PBR Memphis - Event Review, Part II

The second day of the PBR event in Memphis started out with a nice tone from the alarm. When I went to turn it off, it was hard to believe that it was time to get up. After getting to bed at 3 am, all my body could say was, your getting to old for this and go ahead and sleep. Well, my body lost out to my heart. At every Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event we have been to, we have attended cowboy church. It has been a blessing every time and I was not going to miss it this time.

We made our way over to the arena just before the starting time at 11:00 am. Todd Pierce, the regular pastor of Riding High Ministries was not available, and Jody Newberry, a PBR rider, was going to speak at the service. During the service we got to hear from a Russian citizen who is a born again Christian and he shared his testimony. It was inspiring. He talked about the fact that when he was in Russia he started his journey to salvation with an American dollar. He was given an American dollar by someone and he noticed on the dollar "In God We Trust". On their money was Lenin and that is who they trust. Later he was given a book that had the gospel of John and started to read it. At some point he was robbed and beaten and lay in the snow dying. He was rescued and the doctors said that the snow slowed his death and if it would have been 30 minutes later, he would have died. He was taken to his mothers house and as he recovered, all he could talk about is following Jesus and not following the communist government. His family wanted to commit him to a mental institution, because they thought the beating had affected his brain. Later he would go to the streets and preach the gospel and soon would be arrested and put in prison for speaking out about his beliefs. He stayed in prison for two years, just for proclaiming his faith. The Soviet Union fell and he was pardoned by Gorbachev himself. He went on to write a song and play about Jesus and started a mega church in Russia. He said that today Russia is starting to revert back to some of their old ways and religious freedom is not as free as it has been. The main point of this man's message was, "thank you America" for being there in Russia and making the effort to bring the gospel to Russia and other places. He went on say that he sees America getting tired and he wants to prop America up and encourage America to continue the effort that we have had in the past to spread God's word. Again, a very inspiring message.

After the service we went to lunch with some of our PBR buddies and some of the production crew. We ate at a well known BBQ restaurant. The food was good, but a little over priced and the only sides were beans and slaw. Really wished they had fries or some kind of potato. The conversation at the table was great and I got the opportunity to get to ask some questions of the guys in the production crew and just get to know them a little better. There was a signing at Pro Bass shop that we missed, because of the lunch, but the great company was well worth it.

We made our way back to the hotel, spent time on the computer and took a short nap. Since we were helping out with TeamPBR again, and we had to be at the arena so early, there wasn't a whole lot of down time. We headed to the arena, parked in the "special parking" and into the arena. It is kind of neat to get to the arena, before anybody is there and get on the dirt and just soak in the atmosphere of the arena and just imagine the crowd, bulls, riders and noise. We worked the front entrance again and the meet and greet areas as well. This night, the Brazilians came out to sign autographs and take pictures. They are all nice and I talked to Valdiron and joked about him letting Renato beat him in the standings. He laughed and said that he will beat him by the end of the season.

We finished up and before I made my way to our seats, I made a quick stop to the seats of one of the PBR fans that comment on the PBR website, Louisiana Fan (using the PBR sign on). I met and talked to her and her husband and their grandson. It was a good conversation and even though she is a fan of the wrong rider (lol), I think outside of the comment section, we could be friends for sure.



Before I get to the event, I wanted to give a shout out to the PBR bull fighters. They do a great job of protecting the riders and at the first sign of trouble, they quickly move in and do their job. They literally put their bodies and potentially their lives on the line for these riders and I don't think they get enough credit.

Today's event was broke up into 5 flights (sections) and the short go. In the first flight, there were a number of buck offs, with Cord McCoy and Robson Palermo coming off the quickest. Shane Proctor had the best ride of the long go for the night. He scored an 89.00 on Maverick and it was a great ride. Ryan McConnel scored an 87.00 on Raisin Cane and Guilherme Marchi got the best of Updraft and rode him for the 8 and scoring 84.25. It was good to see Marchi get the ride as he has been struggling lately with a sore riding hand. The bull was difficult as it was out of line for most of the ride and it was surprising that Marchi was able to hang in there.

In flight two, Caleb Sanderson came off on Moon in 1.4 seconds. Ednei Caminhas looked good on his ride and like he had the ride made, but just fell short at 7.0 seconds. Valdiron toughed it out on his bull, Black Hawk, and scored an 86.25. Harve Stewart and Ned Cross got scores of 85.75 and 83.75. In flight three, Cody Campbell scored an 88.00 on Hot Rod. The 88.00 matched his 88.00 from the night before and put him into first place for the two day total and he would go into first place in the short go. It is good to see Cody stepping it up as he trys to win some more money and make it to the finals. Speaking of stepping it up, Austin has been doing just that lately. He rode Stubby for an 86.25, which gave him two scores heading into the short go. Mike Lee also got a qualified ride with an 85.50 on Flashpoint.

In flight four, Jared Farley had Hee Bee Gee Bee. He got about as close as he could to the 8 seconds, without making the 8. When he came off, the clock stopped at 7.9 seconds. Jared challenged the time. When the replay judge showed the time, Jared lost some. The replay judge showed 7.75 seconds and Jared's day was done. Chris Shivers was in the chute on Boomer Sooner and the bull was acting up. Chris was not able to get out on the bull and they gave him a reride on Deja Blu. He was not able to make good on the opportunity and did not get a score. The only score in this flight was Renato Nunes, scoring an 80.75. He got out of position and some how was able to hang on for the last 3 seconds. His score wasn't pretty, but he became only the third rider to get two bulls rode. Flight five saw two rides completed. JB Mauney rode Very Smart Remedy for an 87.75 and Silvano Alves finished off Hank for a low score of 81.25. Silvano became only the fourth rider to get two scores going into the short go. Jordan Hupp, surprisingly, was the fastest rider off in this round when he was bucked off Flip Side in just 2.3 seconds.

Short Go - This was one of, if not the rankest bull pens that has ever been in a short go. I looked at the list and there were at last 9 bulls that I can say that nobody would want to ride. I can't believe Cody Nance picked Bushwacker. I know Cody and he is fearless. He will pick any bull, any time. With that said, you have to be smart about certain bulls. Bushwacker has dumped his riders off on average in less than 3 seconds. This was no exception. Cody was bucked off in 2.1 seconds and Bushwacker scored a 47.00 bull score. I have seen this bull a number of times, in person, and every time all I can say is, WOW!! Jordan Hupp was the first to get a score in the short go. He scored an 88.25 on Kabookie. I was surprised that Kabookie lasted that long in the draft for Jordan to pick him. One by one they came up and one by one they went down. JB rode Code Blue for an 89.50. It was a great ride but Code Blue was/is not the same Code Blue that won Bucking Bull of the Year last year. The bull was over weight, slow and did not buck very high or spin much. Not taking anything away from JB, the bull score was 44 and I don't think that it should have been that high. After JB got off the bull, Code Blue's back legs gave out, twice and he had a hard time getting out of the arena. At this time it has been said that Code Blue had a pinched nerve and may or may not buck again. Silvano Alves rode Chance for an 85.25. Chance had an unusually bad out, but with Silvano getting a score, it vaulted him into first place in the event, being the first rider to get three bull scores. Renato came up and only lasted 4.2 seconds on Voodoo Child. Austin's turn. However, he went flying off Unabomber in just 3.2 seconds. Cody Campbell, the leader of the event going into the short go picked Black Pearl. This turned out not to be Cody's day to win his first BFTS event as he was bucked off in 3.3 seconds. The winner of the Memphis PBR event was Silvano Alves with a total score of 253.50.

The final standings for the Memphis BFTS event are: 1) Silvano Alves 253.50 2) JB Mauney 177.25 3) Cody Campbell 176.00 4) Jordan Hupp 174.75 5) Austin Meier 173.25 6) Reanto Nunes 168.50 7) Shane Proctor 89.00 8) Cody Nance 88.25 9) Colby Yates 87.75 10) Ryan McConnel 87.00

The event was over, and it seems it just got started. Since the previous night the riders could not come out to sign autographs because of the concert, they did come out this night. Tammie was able to get her pictures signed and we talked to several riders. JB was the last rider to come out and as he made his way around we had the opportunity to talk with him for a few minutes about Code Blue. He gave us his impression about Code Blue's injury and as he stated, if it were him, he would not have brought Code Blue there and would not have bucked him the rest of the year.

We made our way out of the arena and man was it hot and muggy. After driving around with our PBR buddies in tow, trying to find a restaurant open at midnight. We finally decided to just eat at the same Iron Skillet that we ate at the night before. We had our same waitress, April, and surprisingly, she remembered all of our drink orders, all six of them. It was not surprising that she remembered us, since we were a little loud the night before from laughing, but to remember the drink orders, she's good. Near the end of our meal, lightning filled the skys. We all kept looking and thinking we need to walk on back to the hotel before it rains, but we didn't. Then the sky's opened up and the rains came down heavy. Ok, that just meant that we had to stay there and just continue the fun conversation and getting a good nights sleep before the trip home was not going to happen. I think by the time we got back to the hotel and finally went to bed, it was after 3 am. It makes for a fun time with friends, but the eyes and body suffer. With that said, it's worth it.

PBR Memphis - Event Review, Part I

This last weekend, the city of Memphis, known for it's most famous resident, Elvis Presley, hosted it's first ever PBR event. We decided, kind of a last minute thing, to buy the tickets and make the 6 1/2 hour drive up. After the Tulsa event and having dinner there with our PBR buddy's, there was talk of Memphis and getting together at that event. Talk turned into action and before you know it, tickets were being bought and the hotel reservation was being made. We drove up the night before and the trip was uneventful. After checking in and getting something to eat, I decided to take a long run. The evening was not only hot, but very muggy. There were several truck stops around the hotel and a long road that I took my run down. Listening to my ipod, I was able to drown out the noise from the trucks and just concentrate on the run and my music. When I was finished, I looked like I just stepped out of a swimming pool. The rest of the weekend was the same way, hot and muggy.

We decided to sleep in Friday morning and after eating a late lunch, our PBR buddy's arrived at the hotel. We spent some time in the lobby of the hotel and just talked, laughed and caught up on things that we had done since Tulsa. I really enjoy the PBR events, but I must say I enjoy the time spent with PBR friends that we have made along the way, almost as much as going to the events themselves. We all have different back grounds, different personalities and different favorite riders, but that doesn't stop us from having great conversations. The time went by quickly and we had to finish getting ready to head to the arena.

Tammie and I had volunteered to help with TeamPBR on both nights and you are asked to get there about almost 3 hours before the event. We headed to Fed Ex Forum, where the NBA team the Memphis Grizzles play. However, there will be no bears here tonight, just beasts of another kind, bulls. We parked in the "special parking lot" and went in the back of the arena and found ourselves inside, behind the chutes. The first PBR person we saw was JB Mauney and asked him how to get to the other side. He was nice, but wasn't sure how to get around. So we just continued walking and there he was, "Mr Article" himself, Keith Ryan Cartwright. We first met Keith back in Oklahoma City and he gave me a book to read (which was a great book) and I had it in my hand to give to him. Keith had just posted on Facebook that he was a book junkie and had too many books with him. Well, I just added one more for him to take back on the plane. On our way over to the TeamPBR area, I saw Flint and we discussed the PBR comment section. We discussed how some people on the PBR comment section take everything so serious. He told me that I need to write what he says all the time "folks, come on, we aren't curing cancer here". We talked about some other things, but he needed to go and we needed to get over to our final destination.

We were asked, as we did last time we volunteered for TeamPBR, that when the TeamPBR members start coming in the front doors, fifteen minutes earlier than regular ticket holders, we need to check for TeamPBR cards to let them in. I can tell you this, the security people in the Memphis arena are pretty tough regarding what you can bring into the arena, including detachable lens cameras. After our task was completed at the front entrance, we made our way to the TeamPBR meet and greet area and along with another couple, we checked for TeamPBR cards, had them sign the waiver and answered questions. I met a wonderful English lady and her adult daughter. We talked for a long time and she was just so delightful. She talked about her favorite riders, one of them was Cody Nance. Well, when the riders came out in the TeamPBR area to sign, she got her chance to say hi to Cody, because he was one of the 5-6 riders coming out. I do have to agree with her, he is a nice guy and although I don't have the same giddy feeling about him that she did, I do respect the guy and enjoy his riding. The time flew by and by the time we got everything put away, there wasn't alot of time to get to our seats before the event started.

In the last two years, we have now been to 12 BFTS events (not including the finals and Touring Pro) and I still enjoy the opening. There is one video that is Tammie's and my favorite, with the song "Ladies and Gentlemen". The video is made up of great rides and wrecks and just gets your blood pumping for what is about to happen in the arena. After the opening prayer, National Anthem, fireworks and introductions, it's time for SOME BULL RIDING!!!

In the first flight there are nine riders and this was going to turn out to be the best flight of the night. Out of the nine riders, there were five qualified rides. The top score in the flight turned out to be the top score of the night. Cody Nance scored an 88.25 on Bad Medicine. Cody has been hot lately, which included a top five finish in Tulsa and a win in San Antonio. Colby Yates, coming off a win in a Touring Pro event, scored an 87.75 on Parrothead. Jordan Hupp and Caleb Sanderson both scored the same 86.50 on their bulls, Misunderstood and RFD-TV. Brendon Clark rode his bull, Western Star, for an 85.50.

Could this trend continue in the second flight? Nope. In the second flight there were seven riders, but only one rider got a score. Jody Newberry rode Son of Thunder for the 8, but had the lowest score of the night, an 80.25. Sevi Torturo was tossed in 2.0 seconds and Tyler Thompson was off in 2.3 seconds. Harve Stewart came up just short on Restless Heart, and the clock stopped at 7.7 seconds. Harve challenged the time and after a short delay, the replay judge showed his stopwatch and it said 7.7 seconds. Not only did he not get the score, but that challenge cost him $500.

In flight three the buck offs continued. There were seven riders in this flight, with only two of them being successful. The new sensation Silvano Alves scored an 87.00 on Segs The Juice and Robson "Spiderman" Aragao scored an 83.50 on Weed Wacker. The most disappointing buck off was Cord "Amazing Race" McCoy. He came off Deja Blu in 4.1 seconds. I along with the rest of America love Cord and although I would really like to see him be successful in the arena, I think his days will be better at promotion than riding bulls. A scary buck off took place in this flight as well. Ben Jones was slammed hard to the ground by Drop Zone. However, that was not the scary part. When he was on the ground laying there from being stunned, the bull stepped on his leg. Ben was just below us and you could see and hear the pain he was in. After sometime, he was picked up and carried off by the sports medicine guys. As it turns out, he was ok, but still in pain.

In the fourth flight of the night, there were six riders and two scores. Cody Cambpell had the second best score of the night with an 88.00 on Uppercut and Chris Shivers scored an 86.75 on Stinger. Kasey Hayes came off of Prosecuter in the quickest time (time clock wise) that I have ever seen. The clock stopped at 0.4 seconds. You have to pretty much start and stop the clock almost at the same time to get that time. In flight five there were seven riders and only one score. McKennon Wimberly scored an 83.00 on Lightning. Mike Lee, the 2004 World Champion, was launched off Rocket I in 2.7 seconds. Guilherme Marchi, the 2008 World Champion, was dumped by Cool Spot in 2.1 seconds. However, a judge threw the reride flag out because a foul had occurred. Marchi would later come back on Cool Spot and came off almost as quick.

In flight six we were down to the last four riders. JB Mauney came off Rowdy Houdlum in 2.5 seconds. Valdiron de Oliveira didn't last much longer on his bull, Despicable Me, coming down in just 3.3 seconds. Austin Meier, the number two ranked bull rider in the world, stepped up to the plate and came through with a ride and a good score of 87.00. However, Renato Nunes, the number one rank bull rider in the world, said "what you can do, I can do better". Renato rode his bull, High Alert, for a score of 87.75. He took a hit to the chin when he hit the ground and would later tell us that he could not feel his chin and had a busted lip.

The final standings for the first night of the Memphis event:

1) Cody Nance 88.25 2) Cody Campbell 88.00 3/4) Colby Yates 87.75 3/4) Renato Nunes 87.75 5/6) Silvano Alves 87.00 5/6) Austin Meier 87.00 7) Chris Shivers 86.75 8/9) Caleb Sanderson 86.50 8/9) Jordan Hupp 86.50 10) Brendon Clark 85.50 11) Robson Aragao 83.50 12) McKennon Wimberly 83.00 13) Jody Newberry 80.25

After the event there was a concert, but we did not stay for the concert. Due to the concert, there was no riders signing after the event. We made our way to the back area of the arena, behind the chutes and out to the hall behind the pens. There were a number of riders that we spent some time talking to. Cord McCoy, Cody Nance, Travis Sellers, Cody Campbell, Ryan McConnel, Robson Palermo, McKennon Wimberly, Renato Nunes among others. Just having a good time and getting to know the guys from a different perspective.

We made our way to the car and went to dinner with several PBR friends, twiggy and other half (twiggy, got to tell you he is just fun to have around and talk to) and sannpow and spouse. We went to the Iron Skillet next to the restaurant of our hotel. The food was good but the conversation was much better. We did have a PBR judge that sat next to us and talked to him for a few minutes. I have to give kudos to our waitress, April. She was the only waitress and there were a number of tables and she did a great job. She had a smile on her face and was pleasant, even during the stressful time of dealing with a number of tables. I think it was close to 2 am when we left the restaurant. Tammie and I spent a few minutes on the computer. I tried to go to bed, but Tammie had her computer on her lap in bed and was clicking away at the pictures she took at the event. I reminded her that it was nearly 3 in the morning, she reluctantly put away her computer and lights out.

PBR Sulphur Springs - Event Review, Part I and II

Well, it was off to another PBR event, this time a Touring Pro (lower level) event in Sulphur Springs, which is only about an hour and half north of us. We took our daughter Tiffany, an admitted "hooked" new fan, to the first night of a two night event. The set up was going to be different than most events. Normally there are 30-40 riders, then the top ten scores make it to a short go. In this case there were not many riders, so each rider would get on two bulls and the top scores win. Also, this was an ABBI (American Bucking Bull, Inc.) Classic bucking bulls event. Classic bulls are bulls that are three and four year old bulls and they are scored at certain events and go to the finals in Las Vegas.

The most notable riders that were at the event on Friday night were: Ryan Dirteater, Dusty LaBeth, Paulo Lima, Robson Aragao and Luis Blanco. Cord McCoy and Travis Sellers were registered to be there, but they were called up to the BFTS event in Nashville. The arena is an inside arena, but the lighting is really bad. The lights are like the old school gym lights, that when turned off for the opening, then turned back on, they take a few minutes to get back to complete lighting. Even with the lights at full strength, they are still dim, like an old school gym.

There were a total of 16 riders, riding two times each. In the first round there were nine riders and three rides. Ryan Dirteater scored an 88.50 on Copp Hou. He made a great ride and looked comfortable and like he belonged back on the BFTS. In case people don't know, Ryan suffered an injury last year and has been out of the BFTS all of this year. He had the opportunity to come back on the BFTS, but chose not to. He wanted to wait and start the 2011 season on the main tour. If he would have come back now, he may have not made it to the finals and thus would not have been on tour at the beginning of the next season. Also, in this round, Jason Mara scored an 86.50 on Betta Wachit and Luis Blanco scored an 82.50 on Coffey's 6. Dusty Labeth attempted to ride Jed Clampett. He rode him for awhile, but Jed Clampett was just way too much for him to handle.

In the second round there were 7 riders with two rerides and one qualified ride of the reride opportunity rides. Paulo Lima scored a 74.50 and was given a reride option, he took it. However, on his reride he slide off the side of the bull as the gate opened and barely made it out of the chute. Robson Aragao was given a reride option, when his bull fell and just did not have a good out. He took the reride and scored a 77.50. In this section the bull Bushwacker was bucking and boy did he buck. The rider, Clay Lewis, did not last long. However, Bushwacker was the reason that he and many others don't stay on long. After Clay bucked off, Bushwacker put on a bucking show. All we heard around us from the fans was WOW!!

In between the second and third round they had the North American Mini Bull Tour. There were 10 young riders and three of them got scores. The night's Mini Bull competition was won by Boudreaux Campbell, with a score of 75.00.

Onto the third round. There were nine riders and no rides. Paulo Lima was close and came off just before the buzzer. In round four, the last round, there were seven riders and three ride scores. Clay Lewis scored an 85.50 on Pretty Boyd Floyd. Luis Blanco scored a 76.50 on Brain Freeze and Ryan Dirteater scored an 82.50 on Skyjacker. This gave Ryan the win for the night with a combined score of 171.00.

The final results for Friday night were: 1) Ryan Dirteater 171.00 2) Luis Blanco 159.00 3) Jason Mara 86.50 4) Clay Lewis 85.50 5) Robson Aragao 77.50

After the event, we spent time talking to Ryan Dirteater and his mother. I was very pleased to see Ryan win the event and as I told his mom, he has always been the most polite young man that I think I have come across. We made our way over to Chili's to eat with Carley and her daughter and friend. The place ended up being packed. It was packed with many of the riders, fans, bull contractors and PBR personnel. We had a great time and as usual Carley was, well ..... Carley, fun and entertaining.

Day two of Sulphur Springs. I am combining the day two into the day one blog, because quite frankly, there isn't much to talk about regarding day two. There were 17 riders, riding twice, just like the format from the previous day. However, on this night there was only ONE qualified ride score. That's right, bulls 33, riders 1. The only rider that would have a name that fans in the PBR would recognize was Colby Yates, and he was the one that got the only ride. He scored a 78.50 on Hawaiian Rock. The Saturday event reminded me of a pro baseball team playing a high school team. It just wasn't fair. The bulls dominated and the event was to say the least boring.

On a different note, since this was an ABBI bucking bull contest the top five bulls were:

1) Jed Clampett 2) Priceless 3) Back Bender 4/5) Copp Hou 4/5) Bushwacker

We are going to the BFTS event in Memphis, this coming weekend, and I will certainly have some blogs about the event and see what else I can come up with.

A Few Minutes With Cody Custer

In 1992 the PBR was formed by 20 bull riders that had a dream. A dream of having something special, something that they controlled. One of those men who would become one of the founding fathers of the PBR was Cody Custer. Like many bull riders, Cody started riding at a young age, but unlike many, he went on to become a World Champion in 1992. He retired from bull riding in November 1993, but continued to be an active PBR board member and a PBR judge. In 2003 he was elected to the PBR Ring of Honor. I had the pleasure of talking to Cody as he was driving to Sky Ranch, in Van Texas (my neck of the woods), for a three day Bible camp. Here is some of what we discussed:

Q. When you were a part of forming the PBR, with the other 19 riders, did you think it would grow to become this much of a success?
A. No, not at first. We were just some bull riders that just wanted more say in how our lives and careers developed. We were concerned about insurance and pay. When we were riding for another organization and we told them that unless we have more input, we weren't going to show up at some important bull riding events, and we meant it. We did stay out of some of those events that were important to the pocketbook of the organization. Then we started thinking about starting our own bull riding company. After starting the PBR we could see things start to come together and then we started to see the potential and possibilities.

Q. The PBR is promoting passing the $100 million payout mark. What do you think about the money aspect in the PBR and bull riding in general?
A. The riders today are certainly making more than we did when I was riding. I think that it's great that they have more opportunities for themselves and their families. Back when I rode, we would leave Dodge City after an event and drive all night to some small town outside Abilene, just for the possibility of winning $1,000. Things have definitely changed.

Q. You were a PBR judge at one time, how do you become a judge and is there a judge's school?
A. I can't speak as to what the PBR does now, because I have not been a judge for the PBR in quite sometime. However, when I was a judge, first thing is, you had to have been a bull rider first. This was done so the guy judging the rides and riders had experience on the back of a bull himself. Also, each judge was required to attend seminars that I put together. The judge had to know what to look for and how to judge it.

Q. When two or more riders are tied in a score, they say the back judge's score determines their position as to placement. Such as when two people tie with an 86.75, but one rider is placed over the other. Who is the back judge?
A. In the PBR there are four judges, two in the field (arena floor) and two in the back (on the chutes). When they say the back judges, they are referring to the two judges on the chutes. They take the scores from both back judges and average them out and compare that to the average scores of the other rider/riders to figure out the tie.

Q. In talking to some of the riders, there seems to be confusion as to when the eight second clock actually starts. When does the clock start?
A. The clock starts as soon as ANY part of the bull passes the plane of the chute. If there is any confusion, it would be because some bull riding organizations interpret it differently. However, that is the PBR definition.

We went on to talk about Cody's faith, family and bull riding, which he is passionate about all three. Cody arrived at his hotel and it was time to let him get the business of checking in and taking care of other things. I must say I enjoyed the conversation with him immensely and look forward to future conversations.

The Band, The Horse, The Whisperer and The Father

In 1998 a movie was released called "The Horse Whisperer". It stared and was directed by Robert Redford. Redford plays a horse trainer, who uses non traditional methods of breaking a horse. In 2000 Tammie and I were fortunate to go to the ranch of a real "horse whisperer", Monty Roberts. His ranch is in California and we were treated to a horse breaking demonstration. When you think of breaking a horse, you think of a cowboy getting on a horse that has not been ridden and the horse starts to buck and buck and continues to buck until he just finally gets too tired to buck and gives up. This is not the training that Monty believes in. He believes in more of a gentle approach, teaching the horse that you care for him but you are his master as well. By the end of the demonstration, which takes some time, a horse that has never been ridden, has a saddle and rider on their back and they are as happy as can be.

On Sunday, August 1, 2010, we were treated to a similar demonstration, but a much bigger purpose than just ridding a horse. After the PBR event in San Antonio, the band Seventh Day Slumber, which is a Christian band, provided a concert. Not just a regular concert, but a concert that was done in conjunction with Riding High Ministries and their pastor, Todd Pierce. After the bull riding event, the arena was quickly changed into a smaller arena, or corral, with Todd in the center. There was a crowd of about two or three thousand that stayed to watch and hear what was about to happen. The "Pike Pick up" man, James Debord, brought out a 3 year old horse, that had never been ridden, and led it into the small corral. The horse did not come willingly. This was going to be a horse breaking demonstration, but not just your ordinary demonstration. Todd had a bigger purpose in mind, a higher purpose if you will. Todd has learned the "horse whisperer" way of breaking horses and tied that in with his ministry of serving the Lord and reaching people for Him.

He started the horse running around the newly constructed corral by using a rope, with what looked like a piece of rubber on the end, and gently tapped the horse in the rear. He kept the horse moving. When the horse stopped, or changed directions, he got the horse moving again by tapping the horse. During this time he talked about the horse and the purpose for the horse and the fact that the horse was stubborn and did not know what it's purpose was. The horse wanted to just go it's own path. Todd tied this into what we many times do, we are stubborn, and don't want to listen to the one that has created us, the one true God. We all have a purpose in life and our heavenly Father wants us to know that purpose, but the natural tendency is to be stubborn, go our own way.

Todd was running around the arena with the horse, trying to keep it moving. I found this amazing for two reasons. He was able to talk, although sometimes short of breath. But the second and most important thing was, the fact that he was able to run around the corral at all. Unknown to most in the crowd, Todd tore his ACL two weeks before, during a similar demonstration. Also, he was given a total of an hour for the concert, and demonstration, which the breaking of the horse normally takes more time than that. Just from my viewpoint, God was working out all the details for Todd and the crowd.

He stopped the horse, and over time continued to "get to know" the horse and finally he was able get on the back and gently ride her around the corral, while gently tapping the horse, on the rear with the rope. Keep in mind, this is a horse that had never been ridden. The next step was to get the saddle on the horse. With the help of Mike Lee, Todd started this process. While this was going on, Seventh Day Slumber played music and sang gently. The lead singer gave his personal testimony of being a drug addict and trying to commit suicide because he didn't want his mom to continue to suffer and pay for his habits. He talked about how he found the Lord and how it changed his life. It was, to say the least, moving to hear a story of such tragedy make such a dramatic turn. He finished by saying that he is alive and a father today, only because of the love and grace of the heavenly Father.

The saddle was on and the horse started around the corral again, without Todd on his back. However, this time the running around the corral was different. The horse bucked and made what sounded like crying noises. It was silent in the arena and all you could hear was the horse running and crying out. Todd pointed out that we do the same in our lives. We run from God, yet at the same time cry out for help or cry out about our lives and wonder what our purpose is. It was part of the process that the horse had to go through and in many times it is a process of brokenness that we have to go though in our own lives before we can finally see that God is the answer, not our stubborn selves. The horse finally calmed down and the moment of truth came. Todd mounted the horse again, and rode the horse around. The horse was broken and the purpose fulfilled.

At this time Todd got down off the horse (actually the horse bucked once and Todd jumped off the back). With music playing and the spotlight on the horse and Todd, he gave the invitation for those that wanted to commit their heart and life to Christ and make Him Lord and Savior, to come down on the arena floor. I am thrilled to say that there were over 200 people that made a decision of faith that day and committed their lives to the Lord. Speaking from personal experience, a horse breaking demonstration, done with the "horse whisperer" method is moving. However, done with a message about God and His son Jesus Christ, makes for an awesome and inspiring experience. The message puts in perspective of who we are and the love that we have been given, if we would simply reach out with our hands, heart and spoken word and accept that gift of grace.

PBR San Antonio - Event Review, Part II

When we have gone to two day PBR events, the second day seems to be upon you quickly and then the event is over. This is why we prefer the three day events. However, San Antonio, was a two day event and a two day event is a better than no PBR at all. We arose out of bed, early, well .... early in the day but late in the morning. I think everybody was up and around about 11:00 am. We decided that we would eat at the arena because after the event there was a special concert by Seventh Day Slumber and demonstration by Todd Pierce, the pastor for Riding High Ministries.

We made our way to the arena and again went to the TeamPBR signings, concourse signings and got some yummy (I say that with tongue firmly planted in my cheek) arena food. Actually, the food was not bad, but those prices are just outrageous. The cokes were $4 and they take the caps off the tops of the 20 oz. bottles. I asked them why they do this and was told that some people have thrown them at the athletes or in this case, the riders or bulls, so they make them take the tops off.

As we sat in our seats, I was able to talk to Brandon Bates for a few minutes and then Captain Enterprise himself, Flint, walked by. He stopped and we talked about something I wrote on the PBR comment section. He doesn't read the comments that often, but just happened to be on one day and we discussed something that I wrote, concerning fans coming to the events. He signed Tiffany's purse, then in a flash he was off to get ready to entertain and save the bullfighters. :)

Part of the enjoyment of the opening and the pyrotechnics is watching fans jump when the "PBR" is exploded on the dirt, and the amazement when fireworks, flames, fog and smoke are going off everywhere. The first night Cody was reaching for his drink and almost spilled it all over himself, from the surprise of the explosions. Now it was time to get to the serious business at hand: BULL RIDING.

In flight one there were 10 riders and 5 rides. This flight was one of the best, in regards to rides and scores, that I have seen in some time. Wiley Peterson lead the charge as the first rider of the night, with a score of 89.50 on Top Notch. Dustin Elliott was close behind with a score of 89.25 on Mellow Yellow. J.B. Mauney scored 88.50 on Wrangler, Travis Briscoe 87.75 on Love Machine, and Valdiron de Oliveira 87.25 on Black Smoke. Ryan McConnel was close on Blackie and looked like he was going to make his first ride of the weekend, but the clock stopped at 7.6.

In flight two the bulls said two can play that game. Out of eight riders only one got a score. Brendon Clark scored an 82.75 on MoeBanndy.com. Not a big score, but couple that with the score from the previous night and Brendon, at that time, was fourth in the event standings. Chris Shivers lasted 7.4 seconds on Bucking Machine and looked like the two time champion he is, but just lost control of the ride. Shane Proctor came off Ramble On in 1.9 seconds. Shane has the ability but seems to be in a bad slump and is coming off bulls in short fashion or getting hung up or stomped on.

In flight three there were three rides and a scary fall by a bull. Pistol Robinson made a great ride on Cajun Blast and was rewarded with an 88.00. Paulo Lima made the 8 and took the lead back from last night with an 86.50 on Ground Zero. Ben Jones was 85.75 on Rowdy LJ and we got to see the "Ben Jones dance". Ben is a great guy, nice, funny, respectful and it is fun to watch when he does his "dance". The great thing is that Ben started his dance, finished and was so excited, he started up again. Edimundo Gomes came out of the chute on Speckeled Ivory and the bull made a couple of twists and bucks, then the bull fell to the ground on his right side, penning Edimundo underneath. The bullfighters rushed in and got the bull up and Edimundo was not hurt. It was tense for a few seconds, but it seemed much longer. The bullfighters did a great job of getting to the bull quickly. Edimundo would get a reride and make good on it. He scored an 84.00 on The Rookie. Jordan Hupp was tossed off of Airwolf in 2.9 seconds. The funny part was not the buck off, but the fact that as Jordan ran from the bull, his chaps fell down around his ankles. Watching a tough bull rider run with his chaps down was funny enough, but watching Flint recreate the event was even better.

In flight four and flight five there were a total of 16 riders and only three scores. Renato Nunes 86.50, Kasey Hayes 85.75 and Guilherme Marchi 85.50. Guilherme's ride was great to see, considering his problems dealing with his injured wrist. However, the ride was not without incident. When he started to get off the bull he was hung up. I could see the bullfighters, particularly Frank Newsome, running to the bull. Right as Frank got to the bull, Marchi got away, but was hit by the bull with a glancing blow. Frank, was not as fortunate. The bull, Git R Gone, tossed Frank in the air as the bull hit him head on. Congrats to the all the bullfighters as the only thing that got damaged was Marchi's hat, it was crushed. During flight five Jody Newberry was making a great ride on Texas Blues, but when he came off, the clock said 7.8. Jody challenged the time. If he gets a score, he's in the short go, if not, the challenge will cost him $500. The replay judge's stopwatch said 7.75.

The short go: This short go was almost a carbon copy of the previous short go in Tulsa. There were 15 riders and only one ride in both events. The only ride in Tulsa was a great ride by Renato Nunes, by a bull that was all over the place and fell. In San Antonio, the only ride was a great ride by Cody Nance. The bull was all over the place and although the bull, Perfect Poison, did not fall, he did stumble. Both rides were a testament to the will of the riders to not let go, no matter what. Cody scored an 89.50 and won the event with a two bull combined score of 176.25. the short go was not without controversy. Three rides were bucked off in short fashion, J.B. Mauney, Valdiron de Oliveira and Dustin Elliott. The judges quickly threw out a reride flag for J.B., saying the bull commited a foul. Both Valdiron and Dustin challenged the judges decision saying their bull also fouled. However, both lost $500 as they were told that they would not get a reride.

As I wrote on the PBR comment section, some riders seem to get quick calls, just like what you see in other sports for other athletes. Just like when Michael Jordan went up for a layup, and somebody swiped at him, trying to strip the ball. The ref could not see the foul, but just assumed that a foul was committed. After all, this was Michael Jordan, he couldn't have missed that layup. I think this is the case with J.B. or a few others. The bull must have fouled, he could not have just been distracted and fell off, or just lost his rope. This is not J.B.'s fault, but the judges. I think this needs to be addressed by the PBR, regarding the quick reride flags.

Final Standings for the San Antonio BFTS event: 1) Cody Nance 176.25 2) Paulo Lima 175.00 3) Wiley Petersen 174.00 4) Dustin Elliott 173.75 5) Valdiron de Oliveira 173.50 6) Kasey Hayes 173.00 7) Brendon Clark 170.00 8) J.B. Mauney 88.50 9) Pistol Robinson 88.00 10) Travis Briscoe 87.75

Congrats to Cody Nance. We have gotten to know Cody and his wife Jordan (Jordy). They are expecting their first child and the win and money could not have come at a better time. Cody has pretty much guaranteed himself a trip to the finals and I am happy for him as he has had to deal with injuries this year, being cut and living on the road of the Touring Pro. He has stayed humble and positive. As I stated in a previous blog, God has some great things in store for this young man, in and out of the bull riding arena.

After the event there was a concert and demonstration. Since this blog is already long, and I could not give the proper amount of space to describe what happened after the event on Sunday, I will write another blog about it in a few days. Let's just say it was awesome and inspiring!

PBR San Antonio - Event Review, Part I

We had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite cities, San Antonio, and see some cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys and the PBR cowboys. On Friday we went to the Dallas Cowboys training camp and watched them, along with about 15,000 other fans. The practice was fun to watch, but the prized rookie wide receiver, Dez Bryant was hurt on the second to last play. He ended up with a high ankle sprain, which may keep him out of the rest of training camp. The other interesting thing that happened was four PBR riders were introduced at the Alamodome, by Brad Sham, the Dallas Cowboys radio announcer. The riders were Ryan McConnel, Harve Stewart, Sean Willingham and Chris Shivers. On this trip we took our two adult children, Cody and Tiffany. This was Tiffany's second BFTS event and Cody's first. We made our way to the Riverwalk, along with cdtucker1 (her PBR comment sign on name) and ate dinner at our favorite restaurant, Casa Rio. Casa Rio was the first restaurant established on the Riverwalk, back in 1946. They have great mexican food and the prices are very reasonable, especially considering you are eating on the Riverwalk.

On Saturday, Tammie and I, along with our son Cody, made our way to the different signings. First was Ryan McConnel, and we spent some time getting to talk to Ryan. We've had the opportunity to talk to Ryan on numerous occasions and he is just so easy to carry on a conversation with. Also, got the chance to meet Adriano Moraes again. He was funny and engaging and really enjoyed Tammie's book that she put together of her pictures. A few minutes later, several other riders walked in and talked to them just a few minutes, because Tammie has to drag us to other signings. Went to see Harve Stewart, which in my opinion, has had a really break out year, despite the broken jaw he suffered earlier this year. Also meet up with txbsa35 and her mom (super nice lady) and a few others. Then over to Shepplers to see Cody Campbell, Luke Snyder, Rocky McDonald and Jody Newberry. I talked to Amanda Newberry for some time. She is not only a pretty woman, but even more so when it comes to her heart and love for Jody, her kids and God. Her face lights up when any of those conversations are talked about. Then off to our last stop, Pro Bass Shop for a number of riders. There were others signing, but due to time, you just couldn't get to all of them. Got the autographs, and we were starving, so a late lunch at a restaurant in Pro Bass.

Back to the hotel, change, pick up Tiffany and head to the arena. We went around some on the concourse, and Tiffany had bought a purse that she wanted the riders to sign. We meet up with some PBR friends and went to the TeamPBR fan zone, more signings and up to our seats. We wanted to catch the opening, as this was Cody's first event.

The event was sponsored by the Air Force, which is appropriate, considering San Antonio has numerous Air Force bases. Here's my rant of the day. I read someones blog recently and they complained about the swearing in of recruits for the Air Force and that the PBR was promoting war. In my opinion, this is complete nonsense. Every event we have been to, when the recruits have been brought out, they have received a standing ovation. These fine young men and women are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of others. The PBR is simply acknowledging these recruits for their service and sacrifice. When the flag is unfurled by the service men that are repelling, it is an awesome sight and one that brings cheers, clapping and sense of pride in this country, which as the PBR says, "is the greatest country in the world". Ok, done with the rant and flag waving. :)

What we came for, the bull riding, was about to start. The previous event in Tulsa was somewhat of a disappointment, because of the number of rides in each round. There was a marked improvement in San Antonio. In flight one, there were eight riders and four rides. Brendon Clark 87.25, Jason O'Hearn 86.00, Aaron Roy 85.75, Michael Manes 85.00. In this flight there were two riders that looked like they were going to make the 8, but somehow came up short. Brendon Clark came off at 7.3 and Jordan Hupp 7.7. In flight two, there were eight riders and six rides. Cody Nance 86.75, Harve Stewart 86.25, Sean Willingham 85.75, Dustin Elliott 84.50, Caleb Sanderson 83.50, Luke Snyder 81.75. The biggest surprise of this flight was Silvano Alves getting bucked off of Linebacker, in 2.4 seconds. Silvano rides just about everything and to not only get bucked off, but in such short time, was shocking. This weekend was not going to go his way.

In flight three, there were eight riders and five rides, including the high score of the night. Paulo Lima rode Segs The Juice for an 88.50. The other rides were Kasey Hayes 87.25, LJ Jenkins 86.75, Sevi Torturo 85.25, Wiley Petersen 84.50. In this flight Beau Hill was hammered by his bull Hammered and was off in 1.9 seconds. Starting with flight four, the bulls had their way with the cowboys. Up to this point the tally board was Cowboys 15 and Bulls 9. The bulls were about to start getting revenge. There were seven riders in flight four and only two rides. Ned Cross rode Depths of Despair for 86.50 and Robson Aragao (Spider Man) rode Bad Moon for a 85.25. Ben Jones looked like he was going to get a score, then the clocked stopped at 7.8. He challenged the ride time, and after a long delay, the replay judge said 7.81 seconds. The crowd sighed and the "no time" stood. Chris Shivers also came close, but was off in 7.0.

In flight five, there were seven riders and NO scores. Zip, zero, nada, zilch. Keep in mind we are getting the top riders, the guys that represented the top 12 riders that are currently riding. Mike Lee came off the quickest, at 2.0 on Mellow Yellow and McKennon Wimberly on Space Chimp and Robson Palermo on Marmaduke lasted the longest at 6.2 seconds. Robson was suppose to ride Clinically Insane, but the bull was acting up and his bull was changed. In flight six, the last and final flight of the night, there were five riders and only one ride. Valdiron de Oliveira rode Directory Assistance for 86.25. However, he paid for it. After the ride, he was getting off and trying to get away from the bull. The bull kept coming and stepped on Valdiron's leg. He limped out of the arena, noticeably in pain. Guilherme Marchi, the 2008 World Champion, has been nursing a surgically repaired riding arm and looked uncomfortable on Hank and came off at 2.9 seconds. The number one and two riders, Renato Nunes and Austin Meier could not hang in and both came off in early fashion. The winner of the first night was Paulo Lima, with his score of 88.50.

We made our way to the dirt and Tiffany and Tammie got their autographs and pictures, with myself and Cody in tow. We hung around talking to some of the riders and then we were being shooed out of the arena as one of the stragglers. So, what do you do after the event? Eat at the Riverwalk of course. Tammie, Tiffany and cdtucker1 went shopping and walking the Riverwalk and host hotel and then ate. Cody and I went back to the Riverwalk and ate some great food and back to our hotel, which was on the Riverwalk as well. It was a full day and by the time Tammie and Tiffany got back it was about 1:00 am and since it was going to be another long day, lights out. After some fun conversation and laughing, the room became quiet and one by one, everyone drifted off (except Tiffany who is a night owl).