Grapevine, Ark. - Justin Koon has been riding bulls since he was 10 years old, but it wasn't until he was 27 that he finally focused on the PBR.

In one year's time, the world's premier bull riding organization has provided the Arkansas native with a lifetime of opportunities.

Just a few weeks after competing at his first World Finals, he's repacking his gear bag and heading to Australia, where he'll compete outside of the United States for the first time in his career.

"Without being preachy," he said, "God's quit opening doors; He's knocking them down.

"When I placed in the round - out there at the Finals - that's the way I felt. (Koon placed second in Round 3. -Ed.) The PBR has given me all these opportunities. It's just crazy to me all the opportunities that have been available now that I've been going to these PBRs."

'God's quit opening doors; He's knocking them down.'

Koon is one of several riders invited to compete at a PBR Australia event in Tamworth on Nov. 26.

Now that he has a passport, he added that in 2011, he's planning to compete in Canada to qualify for the Canadian Finals, along with the World Finals. He'd even consider going to Brazil if he was asked.

He started riding when he was 10, and suffered a bad head injury when he was 15. He admits there are days he wakes up and feels like someone who's 30, going on 40.

He's been competing with a knee injury, and a recent MRI confirmed that he completely tore his right ACL in half.

Doctors have scheduled a Dec. 15 surgery, but at 28, he doesn't feel like surgery is a viable option at this point in his career.

"I don't have six months to waste," he said. "If I was 22, 18, if I was 25 even, I might see sitting out, but I don't have six months to waste right now. I just pray about it and leave it up to God to lead me where I need to be. So far He has.

"This coming year, I'm excited to see what it brings."

Justin Koon celebrates after notching 89.75 points on The Game Changer in Round 3 of the 2011 PBR World Finals.

Koon's transition to the PBR actually began in late 2010.

His wedding was set for Aug.7, and he was, in his own words, pinching his money to cover the costs of the ceremony and reception.

He'd been riding in a few PRCA events, entering open events and "scratching out a living" to support himself and his bride-to-be. He entered an event in Louisiana, where he was the only rider to make the whistle, and claimed the entire $6,900 purse. He then rode along with his pal Ben Lee to Weatherford, Texas.

Lee, a bullfighter from Georgia, had asked Koon to ride along and keep him company, so Koon figured he might as well enter the event - his first Touring Pro Division event in a long time.

He was the only rider to cover two bulls, won some more money and headed to another TPD event produced by Jerry Nelson. He won a little bit more, and when he returned home, he told his bride that in 2011, he was going to focus on the PBR.

"I should have changed my mind a long time ago," said Koon, who competed in a Built Ford Tough Series event in 2006 as an alternate in Billings, Mont.

"I had a blast. I had fun and enjoyed my time there. Sometimes at those rodeos, while the other events are going on, you go to sleep before the bull riding even starts, and I was needing some excitement.

"I remembered why I do it."

At the beginning of 2011, he was in Ft. Worth, Texas, for the Cowtown Classic, and by summer he had won five TPD events and made four BFTS appearances as an invitee.

'I don't want to come back in six months and have them not know who Justin Koon is. I want to come in this season while I'm still fresh on everybody's mind.'

Looking back at years past, Koon said, "I might be 90 and win $400, but it was all conditioning for  what's up and coming, the way I look at it. I know I can ride these guys. I'm ready to make some money now and I've been riding for scraps long enough.

"I'm ready to use what I know for my benefit."

Though he admits some regret when looking at the years he could have been competing in the PBR, he also thinks it made him tougher and more prepared for the challenge.

To earn his way on onto the BFTS and qualify for the Finals, there were nights he entered TPD events twice, and would get on as many as four bulls if he made the short round with both entries.

"I really had to hustle in my mind this year," he said.

It literally paid off.

In addition to four BFTS invitations, he rode in nine other events as an alternate based on his TPD earnings. His best finish came in Hartford, Conn., where he finished seventh in the average and secured a spot among the Top 40 qualifiers for the season-ending event in Las Vegas.

He earned about $80,000 this season.

"Everything is such a blessing this year," Koon said. "I came from zero dollars, and I guess most of money except what I won at Connecticut and the Finals was all Touring Pro money.

"I don't want to come back in six months and have them not know who Justin Koon is. I want to come in this season while I'm still fresh on everybody's mind."

NOTES

INTERNATIONAL FINALS: The Canadian Finals will be held Friday and Saturday in Saskatoon, Sakatchewan. In addition to the top Canadian riders from the PBR, including Aaron Roy, Ryan Dirteater and Sean Willingham are among several American riders who qualified for the event. PBR Canada also extended invitations to Luke Snyder, Colby Yates, Ben Jones, Jordan Hupp and Mike Lee.

PBR Brazil will host its Finals in Cajamar on Nov. 24-27. Newly crowned World Champion Silvano Alves is expected to compete, along with Fabiano Vieira, Rubens Barbosa, Douglas Ferreira, Elton Cide, Wesley Lourenco and Paulo Lima.

FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Ross Coleman, J.W. Hart, and Cord McCoy will participate in a Celebrity Cutting Horse Event to benefit the Careity Foundation on Friday, Dec. 2, in Fort Worth, Texas, as part of the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity. The three will be joined by reigning Iron Cowboy Colby Yates Saturday from 1-3 p.m. for an autograph signing at the Best of the West Shopping Experience in the Amon G. Carter exhibit Hall at the Will Rogers Memorial Complex.