Sweet satisfaction for Bowen

When you think of Hershey, Pa., here's the first thing that probably comes to mind: chocolate. Heaping helpings of Hershey bars. Mounds of Mounds. The bliss of the Kiss.

What you might not think of: rodeo.

But bull rider Dustin Bowen is working to change that. The 24-year-old has made it to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time, and as far as the PRCA knows, Bowen is the first-ever WNFR qualifier from the land of all that is chocolate. And he's just the second qualifying cowboy from anywhere in Pennsylvania.

"It gets me hoping more kids from the East Coast start rodeoing harder, seeing they can make the National Finals Rodeo," he said. "I definitely don't forget where I came from."

How could he? For decades, his mom has worked for Hershey. And while that might sound like paradise for a child, Bowen said his upbringing was rather ordinary.

"It's not what you might think," he said, knowing people might believe his house was flooded with sugar-laden goodies. "There weren't too many perks, except going to the (amusement) park one time a year on employee day. She had a factory job, she was a factory worker."

In other words, mom was just a hard worker — and she filled her son with that trait, rather than with crates of candy. Bowen is wrapping up just his second full season on the PRCA tour, and he's already landed himself at the 10-day, year-end event at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Bowen entered the WNFR 10th among the 15 qualifiers, with regular-season earnings of $65,250. It was the next step up for Bowen, who was 18th in the world standings in 2014, falling just short of qualifying for the WNFR.

"Doing that well last year, I was pretty curious to see if that was a fluke," Bowen said. "So it was really nice to see I was able to stay in the top 20."

And actually finish the regular season in the top 10. Bowen said he started strong at the beginning of the season, then fell into a lengthy rut.

"In spring and early summer, I had two months of really bad luck, not riding very many bulls," he said.

He found his way out later in the summer, but heading into the mid-September Pendleton Roundup — just a couple weeks before the end of the regular season — things were still pretty tight. And Bowen was in a tight spot outside the arena, too.

"After Pendleton, I had my sister's wedding," he said. "So there were gonna be two or three rodeos I missed. Pendleton was kind of the cutoff. That was definitely when the pressure was on."

But he responded, taking second in one go-round at Pendleton and finishing second in the average there.

"Pendleton finally jumped me back in there," Bowen said. "It really wasn't a sure thing in the last month until then."

Indeed, less than $3,000 separated Bowen's 10th-place season total from that of 16th-place Jeff Askey. But it never matters how you get to Las Vegas — only that you get to Las Vegas.

"Honestly, it's my first time, so I'm definitely excited to be here," said Bowen, who got a little glimpse of the WNFR by taking in one go-round last year as a fan. "It was a great event, and it definitely put the motivation into me for this year."

He's been leaning on veteran cowboy Clint Cannon for advice. The 37-year-old Cannon is a bareback rider competing in his fifth WNFR this year.

"Clint has given me a bunch of advice on the Finals," Bowen said. "I feel I've got a pretty decent idea of what I'm going into."

Every WNFR contestant thinks about winning a world championship. But Bowen is also trying to keep things practical, with defending world champion Sage Kimzey in the midst of a huge money-making year that saw him enter the NFR with $174,600 and how has him at nearly $230,000.

"I'm just hoping I can keep a clear head and go into (each night) like any other rodeo, hoping I can settle down and just be comfortable," said Bowen, who is still seeking his first go-round check of the week. "I just want to ride as many bulls as I can. I'm definitely looking at the Finals as a clean slate, and just do my best each round.

"If that bumps me up in the standings, great. If not, I'll just try to enjoy my first Finals. It's definitely gonna be hard, but I hope all 15 of us put on a good show. I think we'll all do pretty well."