Brandon Chambers
"on the road again"
... still!
A look at one of SEBRA's top competitors
A bit about Brandon
from interview & narrative by Brooke Nicely
Brandon Chambers is no stranger to the arena lights of rodeo but, that wasn’t always the story. The 31 year old bull rider from Gates, North Carolina grew up in Newport, North Carolina surfing and skateboarding at Atlantic Beach. He was actually a sponsored skater until tragically breaking his ankles leaving him unable to compete. Brandon says, “I wasn’t able to go to a skateboarding competition so I went to a fair with some of my friends one weekend and they had Bull Riding
“Keep your mind in the middle and a leg on each side”
My friends bet me to do it so I asked the man that was putting the event on if I could ride and he told me to come over to his practice pen the next weekend. I showed up at his house in surf baggies, t shirt and skater shoes. I never looked back.”
Brandon reflected back to being 16 years old. He was a bleach blonde city kid who had never even touched a bull until he was sitting on one. He nor his family knew anything about the sport.
Brandon credits learning from a man who can barely walk. “He had gotten on a couple bulls before he got in an accident that affected his walking. He would just talk it over with me each time and I succeeded.” Brandon recalls.
Injuries
Injuries seem to find every bull rider at some point during their career. While Brandon feels very blessed to have stayed as healthy as he is during the 14 years he has been competing, he has dealt with injuries along the way. He explained, “I punctured one lung and collapsed the other lung and was in the hospital for 7 days. I also have broken ribs, tore ligaments and tendons in both knees.”
Recently engaged, Brandon travels mostly with his fiance, Alexa Brown. He trains horses as well as raises bucking bulls of his own now. He looks up to Troy Dunn because of his riding style. Brandon’s advice to those starting out, “enter up! You can’t learn by not getting on.” His favorite quote, “keep your mind in the middle, and a leg on each side.”
Brandon chambers - WB 20111003
Brandon chambers - WB 20111003
Brandon Chambers & SuperFreak - WB 10/05/2010
