”, a saying that encourages him to give it everything he’s got every time he gets on a bull. The play on his event’s eight second time limit reminds him to take the challenges as they come, one second at a time. Beau wants to make his passion into a career, becoming a professional bull rider. He looks forward to the challenge of PBR bulls and top-notch cowboys. Before he is finished he wants to win three world titles, making him one of the best in the sport.
Beau’s biggest supporter has been his dad, Todd. Todd is always there helping him pull his rope and making sure everything is as right as it can be. Beau would like to thank his parents and other supporters for helping him push through the hard times to find success.
