By Sheila Totten
For over a year now PBR fans have asked two questions .Where is their hero Cory Melton?Why isn't he on tour? The answers will follow right here.
After recuperating from injuries Cory actually had a heart to heart talk with himself and made some major decisions . He changed his priorities,moved from Louisiana to Tolar ,Texas and did a lot of deep thinking in almost 15 months off.
He admitted that when he first came back he was not 100% dedicated to bull riding and focused which is a major no.At the time he was not aiming for winning first and he was still struggling with the emotional effects of burnout from riding so much.The intense schedule of events that the PBR required him to be at added to his attendance at PRCA events as he strove to make it to the NFR took its toll. According to Cory he never seemed to have any time off.
While other riders may have remained in a hospital bed after the injuries Cory suffered at the 2004 NFR when Barnes Rodeo T Bar Snuff stepped on him( several broken ribs and a punctured lung) and sent him to the ICU Cory rebounded and was able to leave the hospital to watch the final round of the NFR at the Thomas and Mack. After the NFR Cory decided it was time to heal and have all of his nagging injuries fixed once and for all.
He had surgeries on his hand and his hips while healing from the ribs and punctured lung.Then it was a lengthy rehab period and Cory did not even want to think about bull riding.he began to focus on other things and he trained himself to learn how to balance his life.He bought his first home making the move to Tolar,Texas and began raising bucking bulls.
Cory had been riding bulls since he was just a ten year old and he really needed a break.He didn't even care to attend a bull riding during this period and he found he was getting to do things he never had time to do before. Eventually he started on the road back as he occasionally worked as a pick-up man at local rodeos while raising his bulls.
After a year's hiatus that bull riding snake bit and Cory was ready to return. Unfortunately at the first event in Denver Cory separated his shoulder and was sidelined for another two months.The road back has had its ups and downs with tougher bulls and harder rides.
Cory has been riding at PRCA rodeos and Xtreme Bulls Tour events.On May 2nd he earned $5,922 at the Xtreme stop in Tulsa,OK when he tied for second in the semi final round with 84 points aboard Robertson and Wilson's great bull Cajun Moon. Cory has admitted in interviews with other reporters that he has had the trouble that seems to plague many riders this season-not being able to be consistent. Rather than get discouraged though he is happy to just be making a living as a bull rider. Cory is on the road back and even if he does not make it to the NFR this year you can bet he will next year.
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