Australian Sensation Callum Miller Wows at 2020 Pbr Canada Finals, Aims for Division’s National Title in 2021
By: Covy Moore Wednesday, February 24, 2021 @ 10:53 AM
Callum Miller finished 2020 ranked No. 4 in the PBR Canada national standings. Photo: Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com.
The history of Australian bull riders making their way across the globe to chase their goals is nothing new.
And Canada is often a stepping stone towards the premier PBR Unleash The Beast for any competitor.
Twenty-five-year-old Callum Miller, from Warwick, Queensland, is a relative newcomer to PBR Canada competition having made a run at the nation’s schedule in 2017 and not returning until 2020.
With 24 outs under his belt in the Great White North, the most memorable are easily his 5-for-6 effort at the 2020 PBR Canada Finals Week in Grande Prairie, Alberta, which also solidified him as a contender to watch in 2021.
“The goal was to ride everything and try to win every night and creep back into the standings,” Miller said.
“There weren’t too many events last year, so the idea was go to Grande Prairie and try to win everything and have a shot at winning a Canadian title.”
At the unique three-day, four-event, season-culminating tour stop, Miller’s near perfect effort earned him a victory, two runner-up finishes and a ninth-place result.
Nansen Vold’s Strong Arm, Wild Hoggs’ Stuntman Hank, Two Bit Bucking Bulls’ All Business and Flying Four’s Finning Nikki Sixx were all bested by the Aussie, but for Miller he says the one ride from Grande Prairie that will stick in his memory is his matchup with 2019 PBR Canada Bull of the Finals Finning Lil’ Shorty.
With a playbook of one or two jumps out, a potential fake to the left, and then a well-timed trip right, Lil Shorty was covered in each of his five trips in 2020, with all the rider earning a score of no less than 87 points.
“I had heard a lot about him and seen videos,” Miller began. “He looked like a really good bull, was in contention for Bull of the Year. The feeling on him was really good. I didn’t quite finish the way I wanted to, but he is just a great bull to get on, a real fun one.”
Making his way to North America in 2014 through an Oklahoma Panhandle State scholarship in rodeo, Miller has fought injuries for a good portion of his professional career. With “five or six” surgeries through college alone, Miller has gained an appreciation for riding healthy, something made easier in 2020 due to the limited number of events held.
“(It) has been good for me actually, it’s let me stay healthy,” Miller said shortly after the 2020 PBR Canada Finals. “The body is doing better than if I was riding bulls all year. I have been working and keeping fit. A fresh mind and a fresh body helped a lot.”
“(The lesson 2020 taught me is) if you start getting on sore, it’s time to take a step back and have a little break. Get healthy, don’t ride too hurt or too sore. Get looking after that body a bit more.”
With a positive end to 2020 for Miller, he says his 2021 sights are set on a PBR Canada Championship and a Canadian Rodeo Bull Riding title in the same year.
“I will be sticking around for another year. Hopefully we get a fuller season. The goal next year is to try and get the double header and win a Canadian PBR title and a rodeo title in the same year,” Miller said.
“I am going to keep a clear mind and have a goal set, stick to that goal.”
With a deep roster of competitors in Canada, Miller says that each contender in the dressing room has something to draw inspiration from. But one stands out for the young Aussie. Zane Lambert.
“I really like the attitudes of Canadians. They are there for fun and to ride their bulls. But you can’t look past a guy like Zane Lambert and the career he has had so far. There is something to be said for a guy at his age that is still going, but still going at the top level and to still be winning is amazing. I look forward to maybe being as good as that, or having something as impressive as his resume.”