Community Outreach

New Ownership at Perfect Fit Wellness Center 

By Jon Huang

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

For Tyler Bunton, this has been a familiar story. 

This past December, Bunton took over as new owner from founder David Corder at PerfectFit Wellness Center in Peyton. The gym will remain a 24-hour gym with a focus on sports performance and overall health and wellness. 

Bunton is a 30-year-old professional rodeo athlete and fitness trainer. He grew up in Birch Tree, Missouri, and moved to Calhan in 2020 with his wife, Samantha, where they have raised their 2-year-old son, Beckett.

After earning his undergraduate degree in bio-clinical science at Missouri State University, Bunton intended to go into physical therapy. However, after two jaw fractures from butting heads with the bull and a grueling rehabilitation process, Bunton realized he could have been better-prepared to prevent such injuries. 

“I would have focused more on building strength and stabilization … being stronger to be able to then perform, to have that transfer over into the skill side of things. It would have helped me stay in a lot better positions,” he said.

From these challenges, Bunton’s passion for personal training was born. A trainer and strength coach since 2017, he holds certifications in personal training (NCSF), functional training (NESTA) and sports and nutrition (NCSF). In addition to rodeo, he also played baseball and ran cross-country in college.

Prior to taking over PFWC, Bunton trained rodeo athletes across the country. This week, he’s conducting a week-long, off-season training camp for rodeo riders across the U.S., with a focus on rough stock events, which are rodeo events in which the rider tries to stay on a bucking bull or horse. Riders who stay on for the full eight seconds receive a score half-based on the rider’s form and half on the animal’s performance. The camp’s athletes come from as far west as California and as far east as Georgia. Some aspire to ride in more regional events while others compete on the national circuit.

Throughout the week, all the men live together in a house, cook and train together, and support one another in their training goals. Along the way Bunton and his fellow coaches impart tips on nutrition and how to manage different elements of a professional career. 

While an athlete’s physical stature plays a role, Bunton said a rider’s durability and body control over the grind of the long competitive season matters more, making strength and conditioning crucial.

 “Every person is unique. Everyone is going to be a little different,” he said.  

As for Corder, PFWC’s transition has allowed him to step back from the grind of daily operations. He remains involved as a lead trainer and class instructor. This week, he is conducting yoga sessions for the training camp, providing the athletes an exercise in mindfulness that many typically don’t get in their regular training. While he has worked with horse riders, teaching rodeo athletes has been a relatively new and enjoyable experience. The response thus far has been positive. With yoga’s emphasis on balance, these sessions bring awareness to muscle tightness and strains that could prompt additional attention.

“People were saying it’s life changing (and brought) new awarenesses and new understandings of themselves and their bodies,” Corder said. 

Bunton said rodeo involves a lot of reacting but by learning to be more in tune to one’s feelings and physical sensations, along with the usual physical preparation, he believes it can help a rider stay mentally present while competing.

Camp also involves skill-based training where athletes perform exercises mimicking elements of riding, Bunton said. For bull riders, this involves riding an apparatus called a drop barrel, in which the rider straddles a mounted barrel that moves up and down. Bronc riders use a spur board where the rider leans back, brings their legs slowly back, then quickly forward and together, like the spurring motion while riding. 

Despite rodeo’s tremendous growth, even on the competitive circuit, the environment remains collegial, Bunton said. While American rodeo dates back to the 19th century, he said it hasn’t been until the last decade that there has been more focus on training regimens for rodeo athletes. Traditionally, most riders have strong rural and agricultural ties, and while this still predominates today, Bunton has noticed more coming from urban and suburban backgrounds. 

In the future, Bunton intends to develop sport-focused camps for the community to address training needs within competitive youth athletics, and plans to build an indoor basketball court on site this summer. The gym provides 24/7 access to members and will continue to offer members-only regular classes at an additional cost. The sport-focused camps will be open to the general public. 

Between his own background in professional sports and Corder’s experience, the two hope to combine their skills to help others achieve their fitness goals and prevent injuries along the way.

A person balances on one knee with a leg extended behind, while three others in casual sports attire observe in a gym setting.
Tyler Bunton, center, is the new owner of Perfect Fit Wellness Center.

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Jon Huang

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