As the finals of the RAM National Circuit Finals kick off in Kissimmee, Florida, 18-year-old Daylon Swearingen prepares to take on some tough competition at his first national circuit finals. Swearingen rides among the youngest in the herd of competitors at this year’s RNCFR. 

Swearingen made his debut at the First Frontier Circuit Finals back in January, competing in both the bareback riding and bull riding. The Piffard, New York, cowboy rode away with the overall bull riding earnings title as well as the all-around title after also winning three checks in the bareback riding. 

From his first individual circuit finals, he set his sights on his first national circuit finals. Swearingen is among the youngest in the top eight and could easily be feeling the pressure of the competitor he’s about to face, but he seems to be using some new-school techniques to bridge the gap his inexperience could create.

“I’ve kind of prepared for it with my mental game a little bit—I have to work a little more on it, you can always make improvements,” Swearingen said. “I do some yoga and it helps with my mental game, it keeps me calm. I stretch, read books and a lot of YouTube motivation—it just keeps me going.”

Today Swearingen has extra pressure to fix mistakes from an earlier round. He’s drawn El Patron from Lancaster and Jones K Pro Rodeo Company—the same bull that bucked him off in round one of the RNCFR. Although the first ride didn’t go well, Swearingen has the chance to come up with a new game plan to make the eight-second whistle. 

“Ride him a little bit more to the front, maybe put a little more knee into him . . . stay over him a little better,” Swearingen said. “He kind of leaned on me a little bit [in the chute] and I have a broken fibula—it’s just kind of sore but when they lean on it, it gets more sore, so I might have thought about that so I just want to be a little bit more of a cowboy today.”

Among the top eight today is also a superstar by the name of Sage Kimzey. But as Swearingen settles down on his semifinals bull at his first RNCFR against the four-time world champion, he says he’ll only be thinking about the competition beneath him, not the competition down the line of chutes. 

“I have to ride my bull—it’s cool riding against these guys—but I’m competing against the bulls,” Swearingen said.