SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The moment Paulo Eduardo Rossetto cracked open the chutes Friday night at Great Southern Bank Arena, it wasn’t just the Thunder Days opener — it was a full-circle ride nearly three decades in the making.
Born into bull riding, Paulo’s first two words weren’t “Mom” and “Dad.” They were “Dad” and “Bull.”
That’s what he told reporters after winning his first Unleash The Beast event earlier this year. But Friday night in Springfield? It was something different. Something deeper.
For the first time in his career, both of his parents were on U.S. soil — with his father, Angelo Rossetto, standing behind the chutes as their son led off for the Missouri Thunder in front of a roaring home crowd.
To drive it home? His dad pulled the rope.
“There's no words to describe how awesome and amazing it is,” Angelo said. “To be here and seeing. you know, my son being able to have all his dreams coming true and how far he's gone.”
From Gambler Days to Great Southern Bank Arena
The Rossettos arrived in the U.S. just last week for Gambler Days in Austin — the first time Paulo’s parents had ever seen him compete on American soil. Behind the chutes, Angelo pulled Paulo’s bull rope for the first time in the States — a moment both father and son won’t soon forget.
Since then, they’ve stayed on the road, following Paulo to Springfield, Missouri for Thunder Days — his team’s homestand.
And while Paulo’s riding hand might vary depending on the day, one thing never changes: the Rossettos’ support.
A Family Trait? Not Quite.
It turns out Paulo’s ambidexterity isn’t just rare — it even caught his father off guard.
“When he started, like when he was a kid, he was just riding bulls, and nobody noticed it,” Angelo said. “Like one day he rode with, like, the right hand, [another] day left hand, and nobody noticed it.”
At one point, someone asked Paulo which hand he needed a rope for — right or left — and he simply replied:
“I don’t know, I ride like [this].”
He now keeps two bull rope setups — one rigged for his left hand, the other for his right — ready to go depending on how he feels that day.
Angelo, a former bull rider himself, once tried switching hands too — but with different results.
At the end of his career, he broke his right hand, and he tried to ride with his left, but he couldn’t, he recalled with a smile.
That experiment came long before Paulo’s talent became clear. Now, his son is showing what it looks like to be truly ambidextrous — on one of bull riding’s biggest stages.
Thunder Days: Still Bucking
Rossetto got the nod as leadoff man on opening night in Springfield, drawing Moving On in the first frame and earning a re-ride. That second shot came aboard Johnny Rocket, but again, it didn’t result in a score — just another re-ride.
Missouri Thunder teammate Boudreaux Campbell posted the team’s lone qualified ride of the night with 78.25 points on Air Marshall, while the Austin Gamblers fired off three scores — including a 91-point re-ride from Callum Miller — to claim a 269.75–78.25 win.
But Thunder Days isn’t over yet — and neither is Paulo’s chance to make a mark in front of his family and his Thunder fans.
Whether it’s from the chutes, the stands or the other side of the equator, Angelo and Rose Rossetto are witnessing something special: their son, riding with both hands and holding on tight to a dream that’s now playing out eight seconds at a time in the United States.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media