Indian Pro Bull Riders 

Wiley Petersen, Cody Custer, Chad Denton,
Beau Lindley, Josh Lozinsky, Nick Morrison,
and other Top PBR Bull Riders will be 
the instructors at the 2003 Badlands Bull Riding Clinic.  

Held July 20th and 21st, 2003 at the Victory Bible Church Arena
1 1/2 miles south of Potato Creek South Dakota

This event is sponsored by Bull Riders For Christ and Pro Bull Riders Outreach  Check out their website for more information: click below
2003 Badlands Bull Riding Clinic





Indian Rodeo News would like to announce that Sheila Totten will be reporting
on PBR events and interviews with Pro Indian Bull Riders 

Below a picture of Wiley Petersen riding "Bloody Mary"  
Picture courtesy of Wiley Petersen, check out more great pictures on his web site www.WileyPetersen.com
Other great web sites

PBR News

Recent News from the PBR
brought to you by Indian Pro Bull Rider
reporter Sheila Totten, specifically written for 
Indian Rodeo News 

May 28, 2004
The PBR has just announced that Cabella's has been named the "Official Outdoor Outfitter of The PBR". Cabella's came on board with the PBR awhile back but this season they are sponsoring The Cabella's Classic in KC,Mo on June 12 and 13.
Cabella's will really give the fans a treat as they will host a PBR Fan Zone on Saturday, June 12th.This will be held at their Kansas City ,Ks. store; and the fans will be able to meet and greet all 45 riders plus a PBR bull.They will also have several giveaways and other prize winning events for the fans.
Although he was originally questionable for KC,we are now told that Robert Bowers will compete in KC.
Don't forget everyone. This Saturday and Sunday is the USSTC Turquoise Classic Thunder event at Gallup,N.M. Adriano Moraes will be there as well as Cory Rasch and Brendon Clark . Also present will be Mike Lee, PaoloCrimber, J.W.Hart , K.J.Pletcher,Gerardo Venegas,Chad Denton, Royd Doyal,Reed Corder,PRCA Champ Cody Hancock and Tater Porter.
Cody Custer is putting everything together for this event and you know Cody has his heart into it. He is getting the pens ready, making sure the bulls are there. He has put together a pen which is comparable for a top BFTS event.H.D. Page is bringing such greats as Mossy Oak Mudslinger,Sauce,Lefty,Leroy,Bo Time and Hotel California.


Local riders who will compete at this PBR event are: Cody Cook, Derrick Davis, Alfonso Francis, Loren Kinlicheenie,Ethan Belone (2003 Indian National Finals Rodeo Champion Bull Rider) , Bert Jones and  Kee Nataani.
There will be a PBR golf event on Friday which is by invitation only. It begins at 8 am.There will be a "kids rodeo" on Saturday from 10 am till 4 pm with family orientated activities and live bands. One of the activities "wooly riding) (known as mutton bustin elsewhere) is at 11 am and little Miss PWR pageant is at 11:30..Also there is an after event party/dance featuring the Turquoise Classic Eagles band. Promoters Dave and Elvira Emerson have set up a great program for everyone .between them and Cody Custer this should be an exceptional event for all.

This is a great Challenger event and our Navajo brothers and sisters are always honored here. Last year Adriano Moraes made a big hit as he greeted the crowd in Navajo. I hope that we will see this become a BFTS event. 

Next week is the Lane Frost Challenge in Vernal ,Utah(June 4-5) and the Bad Boys Match of Champions in Odessa ,Texas.Humps N Horns will be at Ennis ,Texas for Ennis Bull Polka on this Saturday and In Alpharetta,Ga. for the Circle C GBull riding Championships on June 4-5.

Just read a report on MSN Slate from a Lily Burana which is about the PBR events.I could tell Ms Burana is not that familiar with rodeo as rodeo queens as she called them on horseback bearing flags is a definite misnomer for the hired riders who carry sponsors flags during most rodeos and used to do this at PBR events. Rodeo Queens appear at the rodeos on the circuits they represent and are introduced as who they are as Miss Rodeo Denver,etcAnd Ms Burana obviously missed something as she says:"Instead of the classic Americana entry with rodeo queens bearing flags horseback and a stage-struck local girl warbling out "The Star Spangled Banner," you get the blaring rock introduction, the background of strobes and flame. "
Fact, the PBR does have local (and probably sometimes stagestruck) singers performing the National Anthem. Some are great and others....I don't know how she could have missed that as this is always part of the event. She has confused the introduction of the riders with this. And at rodeos you have the grand entry on horseback of all participants.Hmm ,she does not seem to know that.
For someone who sounds like a rodeo afficionado Ms Burana misses the point.
And many of the other bull riding assoc now also have some degree of pyrotechnics and a showy intro. As for the music, rock music at all bull ridings has been part of the pump up the riders portion as long as I can remember. This is not new. They even do this at practice pens!
As I read the rest of the article I could not believe this writer's lack of knowledge about rodeo and bull riders. According to her bullriding has not produced a star of the caliber of an Elway,A-Rod,Jordan or Earnhardt Jr. Obviously she knows nothing of the sport as PBR President and 4 X World Champion Tuff Hedeman is the most popular cowboy going and his fans are numbered in legions. What of the late Lane Frost? Or Donny Gay? And then she insults Ty Murray! And Jewel! And she supposedly quotes some PRCA riders negatively expressing bad attitudes about the PBR.Is that why PRCA riders ride in the PBR? Seems like she is trying to foster dissent between the two organizations.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Ms Burana is so crude in her put downs as :"Some riders from the old-fashioned PRCA say joining the PBR is like a country singer going to Branson—a low-stress, low-prestige money gig for those who don't have the cojones to be relentless road warriors. "
Well, MS Burana these riders have ones made of IRON! And I sure know some top country singers who would be very upset with the cracks about Branson! Big stars play there, if you didn't know that Ms Burana! Its not the minor league of country music.
As for the PBR tours, if you did your homework you would realize that these riders are the cream of the crop as are the bulls. It is the most prestigious bull riding organization ever and riders are vying for chances to be part of this! And many of the riders still ride in the PRCA and also in other bull riding events when they have time. It is not unusaul for a rider to fly from one event where he has ridden on a Thursday night to A Friday PBR event and fly to a rodeo for Saturday afternoon and then back to the PBR for Saturday night. PBR riders probably ride in more events than any other riders as those on the BFTS tour not only compete at that level but can also be found at CT and HnH events plus at other non PBR events. Maybe Ms Burana should stay with a subject she seems to know as she is the author of "Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America. She obviously does not truly know or understand rodeo or bull riding.
Visit this article at MSN Slate
Feel free to give your feedback to MSN/Slate

PBR CEO Randy Bernard announced that the PBR has extended its partnership with the Las Vegas Convention And Visitor's Authority for another 3 years. The city of Las Vegas benefits through all the promotion at PBR events while the PBR extends to its fans the excitement you can only find in Vegas.
This Saturday is the USSTC J.W.Hart PBR Challenger Event in Decatur ,Texas. Some of the top riders will be there. Next weekend is the Friday, Saturday Turquoise Classic Thunder in Gallup,N.M.
Also this Saturday is the Elk City Humps N Horns event put on by the Beutler Bros.Elk City,Ok. is the home of PBR rider Justin McBride.And in Liberty ,Texas there is the Trinty
Valley Expo Humps n Horns. The BFTS resumes action in KC,Ks on June 18th

Archive

January 4, 2004

I am thrilled to tell everyone that Adriano won the Worcester event. And I will stick to my prediction that a healthy Adriano will be a strong contender for the 2004 Title -the first man to earn three PBR World Titles. He rode hang Em High in the 2nd round for a strong 86.5 and Donaldson and Lee's Monkey Bones in the short go for 91 giving him a total of 266 points on three bulls. This is the old,thrilling,sticky Adriano who is loaded with confidence; and as he himself said of his draw of Monkey Bones:" he went left into my hand, and it doesn’t seem to matter what else they do, if they go into my hand I should always ride them.” 

Adriano showed a return to his winning ways in the CT events he attended at the end of the 2003 season and has carried this on in this season's BFTS tour. Adriano is in second place in the overall standings while Jody Newberry remains 26 points ahead of him in the lead.2003 World Champion Chris Shivers is in 11th place.

January 4, 2004

Maybe some of the disgruntled little cowboys will now be happy as Tuff's presence is now being shown at the start of the show and more frequently throughout the broadcast.This is a good move as many people have been complaining.
This was one of the most exciting events I have seen recently.Although it was frigid and snowy the PBR had a good crowd at the Centrum;although not a sell-out.
Ross Johnson began the event on Panda who tends to dump riders right back into the chute.Ross was no exception.Reuben Geleynse made a great looking text book ride on Floyd.He remained on center and was never in trouble and led off with 87 points.Meanwhile Kephart Classic made quick work of Brian Herman which was surprising but Corey Navarre nailed Moonshine for 86 points.Moonshine resembles the old Oreo and like him started spinning and then jumped out of it.

Then came Adriano on Hang Em High and it was a picture perfect ride.Adriano was strong and confident and looked like his old self.Tuff made the comment:"I saw the real Adriano Moraes tonight."And he agreed with what I said earlier ;that Adriano could certainly make it as a third time World Champion this season .He told his audience that the Adriano we saw last year just was not Adriano.With all the pain and injuries ,one on top of the other,Adriano never got with it until the end of the season.Now,we have the stickiest rider ever back in form.Adriano scored 86.5 and tied with reuben for 175 on two.Chris Shivers followed with another great looking ride on Adam Ant, a bull Tuff referred to as "so cute you just want to scratch him behind the ears."He may be cute but ole Adam is a handful. He showed us lots of speedas he spun left then right while Chris just adjusted his body and stayed on for 87 giving him 176 on two.
J.W.Hart looked good on Mr.Hula Hula,proving Tuff right again in his picks.J.W. rode aggressively although the bull turned away from his hand to the left.J.W tied for places 5/7 with a score of 86.5.
The third rider to earn the same score was Mike White on Iceman.It was Mike's first qualified ride of this young season.With all the power thrown at him and direction changes I really thought he would have made at least 89 but I'm not a judge.
MikeCollins made a good ride on a small bull ,Kinsman Kin who took 4 jumps straight out before he really got into spinning away from Mike's hand.Mike tied with Wiley Petersen who also earned 83.5 for his ride on Johnny Mac.
Cory Rasch finally rode one;and I was glad to see that.Stetcher is a small , young bull who basically just did a lot of jumping and loping but Cory looked good when the bull finally threw a roll at the end and earned 84.5
Cody Hart has been riding with confidence and stayed onboard Pistol who spun fast away from his hand but got a little flat with Cody scoring 84.5
Lee Akin was the next of Tuff's picks and he proved Tuff right as he rode Not A Spot for 85.5.Lee has made many fans in Worcester and they cheered the reigning event Champion on.
Brendon Clark redeemed himself with a good ride on Mr.Cooper.The bull spun away from Brendon's hand with lots of action and power.He scored 87.
Ross Coleman looked good on a small bull named Cosmo.Ross was in total control and spurred real high earning 86.Meanwhile our comeback kid,B.J.Kramps rode Cosmonaut for 85 points with Tuff describing the ride fully.The bull took a few jumps out before turning back to the right.B.J. was so in control he even pulled his hat down
Mike Lee made a good ride ride on Wicked Charlie , a bull who kept reversing his direction, for 86 while Bart Jackson made a great ride look nice and easy on Little Big Man for 87.Rob Bell scored 85 on Loud Mouth who had lots of elevation and action.Brian Wooley looked like he had a 90 point ride going until Rug Rat hopped forward,pulling Brian down and over Rug Rat's head for no score.Justin McBride was in great form,scoring 85.5 on a smart little bull anmed Slick 60.The bull quickly reversed direction left to right back to the left and had good elevation.
Gilbert Carrillo matched Justin on Pick of the Litter making a scary full flying backwards flip dismount.
Jaron Nunnemaker who almost missed the event becaus eof flight problems rode Western Justice for 84.5.Jody Newberry then made the day for fan Ronald Minor as Jody rode Nowata Dust Slinger for 84 points.Jody also earned another $5000 bonus from Enterprise rent-A Car and earned a trip to the 2004 Finals for Ronald.
The short go started with Tuff talking about the draws and how the riders ought to do.This had tobe one of the most exciting short go's in years as we had several ties and 90 plus rides.Barbosa made quick work of Brendon clark while Chad Lucas looked as if he had Bo Howdy rode for a 90 + up till 7.6 seconds.His head met a hind hoof on th eway down and he was slightly dazed.It looked like extreme had Cody Hart bucked off at 3 seconds but he recovered , moving back into the center and made a great ride as the bull spun away from his hand giving him 90.5 and 258 on three..
Not to be outdone Mike Collins became only the third rider to ride Coyote.H emade a grea tride on the little bull who is loaded with action.Mike scored 91.5 and won the short go giving him a 6th place finish with 259.5 points.
Night Life made quick work of Jaron Nunnemaker as he spun quickly to the left and Shock and Awe made a quick turn to the right to unseat Rob Bell.
Peacemaker bucked Bart Jackson off in 2.6 seconds while Little yellow jacket battled for 5 seconds with Lee Akin. When asked about the match-up Tuff said" This is going to really be a test for Lee....I've never seen a bull who enjoys bucking as much as Little Yellow Jacket."We can thank Joe and his son Neveda Berger for him and the other great bulls they bring to the events. Lee Akin ,when interviewed by Leah Garcia said:" I've got to take my hat off to that bull. He's like a different bull every time you get on him."
B.J.Kramps made a perfect riding on Happy Endings for 90.5dstying for 3/5 in the round and 2/5 in the event with a total of 262
Jody Newberry's streak ended when he bucked off of High five in just 3 seconds. Justin McBride got another 90.5 score on Squirt Gun ;having a great ride on a bull with lots of elevation and action tying for 3/5 in the round and 2/5 in the event. Mike Lee followed with 90 points on Huskers red and ended up 6th in the round and tied with 262 in the event .It looked like we were going to have a 4 way tie for first when Reuben Geleynse rode Berger's Moody Blues for 87 tying with 262.Then came the spoiler. Adriano rode Herrington's Monkey Bones for 91 points. Adriano was strong, aggressive and confident. He ended up second in the round and won the event when Chris Shiver touched Air Assault with his free hand at about the 2 second mark.
Injuries:
Sevi Torturo sprained his left elbow and is out for an undetermined length of time. Both Corey Navarre and Dave Samsel are riding with strained right forearms while Gerardo Venegas has a strained left elbow and Mike White has a strained right elbow. Lee Akin and Chad Lucas suffered mild concussions.

The 2003 Finals are over and I have just received the list of all the Awards given.Those not mentioned previously are as follows: The $10,000 U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company 90 point Ride bonus:Chris Shivers and Justin McBride
Stock Contractor of The Year runners up:Berger Bucking Bulls,Herrington 
Cattle Company,Davis/ TeagueBucking Bulls LLC.
Runners Up for Venue of the Year: 2.Atlanta,Ga; 3Columbus,Ohio;4 Colorado 
Springs.Co.
CT Runners UP:Bismark,Pendleton,Denver
2003 World Finals Bullfighter-Jimmy Anderson Award:Rob Smetts,Joe Baumgartner,Greg Crabtree,Dennis Johnson
2003 World Finals Barrelman-Jimmy Anderson Award:Flint Rasmussen
2003 World Finals Announcer(Arena):Mike Mathis,Charlie Throckmorton,Brandon 
Bates
The PBR 2003 World Finals Go Round Bull 1st Round - Moody Blues (Berger 
Bucking Bulls), 2nd Round - Vegas Nights (Shad Smith), 3rd Round - Splinter (Don 
Kish Bucking Bulls), 4th Round - Little White Soldier (Harper & Kimbelin) and 
Slim Shady (Roy Carter), 5th Round - Little Yellow Jacket (Berger/Taupin/Teague) 
The PBR 2003 Blackjack Winner Corey Navarre 
The PBR 2003 Mossy Oak Shootout Winner Owen Washburn 
The Brent Thurman / Lane Frost Award Jody Newberry (94.5) 
The Glen Keeley Award Rob Bell 
The Resistol Relief Fund $5000 Tool Giveaway John Schellhaus 
The Resistol Relief Fund 2003 F-250 King Ranch Winner James Hoar 
The Resistol Relief Fund Weatherby Rifle Ginger Arronhalt 

Jesse Bail and Cody Hancock To Be Part of PBR's Mohegan Sun Team Event

Jesse Bail and Cody Hancock will be part of the Mohegan Sun Team All Star Event this weekend in Uncasville,Conn.Ten teams of three men each will vie against one another on Friday night and another ten will compete Saturday. The ten teams having the highest points will compete on Sunday.OLN will carry Friday and Saturday live at 8pm ET while NBC will carry the Sunday competition live 
at 4:30 ET. Cody Hancock is teamed with Lee Akin and Troy Dunn Saturday night on the Enterprise Car Rental Team while Jesse Bail also competes on Saturday on the Mossy Oak Team with Justin McBride and Clint Craig.Hancock, # 19 presently in 
PRCA's World Standings is #167 in Challenger Standings while Bail , # 10 is #113. 

Other PRCA stars who ride in PBR's CT events appearing this weekend include #3 B.J. Schumaker.#18 Matt Austin,#7 Bryan Richardson, and #21 Clint Craig. Here are the teams and the draws as posted by the PBR: Please Note! There are 3 bulls chosen for each team. The team captain will choose which rider gets on which bull. The bulls listed next to each rider will not necessarily be ridden by that rider. 

Friday Night's Teams
Jim Beam 
Chris Shivers Dirt Demon 
Greg Potter Hitch Hiker 
Cauy Hudson Three Alarm 
Carquest 
Wiley Petersen Rip Cord 
Ross Johnson Typhoon 
Brian Wooley Code Red 
Double-H Boots 
J.W. Hart Texas Heat 
Gilbert Carrillo Ty One On 
Cord McCoy Lyon's King 
Jack Daniels Team #1 
Cody Hart Indian Nation 
Evan Rasch James Dean 
Dan Henricks Slick 60 
Salem National Lease 
Cory Melton Mohegan Sun 
B.J. Schumacher Western Juice 
Jason Legler Slim 
Express Ranch 
Jody Newberry Space Lord 
Corey Navarre Air Assault 
Luke Young Rock Out 
Wrangler 
Jim Sharp Black Bart 
Michael Gaffney West Hauler Prime Time 
Justin Volz Shock and Awe 
Action Performance 
Mike Collins Root Canal 
Gerardo Venegas Repeat 
Steven Shelley Mighty Mouse 
Outdoor Life Network 
Reuben Geleynse Buford 
Brendon Clark Pete 
Jesse Schellhamer Red Neck 
Larry the Cable Guy 
Bart Jackson Kinsman Kid 
Sevi Torturo Gunsmoke 
Tater Porter Nowata Dust Slinger 


Saturday Night's Teams
Mossy Oak 
Justin McBride Disraeli Gears 
Jesse Bail Eject 
Clint Craig Moonshine 
Cowboy Sports Agents 
Mike White Willies Bandit 
Cory McFadden J. Lo. 
Mark Ward Ram Jam 
Acme Boots 
Owen Washburn Vanilla Sky 
Adam Carrillo Spook 
Rocky McDonald Oldsmobull 
B & W Hitches 
Mike Lee Beelzebull 
Jason Bennett Crankshaft 
Matt Austin Patriot 
Bow Tech 
Tony Mendes Black Magic 
Cody Whitney Chicken Fry 
Chad Denton Spot Remover 
USSTC 
Ednei Caminhas Halo 
Rob Bell Guns N Roses 
Craig Sasse Border Line 
Bud Light 
Ross Coleman Bucking Crazy 
Luke Snyder California Dreaming 
Sean Willingham Turn the Crank Frank 
Enterprise Rental Cars 
Lee Akin Blueberry 
Troy Dunn Sweet Sixteen 
Cody Hancock Little Big Man 
Las Vegas 
Dave Samsel Ferguson the Firm 
Adriano Moraes Chickenbones 
Cody Sundby Sugar Bear 
Jack Daniel's Team #2 
Jaron Nunnemaker Tuff Enough 
Cory Rasch Sneaky Snake 
Bryan Richardson Camo 

PBR Finals 2003

Reported to Indian Rodeo News.com 
By Sheila Totten

It all came down to the last minutes of the short go. Chris Shivers drew the strong bucker High Tide; a bull known for his rear and drop. Chris had no chance on him as the big bull jumped away from Chris's hand on the second jump out of the chute with a strong belly roll. A dejected Chris went to the locker room, not watching Justin; certain it was over. Justin had made a good ride on Mossy Oak Mudslinger in St Louis and if I had been Chris I would have felt that Justin would repeat and ....As it was Justin had a good ride going until a little over 6 seconds and bucked off. He had put a great effort forward and the crowd rewarded him with a standing ovation. It took Leah Garcia trailing Chris to break the news to him. And the top bull rider in the world was speechless. Instead of a big smile there was a look of a weight being lifted from his shoulders.Shivers was truly stunned.He told Leah,"This is the greatest day of my life.Wish I could have ridden that bull better. Shoot I don't know what to say." And there you have it, the second man ever to win two PBR World Championships and the first to win the million dollar bonus was totally blown away. 

Jody Newberry made history today also. He rode Little Yellow Jacket for the highest score of the Finals -94.5.Jody won the average giving him the event championship and he also won Rookie of the Year.Jody was excited .He wanted to draw LYJ and was thrilled at riding him. There was some controversy about the ride and it was not until several minutes after the ride that Jody was awarded a score as his ride had to be reviewed. On some views it looked like he touched the bull's rump at 7.9 but it was decided that the bull hit Jody's elbow which does not constitute a free arm touch.

Today was truly the most exciting broadcast of the event; not only because the races for the World, Rookie of the Year and the Average Championship were going down to the wire but because at last prayers were answered and we had the real broadcasting team back-Justin McKee, Tuff Hedeman and Leah Garcia coupled with NBC's George Michael-a veteran of rodeo and bull riding broadcasts. The excitement was tripled by the excitement and enthusiasm in their voices.It was great to have real cowboys back broadcasting.

While the PBR takes it intermission break here is an up date. Justin McBride rode Terry Williams CC Slick Willie for 90 points and Chris rode Tar baby to squeek into the short go with his 89 point ride. Only 4 points separate the two contenders. Some of the best news is we have had the best team reporting today-Tuff Hedeman,Justin McKee, George Michael and Leah Garcia! The excitement and the fun has 
returned!

98 World Champion Troy Dunn Takes Round Three
Brought in as an alternate when Paolo Crimber pulled his groin muscle and was unable to ride,Australian Troy Dunn reminded us why he is a 
champion.Troy who was not healthy enough to make the last regular season event had recuperated enough to make a picture perfect ride on Splinter for 92 points tonight.The man never changes. He told Leah Garcia that this ride was a confidence builder for him.
The bulls in tonight's pen were very uneven, ranging from spinners to high kicking buckers. Steven Shelley who replaces Billy Robinson was the first man out on Extreme . The high kicking spinner made fast work of the rookie in 2.7 seconds.Sevi Torturo, dubbed "The Italian Stallion" looked good on King Pin , a small spinner and earned 88 points. Domino Ride quickly threw Gerardo Venegas off to the side for no score.

Brian Wooley had to put up with Shyster acting up in the chute but that only whetted Wooley's determination and he nailed the bull with a good looking 89.5 ride where he stayed in good position throughout the ride.
Cauy Hudson replaced Vince Stanton who pulled his groin muscle last night. Red Rum made quick work of Hudson who has been plagued by injuries.Sean Willingham made a good ride on the pattern bucker Super Dude who fakes a left before going back to the right. Sean rode him jump for jump and earned 88 points. Cory Navarre rode Cheylo jump for jump but was given the automatic reride when the flank strap came off the bull. Unfortunately his reride bull was Sauce and Corey 
bucked off.When Monkey Bones made a hard turn Cody Whitney lost hold of his bull rope and came flying off. Jason Bennett made a nice ride on Sammy Andrews' Bo Dippin-a Bodacious son Sammy raised. Jason was picture perfect as the bull went away from his hand and Jason earned 90 points to give him 177.5 on two.
Dan Hendricks made a great 89 point ride on Dippity Doo but Adam Carrillo made the crowd roar.He made a great ride on I-90, a big ,powerful bull for 90 points. He was followed by brother Gilbert on Casper Baca's Farmer John who went to the left and then turned back to the right. The big bull bucked strong and Gilbert got a score of 90.5.This bull will be a World Champion in the future. Gilbert said about his ride" He's a big bull. I look like a tick on a dog on him."Both Adam and Gilbert have been working at home with a new bucking machine and intend to overcome their weaknesses for the new season. Clarksville's Cory Rasch ended up on Lock'n' Load's side in the same position as he did when he rode Splinter in round one. The difference-he came off of the bull's side tonight. He has been getting out of balance and hanging off the side and if he had not been caught up in his bull rope in round one he would have slid off like tonight.

Unfortunately Brett Haber did not name all the bulls in the round as they 
came out nor give all the scores either.Brian Herman rode Grizzly Ghost for 89 points while Brendon Clark bucked off Happy Ending. Ross Johnson seemed to jump off of Land Shark at 1.5 seconds. The gate opened without Ross having nodded and so he was given a reride on Silent Angel which showed guts and determination as he regained position to earn 87 points. Ross was happy but he managed to 
cut his right arm. They had E's Cindy Walker do an on the town style interview with bar girls.I never have watched her on E; but from what I have seen here I really do not feel she can hold a candle to Leah Garcia or Michelle Beadle. Later in the show she interviewed Tracy Byrd who was there to not only sing the National Anthem but to perform at tonight's 10th anniversary party. Tracy is a good friend of Justin McBride and was rooting for him. Tracy said he became involved with the PBR when he took part in the fundraiser for Jerome Davis. What would have been more fitting as an interview and then only if it were done by either Tuff or Justin would have been interviews with the new Ring of Honor recipients.

Michael Gaffney went 0 for 6 with Straight Jacket. Just as LYJ has Chris's number this bull has Michael's. Michael was into a good ride and the bull just momentarily stopped bucking, sliding Michael back on the rumble seat and Michael was not able to regain his position.
Husker's Red made a huge belly roll to get Brent Vincent off while Adriano rode Hot Water Dippin and was the first man to cover three but because the score was low and the bull had a bad trip he was given the option of a reride. When asked about this by Leah Garcia, Adriano said: "I always take a reride. If I have a chance to make more points I 'll try it."Tuff thought Adriano was right in doing this as the bull he had drawn for the reride should have been a good ride. Unfortunately Bulletproof got the best of Adriano.

Cody Custer who received his Ring of Honor tonight made a great ride on Sheep Dip. It was a text book ride for 89.5 and Cody, who retires this year said if they were all like Sheep Dip he would not retire. In twenty years of riding Cody never broke a tooth out till last night.
Luke Snyder ,who continues to get ribbed about his hat made a good ride on Tumbleweed for 87.5 and Lee Akin finally nailed one with 85 points on a white spotted Brahma named Smokin Joe.
I was happy to see Wiley Petersen as tonight's profile rider. Wiley told 
the fans that he is excited to be one of the top riders. Reuben Geleysne rode Benjamin for 84 pointswhile Dave Samsel rode Rooster Foot for 86.5 even though the bull changed pattern going to the right instead of the left and hipped himself coming out of the chute. Greg Potter followed Troy Dunn's winning ride with his own 90 ride on Coppertop.
For once after Tuff reprised the rides Kirsten Gum interviewed two Sull 
Ross(Tuff's Alma Mater) students,Mike Smith and Cassie De La Pena who are part of the college rodeo team. They will be featured in OLN's new reality tv show Cowboy 101 which begins in January.At least OLN kept it to rodeo tonight.Bo Howdy gave Mike Collins a lot of trouble in the chute and even more once the gate opened as the powerful bull bucked Mike off right out of the chute and Mike hung up momentarily until the bull caught him and bumped him loose.

Jim Sharp ,who struggled at last year's Finals is struggling again. Rocket 
Man bucked Jim off whe he went to the right. Tuff had predicted that the bull would be the victor in this match. Meanwhile Single Barrel Dip got Ednei Caminhas off on the side and under him but Ednei is ok.
Ross Coleman drew Casper Baca's bull Patriot and the tricky bull bucked Ross off when he popped Ross's left foot up.
Lefty, the bull who injured Beau Lindley bucked off Jody Newberry. Word on Beau is that he is now able to move both feet.
Cory Melton who had been number one in the average bucked off of Slim Shady while Hurt So Good hurt J.W. Hart so bad as he hit J.W. in the nose during the first jump and the Ironman came off him at 3.4 seconds. Cody Hart came down hard against the chute gate when Dippin Famous hipped himself coming out and knocked Cody off. Cody seemed to be in a lot of pain but was able to walk out. He was given the option of a reride but he was not shown taking it ; and it 
was not mentioned. Cody bucked off of Black Hawk.
Artemus whipped his front end around hard in the first spin to unseat Tony Mendes and for the third time in a row Owen Washburn fell victim to another small bull as Alligator bucked him off. Mike Lee was elated with his 86.5 ride on Slim's Ghost.He would have scored higher but he made the ride look too easy when he waved to family before the 
ride was over. He did his little dance after .
Mike White rode Thunder river for 84.5.The bull bucked straight for too long before turning. 

Tuff predicted Wiley would ride High Five and he was right .Wiley made a good looking ride in full control for 88.5 and currently is in second place behind Greg Potter in the average by 19 points. He also finished in 10th place in the round. Both Wiley and Greg are the only ones to have ridden three bulls. Justin McBride landed hard on his back when Neon Night unseated him but lost no ground to Chris Shivers as Silver Select bucked Shivers off when Chris made too big a move. He adjusted to the right and got too far into the inside and went down into the well. Luckily he was not hurt. All in all,19 riders notched successful rides tonight. Those who finished in the money are as follows:

Round 3 Results
Place Rider Bull Score Dollars 
1 Troy Dunn Splinter 92 $20,000.00 
2 Gilbert Carrillo Farmer John 90.5 $15,000.00 
3/4 Jason Bennett Bo Dippin 90 $8,750.00 
3/4 Greg Potter Coppertop 90 $8,750.00 
5/7 Brian Wooley Shyster 89.5 $4,000.00 
5/7 Adam Carrillo I - 90 89.5 $4,000.00 
5/7 Cody Custer Sheep Dip 89.5 $4,000.00 
8/9 Brian Herman Grizzly Ghost 89 $2,250.00 
8/9 Dan Henricks Dippity Doo 89 $2,250.00 
10 Wiley Petersen High Five 88.5 $1,700.00 
Tomorrow afternoon the action continues live from Vegas.OLN will begin the broadcast at 3pm ET but at 4pm NBC takes over the broadcast. Does that mean we may see a Haberless team once NBC steps in? I certainly look forward to seeing Tuff , Justin and George Michael. And maybe we can get through a broadcast without the non-rodeo/bull riding OLN announcers. That would not only be 
enjoyable but so much more professional. Don't forget to watch. The race is down to the wire though Justin would have to finish in at least 4th place in the average to beat Chris.

Well, the draw is out and we should see some fireworks. Justin McBride has drawn Terry Williams great bull Cripple Creek Slick Willie.Chris Shivers drew Tar Baby.Jody Newberry scored 90 on CCSlick Willie on Friday while Cory Melton scored 88.5 on Tar Baby.Mathematically,Justin can still catch and overtake Chris.
Wiley Petersen has drawn Alligator,one of the smaller bulls but size means nothing to Wiley. 

Round 4 Draw
Rider Bull 
Lee Akin Huskers Red 
Rob Bell BA 
Jason Bennett Crossfire Hurric 
Ednei Caminhas Silver Select 
Adam Carrillo Blues Man 
Gilbert Carrillo Rooster 
Brendon Clark Vegas Nights 
Ross Coleman Dippin Rampage 
Mike Collins Squirt Gun 
Cody Custer Monkey Bones 
Troy Dunn Werewolf 
Michael Gaffney Clayton's Pet 
Reuben Geleynse Maximus 
J.W. Hart Slim Shady 
Cody Hart Farrells Trailer 
Dan Henricks Coyote Ugly 
Brian Herman I - 90 
Cauy Hudson Wild Bill 
Ross Johnson Mission Pack 
Mike Lee Western Wishes 
Chad Lucas Artemus 
Justin McBride Cripple Creek Sl 
Cory Melton Hurt So Good 
Tony Mendes Little White Sol 
Adriano Moraes Sugar Bear 
Corey Navarre Dippity Doo 
Jody Newberry Hammer 
Jaron Nunnemaker Spinner Bait 
Wiley Petersen Alligator 
Greg Potter Moody Blues 
Cory Rasch Showtime 
Dave Samsel Mr Hyde 
Craig Sasse Freckles 
Jim Sharp Black Jack 
Steven Shelley Spotted Jacket 
Chris Shivers Tar Baby 
Luke Snyder McNasty 
Sevi Torturo Land Shark 
Gerardo Venegas Lawman 
Brent Vincent Dippin Famous 
Owen Washburn Hells Bells 
Mike White Rocket Man 
Cody Whitney Slider 
Sean Willingham Lying Eyes 

2003 Ring of Honor Inductees
Aaron Semas, Cody Custer, and Myrtis Dightman will be inducted into the PBR ring of honor

Get your official PBR Gear visit the PBR web site click here


Good Luck to Casper Baca's "Farmer John"
and "Patriot" at the PBR Finals!
Both bulls were bucked at the INFR final
round and "Patriot" bucked off 
bull rider Greg Louis "Farmer John"
bucked of Marlon Williams 
Click here for the list of bulls 
bucking at the PBR 2003

Overcoming the Odds
He was not even supposed to ride tonight because of a collapsed lung,but Cody Hart cowboyed up, toughing it out and won round #2 of the PBR Finals tonight with an unbelievable  92 point ride on Vegas Nights. The hard to ride bull was in great form and Cody moved with him,jump for jump.Vegas Nights just could not shake Cody loose as he twisted and turned with force. At the start of the show it was thought that  Troy Dunn would be riding in Cody's place but Cody talked with Tandy and made the decision to  go for it;and the rest is now PBR  history.In his interview with the ever popular and charming Leah Garcia, Cody promised he would be back to ride tomorrow night. He was
not about to let  a collapsed lung keep him out;and they call his brother "the iron man!"Maybe we need to call Cody "The man of steel."
Little Yellow Jacket won the PBR's  award for World Champion Bull for the second time;and when Craig Sasse attempted to ride him LYJ reminded us why  he is the Champ.We saw Craig go sailing over LYJ's top at 3.4 seconds. 

Tonight's bulls were introduced to the arena audience before the event
started.With 30 contractors there, this proved to be possibly the best  and baddest pen of bulls ever put together for any one round anywhere. At least Justin McKee,Leah Garcia and Tuff Hedeman conveyed the excitement in their voices and demeanor.With such a close race and such a great pen of bulls ,you would think Brett Haber could at least act excited. Maybe  he has spent too much time reading
news in the political arena .The lack of high spirits detracts from the
show.And referring to  the young guns as  nice young men...They are cowboys. They are bull riders. You would have thought Haber was referring to Harvard or Yale rowers.The difference between Justin McKee and Haber would be like two singers trying  to sing harmony but remaining octaves apart. Justin is emotion. Haber is Haber.

Slider,as wild as ever bucked Sevi Torturo off  right away and Bo Time  of Sammy Andrews made quick work of Gerardo Venegas. Brian Wooley just missed becoming a major wreck when Mission Pack  bucked him off  nearly into the chute gate. Tuff picked Freckles over Vince Stanton  and he was 100% correct. Vince bucked
off right out of the chute.Kid Rock,the reserve champion bull made quick work of Sean Willingham when Sean got behind.
It was one buck off after another as Kelly's Cat had his way with Cory
Navarre and Blueberry Wine not only bucked off Jason Bennett,going after him but also  bowled  over Joe Baujmgartner. Cash stepped on Dan Henricks after bucking him off,and Dan limped out. Cody Whitney had a ride going on Mossy Oak Mudslinger until his right foot popped out,then he seemed to recover and his left foot popped out. Cody hit hard and is needing x-rays. Adam Carrillo escaped injury when  the high jumping Black Jack jumped high with all 4 feet in the air and lost his balance  and fell. Adam walked away and was rewarded a reride. Brendon Clark was the second of Tuff's picks and he proved Tuff wrong as Brendon rode the mighty Hammer for 91.5 points. Tuff had thought that there was no way Brendon would ride as Hammer would turn away from Brendon's hand, but Clark proved  even with the flu he could ride the mighty bull. The crowd went wild and Brendon was elated. He said he was happy to draw and ride the bull. Gilbert Carrillo did a backflip off of Werewolf at 7 seconds and got kicked in his seat as he tumbled down. Cory Rasch was helped out after Unforgiven bucked him off right out of the chute and seemed to step on Cory. Cory has been plagued with injuries this year.

Mesquite Heat wore Michael Gaffney out in the chute; and Michael needed help to get the bull off of his right leg, against which the bull was leaning .Michael was worn out by the time  they opened the gate but tried hard to match the bull move for move. Mesquite Heat  has a lot of height to him and a lot of dropand managed to jerk Michael off after the third jump.
Adriano is looking sticky again. Tuff picked Adriano to ride Joe Hopper and Tuff was right. It was a great ride and Adriano earned 89 points to take 8th place in the round and  putting together a score of 176 on two.
As the rides progressed it was very noticeable that OLN neglected to show Tuff behind the chutes when he gave his picks. Prior to tonight Tuff was shown doing this. People want to see more of their hero;especially the little guys out there who idolize Tuff. I cannot understand why OLN   showed less of him. Greg Potter made  an impossible ride on Ugly. Greg  rode him away from his hand and even spurred the bull. He earned 91.5 putting him in the lead for the average with 176.5 and tying for second   in the round.
Baby Cakes bucked Ross Johnson off while Blues Man, another Bo baby, got Brent Vincent into trouble just where I predicted at 2.9 seconds and bucked him off at  3.1. Luke Snyder has gotten a lot of teasing for wearing a "Larry Mahan vintage 1968 style fuzzy cowboy hat. Wild Side probably didn't like it and bucked Luke off with both his strength and his style when the bull went airborne.

Cody Custer has yet to make a qualified ride but two time Canadian  Champ Rob Bell tied  for second with  91.5  on Mr. Hyde. Rob nearly went down into the well but was able to reposition himself. Ace of Hearts bucked off Jaron Nunnemaker while Hell's Bells proved Tuff right again by bucking off Chad Lucas. Dave Samsel came right off Jack Daniel's Happy Hour while the  1100 pound  bull with an attitude, Coyote made quick work of Lee Akin.Reuben Geleynse had to contend with Sugar Bear trying to hit him with his head in the chute. The bull came out backwards ,hipping himself but Reuben was off before he could declare himself He seemed to not only hit his head but also to get kicked in it after the bull ripped his vest nearly off. Lying Eyes hop ,skip and little hesitation step through Mike Collins off time and he bucked off. Paolo Crimber who returned home to Brazil several weeks ago misdiagnosed  with a groin pull found out his problem was a nerve which goes around the groin area. Tandy was able to  numb it with a shot but Paolo still bucked off Wild Bill. Adam took his reride on Spinner Bait and ended up thrown into the chute.

The Razor Jim Sharp was bucked off by Night Life when the bull turned back with lots of power. Ross Coleman lit the arena up with that great smile when he  rode Who's Yo Daddy for 88 giving him 174.5 on two. Steven Shelley replaced the injured Billy Robinson on Reindeer Dippin' who did not have his normal trip but bucked  off down the arena for 82.5 points Steven turned down the offer for a reride and as an alternate that is a big no. Shelley seemed to not understand that he is ineligible for the average and can only compete for round money.
Jody Newberry made an awesome ride on Cripple Creek Slick Willie for 90 points and 176.5 on two. Ednei Caminhas,who bucked off a "money bull" yesterday rode  the difficult Dippin' Rampage for 89.5 while Cory Melton rode first into his hand then away from it on  Tar Baby for 88.5.He took over first place in the average with  178 on two. Then came Cody Hart's winning ride followed by another Tuff pick. It was J.W.Hart vs.Pandora's Box and Tuff picked the future superstar bull saying there was a 90% chance the bull would turn left  away from J.W.'s hand and the bull did and J.W. bucked off. Tony Mendes  came off Rooster's side  while High Tide washed Mike Lee right off .Owen Washburn was thrown off of Hotel California as soon as the chute opened while Wiley Petersen  rode Raider Hater but the bull did not have his normal trip and Wiley ,according to Haber was given the option of a reride. Wiley  only earned  71.5 but there was no reride. Hope to find out why tomorrow.
Between his tennis elbow  and Clayton's Pet's bad timing, Mike White  bucked right off.Justin McBride thought he was prepared for Crossfire Hurricane to switch directions and he held on the first time the bull did but did not expect the bull to change up again and came off him at only 6.8 seconds losing ground to Chris Shivers who rode Painted Desert for 89.5. Last night there was a standing Ovation for McBride and tonight there was one for Shivers and his great looking  ride.

Only 11 riders made qualified rides tonight  as follows:
1 Cody Hart Vegas Nights 92 $20,000.00
2/4 Greg Potter Ugly 91.5 $10,833.33
2/4 Brendon Clark Hammer 91.5 $10,833.33
2/4 Rob Bell Mr Hyde 91.5 $10,833.33
5 Jody Newberry Cripple Creek Slick Willy 90 $5,000.00
6/7 Chris Shivers Painted Desert 89.5 $3,500.00
6/7 Ednei Caminhas Dippin Rampage 89.5 $3,500.00
8 Adriano Moraes Joe Hopper 89 $2,500.00
9 Cory Melton Tar Baby 88.5 $2,000.00
10 Ross Coleman Who's Yo Daddy 88 $1,700.00
 Wiley Petersen Raider Hater 71.5 $0.

During the early part of the show, Ty Murray was interviewed by our Leah and Ty was looking great. He  said he would have done the same as Chris last night and taken the reride although Tuff had questioned the wisdom of it.E Channel's Cindy Walker  later interviewed Ty's beautiful girlfriend , rocking pop singer Jewel. OLN had all of us scared that they were making Cindy into a behind the chute broadcaster and with Tuff and Leah handling that viewers reacted hostile  at the thought that E's "Wild Thing" would be  taking away from either Tuff or Leah's spots. Instread she just interviewed Jewel about  the event  and bull riding itself .Jewel was refreshing and lovely as usual; and said that she will be singing the National Anthem on Sunday. Jewel really loves the sport  and was very excited about the event. I had the pleasure  of speaking with her and Ty in May and she is a real  down to earth sweet person with a great personality.

During intermission Tuff reprised  the rides but Kirsten Gum (whom Haber called Gumble) hurried him off in a dismissive tone so she could interview a non bull riding person about non bull riding events. Once again OLN  offended fans by having  her interview Molly Culver ,OLN's dirt bike show hostess and AMA SuperMoto broadcaster. This time could be better used by reprising more of the rides and  doing the rider profiles then. Again,this is bull riding and OLN  should honor  the PBR Finals by leaving their  other sport show broadcasters out of it his event; and follow the way it has always been done. Keep it to Bull Riding! And stop bringing in  the non-bullriding broadcasters. They are making it a showcase for their other shows. Would love to hear your comments out there about this. Watch for a poll after the Finals. Hopefully we will see things back to
normal by Uncasville.

Injury Report and other news

The second night of the Finals has taken its toll on the riders.We already 
know that Billy Robinson has been replaced by Steven Shelley due to Billy's dislocated shoulder. Cody Hart, last night's winner will be evaluated today for a broken rib and partially collapsed lung. Cody says he will ride but the decision lays in Tandy's hands.
Vince Stanton suffered a groin strain and is questionable for tonight. Dan 
Henrick's has a bruised left foot ,but will ride. Cory Rasch did aggravate his left knee and is questionable for tonight. Cody Whitney's x-rays proved normal but he suffered lower back strain and is questionable for tonight. Brent Vincent is riding with a slight concussion and Cody Custer broke a tooth and suffered a concussion, but will ride. Meanwhile Reuben Geleynse who took quite the tumble on his neck suffered neck strain and is questionable for tonight.
So far the riders who have won rounds #1 & 2 have both been suffering from cracked ribs. Justin McBride's injury suffered at Grand Rapids still causes pain and Cody Hart is riding with injuries suffered just in round #1.These two riders are positive examples of the drive behind all of the riders. They are gutting it out; striving to be the best of the best. Good luck to all of our riders. At 12:30 Pacific Time today the PBR will have the draft for the team event at the Mohegan Sun. Twenty teams of stars will be drafted by twenty sponsors with some trades bound to be incurred. You can watch this live at PBRNow.com webcast. The event will run Nov.14-16th and OLN will do a live telecast of the 
event at 8pm ET on Friday night.
Come back to IRN for Sheila's up to date live reports 

Justin McBride takes round one


Justin McBride showed the fans and his fellow bullriders that he is 
recovered when he covered Berger's Moody Blues for 92.5 points in round #1 of the PBR Finals tonight. McBride made a great looking ,aggressive ride on the hard bucking bull and was rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd. Tuff had commented that he thought Justin would make a good ride and McBride proved Tuff right.
Chris Shivers drew the weakest bull in the pen,Waterproof and made an 82 point ride with the option of a reride. As he was sore going into the round;and seemed sore after the ride his choice was questionable. He drew Little White Soldier and bucked off at 6.7 seconds. He had a good ride going till then and his wife Kylie was jumping and cheering .And then the bull shifted gears and Chris was down in the dust.
Justin edged closer in the race with this win and is now 528 points behind Chris. Meanwhile Wiley Petersen also took advantage of the circumstances and gained some points as he made a very impressive ride on Flying aU's Red Thunder.Wiley really nailed it with a very aggressive spur ride and he too had the fans out of their seats. Wiley earned 87.5 points and finished in the top ten. Until Justin's ride Michael Gaffney had held on to first place with a great ride on Western Wishes which earned him 90.5 points. Michael looked like the 
World Champion he is and he had the first 90+ ride of the Finals. He was thrilled when he drew Western Wishes. Adriano Moraes also had a picture perfect ride,showing he is back in form, for 88 points on Red Baron.



As for the broadcast itself I for one do not like the way OLN has changed things.They are importing their Mountain Bike race people and doing guest shots with skiers .The actual broadcast falls far short of last year's. We are bull riding fans. We do not want to see or hear about other sports during the finals.They would have done much better to have had Tuff and Justin handle the broadcast and bring in either Ty Murray or Larry Mahan as a guest. For the viewing audience,although the action is exciting the commentary has become sorely lacking in emotion. The pumped up energy is gone. I literally found myself falling 
asleep from the droning quality of Brett Haber's voice.I had to fight to stay awake. And as a reporter and someone who has followed bull riding all of her life,it really grated on me when Haber referred to the bullriders and contractors who were helping the riders in the chutes as "attendents." Then to make matters worse he called the chutes the fence! Hey powers that be at OLN ,give us a Bull Rider! 


Many riders who were not supposed to rode due to injuries did make the event .Jason Bennett rode Q Ball for 87.5 points only three weeks after cracking his collarbone.Cory Rasch may have re-injured his posterior cruciate ligament when he hung up tonight. Cory had a hard time getting out of the chute on Splinter and even had to rewrap. He really had bucked off but still had hold of his bullrope and his spur caught in the handle of his rope as he hung on at a 45 
degree angle to earn 77 points. He may have hurt his wrist also.
Another problem tonight was getting the scores. On several rides Haber talked on and on and we never were given the score although you could hear the arena announcer announcing it. Greg Potter made a good ride and stayed in good position on Blockhead for 85 points while Ross Johnson covered his 4th bull in a row by riding Gene Owen's IceMan. Gerardo Venegas covered only his 4th bull 
in the BFTS when he rode Peacemaker for 88 points.
Ross Coleman ,who still has a sizeable lump on his collarbone looked great when he covered Double Bubble for 86.5 It was so good to see that beautiful smile again.



There was good news on Beau Lindley. He is expected to return home to Arizona to a rehab facility sometime next week. The surgeries he had in Columbus to stabilize his neck went well. He had fractured several vertebrae plus had contusions of the spinal cord. He has some feeling in his feet and has movement in one foot.

Jim Sharp returned and is riding with a broken fibula. He slapped Casper Baca's Farmer John right on the hump and received no score. Billy Robinson, yet another who was doubtful for the finals drew Tumbleweed and bucked off in 6.6 seconds while possibly popping his shoulder out again. He did this last year and missed the start of the season. Jody Newberry earned 86.5 on King Pin, one of the smallest bulls in the round. Brian Wooley,another of the walking wounded attempted to ride a new bull "Out Of Here" and was in trouble right away. His riding hand is badly swolen nearly twice its normal size and he just could not hang on.


Corey Navarre rode Gusto who followed his normal pattern for 85.5 as Corey got a little out of shape towards the end. Sean Willingham had a good aggressive ride for 88 points while Brent Vincent made 82.5 on a fast but flat spinner.He turned down the option of a reride.
It looked like Craig Sasse had one rode but in the production truck Cody Lambert was watching the instant replay and Bo Dippin had Craig on the ground right before the clock hit 8 seconds.
Luke Snyder made a good ride on Red Alert for 88 while Sauce bucked Cody Custer off. Dave Samsel looked in control aboard Lip Tricks and earned 86.5 points but Lee Akin, who has been in a slump, came off of Fire Water at 6.5 seconds after being horned in the mouth. Another ride whose score was left out was Mike Collins who made a good ride on Tomahawk. Meanwhile Paolo Crimber may have re-injured himself in the chute tonight when Squirt Gun acted up. He bucked off right in the very first jump out of the chute and appeared to be in pain. Ednei Caminhas also appeared to be in too much 
pain when he attempted to ride Cheylo and came off out the back door on the third jump. 

Round two should be full of wild action with bulls like Hammer,Blueberry Wine,Who' Yo Daddy,Cash,Sling Blade ,etc in the pen.

Injury Report

Last night was rough on the riders; many who were already among the walking wounded from earlier injuries suffered at both Challenger and BFTS events. Lee Akin got hit in the mouth by one of Firewater's horns and received stitches after his ride. He may also have broken his cheekbone but he is scheduled to compete tonight.
Paolo Crimber was hurt in the chute when Squirt Gun acted up.
We could hear Paolo groan but he attempted to ride and re-injured his right hamstring. He is questionable for tonight.
Smoke Ring bucked Cody Hart off hard and Cody may have a cracked right rib. He is probable for tonight. Billy Robinson re-dislocated his left shoulder as he dismounted Tumbleweed. My 
heart goes out to him as the same injury happened to him last year.
He is now doubtful for tonight.
Vince Stanton, who had injured his left pinky finger last week ,tore the 
stitches out during his ride and is probable for tonight.
Sean Willingham separated his riding arm (right) shoulder when he landed on it dismounting All Star. He too is probable for tonight.

Round 1 standings
1 Justin McBride Moody Blues 92.5 $20,000.00 
2 Michael Gaffney Western Wishes 90.5 $15,000.00 
3 Cory Melton Coppertop 89.5 $10,000.00 
4 Mike Lee Bullet Proof 89 $7,500.00 
5/7 Gerardo Venegas Peacemaker 88 $4,000.00 
5/7 Sean Willingham All Star 88 $4,000.00 
5/7 Luke Snyder Red Alert 88 $4,000.00 
8/10 Wiley Petersen Red Thunder 87.5 $2,066.67 
8/10 Jason Bennett Q Ball 87.5 $2,066.67 
8/10 Mike Collins Tomahawk 87.5 $2,066.67 
Adriano Moraes Red Baron 87 $0.00 
Jody Newberry King Pin 86.5 $0.00 
Ross Coleman Double Bubble 86.5 $0.00 
Dave Samsel Lip Tricks 86.5 $0.00 
Tony Mendes Locomotion 85.5 $0.00 
Corey Navarre Gusto 85.5 $0.00 
Greg Potter Block Head 85 $0.00 
Brent Vincent Barbarry Coast 82.5 $0.00 
Ross Johnson Iceman 82 $0.00 
Cory Rasch Splinter 77 $0.00 
Everyone else bucked off.

October 12, 2003

During the short go of last night's Grand Rapid's event, Roy Carter's bull Mission Pack severely injured front runner and fan favorite Justin McBride.Justin was bucked off and stepped on by the big bull , who came down hard on Justin's mid section.Justin was rushed to the hospital where they found a fractured rib and a punctured lung. Justin is questionable for the PBR FinalsOur prayers are with you, Justin. Other injuries suffered this weekend:Jason Bennett is once again out with injuries.He broke his right collarbone and also received a concussion Saturday andis doubtful for the PBR Finals.
Gilbert Carrillo sustained a concussin and is doubtful for Columbus , Ohio next week.

October 11, 2003
Race Is Going Down To The Wire
The suspense keeps building as we get closer and closer to the PBR Finals. Last night in Grand Rapid's, Michigan Chris Shiver's regained his lead with an 
87.5 ride on Berger Bull's Nardo.Wiley Petersen gained points when he rode Tombstone for 89.5 points and Justin McBride , who fell to 30 points behind Shivers rode Justin's Pet for 85.5 points
Round one was won by Brendon Clark. rookie of the year candidate. He rode Rotten Cotten in a great looking 93 point ride but bucked off of the Mossy Oak Shoot Out bull Mesquite Heat. If you are in the area , join the excitement and attend tonight's event.If not catch the action on OLN tomorrow at 8pm ET.

October 5, 2003
CT series
Paolo Crimber, who had been riding hot in both the CT series and the BFTS has 
returned home to Brazil to recuperate from a groin tear he suffered at the 
Springfield, MO. CT event
Mike Lee who tied for 3/4 in the long go; and won the short go ended up tied 
with Jason Bennett for the event win. CT riders Travis Sellar and Willis 
Trosclair finished in third and fourth places respectively. Jesse Schellhammer, who 
finished in first place in the long go with a solid 90.5 ride ended up in 
fifth place while Adriano Moraes finished in sixth. Jody Newberry ended up in 
seventh place and Brian Wooley ended up in eighth.

Cody Custer announces retirement 


With great sadness I am conveying the news that World Champion Cody Custer has decided that his appearance at the PBR Finals in Las Vegas will be the last 
of his career. After 19 years of competition, Cody has decided it is time to hang up his bull rope and spurs and go on to the next step in life that God has set for him. Cody, one of the founders of the PBR is still a board member and he is the cofounder also of the PBRO Ministry. He has been a positive 
influence on many; and through the years many Indian children have been named after their parents' Choctaw hero.

Cody has been a consummate performer. He has bounced back from injuries time after time, thrilling the fans with great rides. Cody who qualified for the NFR eight times in his career won the World Championship in 1992. He has also 
qualified nine times for the PBR Finals. Cody has won several PBR top echelon tour events and 11 Challenger events. Cody now awaits seeing what God has in 
store for him. He will remain active in the PBRO which he CO-founded and will speak at churches and hold Bible rodeo camps

Cody, as with everything in his life gives his thanks to God and credits God with his good fortune. Cody will be sorely missed on the tour because he is one of the nicest guys with a super heart and compassion for all. I know I will miss this "quiet man." He and minister Todd pierce inspired my husband and myself to attend the PBRO services; and I will always be grateful for that.
He's been a positive inspiration to all; especially Wiley Petersen, currently 
fourth in the race for the championship this year. Wiley looks up to Cody and has learned a lot about life from him. I can remember being at an event this year where Wiley was in the lead and he wanted so bad to see Cody win the 
event. Although he was happy about his win, part of him was sad his mentor was not the event champion. According to Wiley, from the PBR's press release:
"Cody would do anything for anyone if he had the resources. He would give you the shirt off his back. Besides being an excellent bull rider, he is a great representative for the PBR and the sport of bull riding. He has had a successful career riding bulls, but I feel sometimes he is over looked. Anyone who has 
ridden with Cody knows he is one of the most consistent bull riders there 
is."
I agree with Wiley that Cody does get overlooked because Cody is the" 
ultimate quiet man."He is not flamboyant as a Ross Coleman or an 'out there figure' as PBR cofounders Ty Murray and Tuff Hedeman still are. But he was always there 
giving 100% not only riding but in positive reinforcement for the others. He 
was also a great example in today's world of a good family orientated man who let God lead him in the right direction. Cody is a great rider with a great personality who cares for all his worldly brothers and sisters. He thanks his God for all he has seen in this life and all the opportunities he has had. When it comes to people who stand out in his mind, life and career, Cody picks close friends Rob Smetts and Tandy Freeman. 
Unbeknownst to many Rob is Cody's uncle; having married Cody's aunt when Cody was only eleven. Cody thanked Rob for all the times Rob took a beating to save Cody; and he thanked Tandy for all the times Tandy put him back together 
again after his many injuries. He also thanked his family for standing behind him through the years through the good and the bad; and thanked his personal sponsors for backing him. Cody Custer's last ride will be a sad occasion for all of us who have followed his career, but we wish Cody and his lovely family well. 
Thanks for all the thrills and spills and most of all, the positive influence 
you have been on the lives of many, Cody. May God Bless you.

The PBR's only outdoor BFTS event of the season is now in the record books. And it was thrilling al the way from the pre-round one Mossy Oak Challenge ride made by Cory Melton down to the Short Go.Melton, who missed riding for the $35,000 last week because of a computer glitch rode Werewolf at the start of the event Friday and despite the pain he was in won $35,000. This may go down as the only event to ever have two Mossy Oak Shoot Out rides and 
purses. Melton later bucked off of Desert Storm in round one. He had to fly out to Pendleton after the event and ride in the Round-Up and then fly back to Laughlin to compete on Saturday night. He and Corey Navarre are two of the hottest riders from the PBR competing in major rodeos this season.
We had a new personality co-broadcasting with Tuff while Justin McKee took the weekend off to attend to other duties. Dan Moriarity filled in for Justin and did a very good job. Although he does not have the tonal quality 
and vocal timbre Justin possesses ,Dan had the audience feeling his excitement as he really seemed to get into the event.

In the first round Michael Gaffney came down off of After Shock when the unridden bull went away from his hand while Justin Volz bucked off of Mr Hyde at 7.8 seconds when the big and powerful bull sent him back on the end of his arm. Justin dislocated his shoulder and will be out until the finals.
All in all we had 20 qualified rides in round one. Jason Bennett looked great on Domino and he tied Mike White for 1st/2nd.Mike made a great ride on Artemus, though he is riddled with pain from his right leg and his riding hand thumb. Mike was picked for the Mossy Oak Shoot Out but he declined and Jason Bennett got the nod to ride for $5000 on Reindeer Dippin'.The bull, not well known on the circuit but really rank bucked Bennett right off and just missed trampling him. We saw some good rides and demonstrations of never giving up when Billy 
Robinson was out of position on Lo Rise and recovered ,getting back in the middle 
to earn 83.5

The Razor, Jim Sharp looked like he used to with a picture perfect ride on Louisiana Man, a good young spinner, earning 84 points. Jim is striving to win another championship before he hits the big 4 0. Adriano Moraes who was in 90th position in June is now in 36th.He made a good ride on Fear Factor, staying in the center to earn 85.5Cody Whitney, like Vince Stanton and Jesse Schellhammer should not be riding. All three suffered injuries at earlier events and are far from 100% Mike Lee is quietly climbing backup the ladder as he looks like he did prior to getting injured. He rode Viper for 83.5 Wiley Petersen made a good aggressive ride on Rooster Foot, a bull that is difficult to ride because he is not smooth. Wiley earned 86 points.
Sevi Torturo, the new kid on the block made a good aggressive ride on Monkey Face for 85.5.Sevi 's hometown is Williston ,Fla although he was announced as coming from New Jersey.
Chris Shivers over rode Captain Hook and came off of him for no score. Greg Potter and Luke Snyder tied for 3/4 with scores of 86.5.Adam Carrillo, Wiley Petersen and Chad Lucas split 5/7 with 86 points while Sevi Toturo, Brendon Clark and Adriano Moraes split 8/10 just a half point behind.

In round 2 , Cory Melton made a really good ride on Back Fire although he was riding with a broken base of his thumb on his free hand and a shoulder sprain earning 87.5 and tying for 2/5 in the round. Chris Shivers rode Dingo a slow moving spinner for 84 while Paolo Crimber had an outstanding ride on Spotted Jacket, a high jumping spinner with lots of energy, for 88 points to win the round. Mike Lee followed with a good ride on Flack Jacket for 86 and we were treated to both Paolo and Mike's dances..
Tony Mendes drew the easiest bull in the round ,Abracadabra and made an 84 point ride while Cody Hart made a great ride on Little Big Man- a little bull who is very hard to ride. Cody tied for 2/5.Wiley came down off of Night Train when the bull sent him back on his arm and jerked the rope out of his hand. Justin McBride tied for 2/5 with his good looking ride on Little Man ,a spinner who changes direction. Jason Bennett, Sevi Torturo, Gilbert Carrillo and J.W.Hart tied for 6/9 with 87 point rides. Gilbert had that big grin. Ednei Caminhas and Mike Lee tied for 10/11 place while Michael Gaffney made a good ride on I'm A Bad Cat for 85 points. 

In the championship round only 4 riders had qualified rides. They were Mike White, Cody Hart ,Paolo Crimber and Billy Robinson. Mike White was out for revenge when he drew Werewolf-the bull that had bested him last year at this event. Mike made a truly great ride on the powerful bull who rocked him all over but Mike never gave up and earned 91 points giving him 266 points to win the event. As he won round one and stayed in the lead he also won the Built Ford Tough Moment of truth award of $30,000 on tope of his other winnings. This seemed to ease his pain a little; and he had a grin on his face. Mike is another never say die guy who has cowboyed up ever since Tuff teased him on the air for taking off for a sprained finger.

Cody Hart made a great ride on Black Hawk, a hard bucking white bull for 88 points and ended up in 2nd place. Paolo lucked out when WaterProof really jerked the bull rope out of his hand at 7.6 but did not come off the bull till 8. The clock should have stopped at 7.6.Nevertheless he received a score of 87.5 and finished in 3rd with 258 on 3 bulls. Billy Robinson may need a new hat after Double Trouble tromped it into the ground when he was unable to unseat Billy. Billy scored 88.5 and ended up in 4th place in the average with 257.5 Jason Bennett finished in 5th place in the average while Sevi torturo finished in 6th and Justin McBride finished in 7th.Greg Potter and Mike Lee tied for 8/9 while Brian Wooley finished in 10th.
Mike White leapt ahead of Wiley in the race for the World while Justin gained on Chris Shivers. Justin is only 44 points behind Chris while Mike is 284 points behind the leader who just happens to be his best friend. Right now as the season winds down it is anyone's game as the race is so very close. Wiley is only around 900 points behind.
Cory Melton broke his thumb on his free hand during his winning ride on Werewolf and will have x-rays this week. Gilbert Carrillo ,who had ridden well had to forego the short go due to a strained right groin.

Happy Birthday to Craig Sasse.  And congratulations to Robbie and Chad Herrington for having their great bull Dillinger named as the #1 Greatest Bull of the PBR.  Dillinger, whose career was cut short last year in Louisville,Ky has recovered from his injuries and has been retired to breeding status. He had been well on his way to his 3rd year as PBR Champion Bull when he was injured. In OKC,the riders got a kick out of the song penned for him by top Nashville songwriter Cheryl Durham Owens. When they heard "Ole Dillinger" the guys all identified with the words of the song. Hopefully it will be recorded soon. It was 
written for Michael Gaffney to perform so.....

PBR rider Jason Leger,A native Coloradian was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Tuesday night's Colorado Rockies game. It was the Rockies salute to the salute to the National Western Stock Show held yearly in Pueblo and 30 staff members and their families were there. Legler ,although the local story said he would be riding at the finals, is only in 54th place in the qualifier standings and in 55th place in the BFTS standings .He would have win some events to qualify as he needs at least $7100 to tie with the present 
#45 rider and pass the riders who would go as alternates. He is in a good position for the CT Finals sitting right at 25th .This week's Ct event is in Lloyd minister ,Ab on the 19th & 20th.
The mystery of how Cory Melton injured his thumb is solved. Cory was hit by a horn during the dismount at Friday's long go in Laughlin. Adriano strained a muscle in his riding hand also on friday and Dave Samsel bruised a muscle 
in his riding hand. Justin Volz's shoulder injury came when he landed on his elbow, jamming and dislocating his free arm shoulder. He will be out the rest of 
the season.

Recent PBR News
September 10, 2003
Steamboat Springs,Co
Corey Navarre won this event with scores of 85.5 in the long go and a great ride in the Short Go that scored 89.5.CT rider Sevi torturo continued his hot streak with a total of 171 on two to finish second while Jason Bennett took third place with 159 points on two. These were the only riders to ride their 2 
bulls at the event.
Round 1 winner Beau Lindley came in 4th while second place finisher in round 1 , Judd Mortenson finished 5th.Brian Herman who was # 3 in
 the long go finished 6th while Bryan Richardson who was 4th finished the event in 7th place.Three riders tied for 8/10 with scores of 83 points. They were Jason Legler,Gerado 
Venegas and Tennessee Nix-someone who is very new to the tour.
Also on Labor Day weekend there was a CT event in Lancaster,California.Canadian Rob Bell who split 1/3 in the long go won the event while Chris Burke and 
Travis Christman who shared the round one win finished 2nd and 3rd. Round one scores were unusually low as the trio had tied with only 78.5 scores. Most of 
the round one scores read like reride scores.Clint Hunter finished 4th in both rounds, 1/2 a point behind.
Jeff Tripp and Jeff Hanson tied with scores of 77 for 5/6 while mark Lopes 
tool 7th with 75.5Ned Cross finished 8th with 75 points.

September 8, 2003
by Sheila Totten
Mike Lee was released to return to action by Dr.Tandy Freeman last week and 
ended up in the win column at the Belton,Texas H'N'H event.He also has made up 
for lost time in this week's Bullnanza ,Reno; gaining momentum in his race 
for first as Mike rode Dingo Snare for 85 points while both Wiley Petersen and 
Justin McBride bucked off their bulls. Chris Shivers gained even more of a 
lead when he finished 1/2 a point behind Cory Melton who won the round. 

Injuries Just received word from the PBR that Michael Gaffney re-injured his elbow 
which is why Michael missed Reno. Cory Rasch is also out with injuries. He suffered a torn ligament and is expected to be back by Atlantic City. Also absent from the event is Cody Custer. I know Cody had sprained his thumb on his riding hand and did not ride at Jerome Davis's CT event last month, but he had expected to be back by now. Jim Sharp was back riding this weekend so although we did not get his MRI results they had to have been negative .Also back is Sean 
Wilingham who suffered a groin pull in OKC.Noticeably absent was Brent Vincent and I am awaiting a report on Brent. Robert Bowers and Rocky MacDonald may have been 
bumped because of their standings. I am also awaiting confirmation on that.

August 30, 2003
Happy Birthday to World Champion Cody Custer who turned 38 today. There has been no word on the MRI results on Jim Sharp's neck.Jim was worried when we spoke because like Tuff he too had broken his neck before.Here is the picture of Jim outside the hospitality room after he was told by Dr. Tandy 
Freeman he would not be able to ride in OKC.
One cowboy I have never seen without the biggest, warmest smile is Spud Whitman. Spud tore his elbow up again and is facing surgery. He is such a optimistic 
person. Nothing seems to ever get him down. These shots are from the chute area alley at OKC

Archdale NC 

August 24, 2003

The first night of Jerome Davis's CT event at his ranch is inthe books and I am thrilled to say that World Champion Adriano Moraes is back in form! 
This man is not just a great bull rider but one of the nicest people you could ever meet. The trials and tribulations he has gone through this year have 
worried many of us because his heart is so into riding. Over the past few weeks we have seen the once stickeist man in the business find his form. Adriano tied for 4/5 in the long go with a strong ride for 87 points and made a great ride inthe short go for 91.5 taking first place. Corey Navarre, another come-back 
story tied for 2/3 with James White while Caey Lowick tied for 4/5 with Wiley Petersen. Wiley scored 84.5 in the long go and 88 in the short go. Meanwhile 
Brian Wooley and Brent Vincent tied for 6/7 with 88 on one bull.They had also tied for 1/2 in the long go. Johnny Polaski who finished 3rd in the long go 
finished 8th in the average while Spook Wiggins who finished in a tie with Adriano in the long go finished out of the average. Cody Custer was unable to ride 
due to a sprained thumb.

August 21, 2003

Weatherford ,Texas CT event was reminiscent of Tuff's Ft Worth event injurywise.BFTS Young Gun;and one of the most popular riders on the tour, Ross Coleman received season ending injuries at the event as did CT rider Ian Mackay of 
Canada. 

Mackay , winner of the Vernal, Utah event suffered a dislocated shoulder and a punctured lung after being thrown and stepped on Friday night. he was immediately airlifted to the Hospital .Currently he is home recuperating in 
Alberta and hoping to return to riding in November pending doctor's release.

Ross Coleman broke his left collar bone in three places when Lefty bucked him off and smacked him hard with his horn.Dr Tandy Freeman told Ross to expect to be out at least 6 weeks for the initial healing. Ross expects to be ready 
for the finals in November.

Also injured since OKC Bullnanza is World Champion Cody Custer who reported that he had sprained the thumb of his riding hand and will be out of action for several weeks .Cody is at home recuperating and will miss the Jerome Davis 
CT event at Jerome's ranch in Archdale ,N.C. this weekend.

Wiley Petersen proved that he is a positive role model for youth when he held his clinic at Ft.Hall. Wiley taught 15 students much more than the rudiments of bull riding.He taught them to be positive about themselves.This ,in American Indian culture today is very important as too many of our youth make bad choices because of low self esteem; and also no hope for a good future. We need more Wiley Petersens .

Wiley, who is the hottest rider in the PBR right now; and Tuff Hedeman's pick for the next World Champion("I think Wiley Petersen can win the title. No one is riding as positive or aggressively as Wiley is riding right now.") is also very active in the PBR's Outreach Ministry. At every event Wiley, whether he makes the whistle or not , can be seen kneeling and thanking God for his ride. It is his strong beliefs which give this rider the edge he needs for he puts his fate in God's hands.

Wiley had 15 youths at his clinic. Although he does not expect many to follow in his footsteps he hopes he did get a positive message across to these youngsters. In a quote from the Pocatello Idaho State Journal Wiley said:"Whether or not they go on to ride bulls for a living, well, I'm not so much 
concerned about that,". "The main thing I wanted them to get are things they can use everyday. To make good decisions and find a better way to do things, instead of falling into the same old bad habits." 

I have interviewed and also just talked with Wiley many times on the PBR trail;and I have heard him talk about positive influences many times. His attitude is reminiscent of the Guru of Bull Riding Gary Leffew who also believes in the power of positive thinking. Think of yourself as a failure and you will fail but see yourself in a positive light and you can achieve anything you desire.Wiley tries to embed this feeling of a positive image in youth he speaks with and also in his clinic. Like Gary he tries to make the youngsters realize 
they need not judge themselves by the accomplishments of their peers but to view themselves in a positive image. If you buck off ,get back on. Compare your ride with your last ride and in life compare your deeds with your own deeds ,not another's.

Wiley has taken the warrior attitude and developed it into his 
philosophy of bull riding.As he told the Journal's reporter:"A champion is not just the guy who wins," he told the students. "A champion has a way of excellence. A champion does things with quality." A warrior not only performs feats of bravery but cares deeply for his people.I think Wiley has demonstrated this 
over and over again. He has the heart and soul of a true warrior.
After the clinic ended Wiley had an after event party of his own-a 
barbecue for the students and everyone who helped out plus the families at his own 
residence. 

Tidioute,Pa-8/15/03
J.W. Hart showed us he can do it all as he notched to back to back 88 point rides to win both the long and short go and the event. Beau Lindley
, who tied for 4/5 in the long go tied for 2/3 with World Champion Adriano Moraes in the event with total of 164 on two. Adriano made a great ride in the 
short go for 87 points .His long go ride was not pretty and only earned him 77 but Adriano is back in form both physically and mentally. Watch out everyone-this was the stickiest man in the business before all of the injuries which have plagued him for the past year. A healthy Adriano is tough to beat!

CT rider Justin Shue finished 4th with 163 on two while Will Hellentall finished 5th with a score of 162.Some more familiar names rounded out the winners as Jake Charleston finished 6th ,one point behind and Craig Hostetler who tied for 2/3 in the long go finished in a tie for 7/8 in a tie with Bart Jackson who shared 2/3 with him. They both rode only one bull for 82 points each.

At the Weatherford ,Texas event Brian Wooley Won the long go with a great 89.5 ride, repeating that score in the short go, tying in that round with World Champion Cody Hart. Brian won the event with a total of 179.Jody Newberry who tied for 3/4 in the long go finished in 2nd in the short go and in the event with a total 0f 175.

Cody Hart finished out of the money in the long go but came back with a score of 89.5 for a total of 173.5 to finish 3rd while James White finished 
4th with 169.5 Meanwhile who had finished in 2nd place with 88 in the long 
go was the first rider to finish in the top ten in the average on only one ride; finishing in 5th place.Bart has been riding good since returning to action.Reed Corder finished 6th while Bowdy Peach came in 7th.Jason Bennett,Gerardo Venegas and Pete Uhalde tied for 8/10

Results for Troy Dunn's Australian event have come in without scores. All we have our the places the riders finished in the average. These are from 
1-10:
Larry Everingham $7,480.00
Cody Tapp $5,306.00
Brian Duggan $3,131.00
Riley Carter $2,000.00
Austin Beasley $1,217.00
Scott Fraser $782.00
Chris McPhee $782.00
Ednei Caminhas$521.00
Troy Dunn $347.00
Brett Hanrahan 

August 5, 2003 Bullnanza-OKC

I made the trip to OKC for Bullnanza -OKC at the Ford Center this weekend.Love Oklahoma and its dry heat.103 was much more comfortable than Nashville's 88 humid degrees during Bullnanza ,Nashville; and like the Rasch bros. I am a Tennessean! 
Fan favorite Gilbert Carrillo won the event with a spectacular 94 point ride on Crossfire Hurricane, a Page/Teague bull who unceremoniously dumped Justin McBride on Friday night.The hard jumping,high kicking bull turned to the left for Gilbert up till the whistle;and Gilbert's ride looked perfect.On Friday his wife predicted that he would win because she wanted to drive the new Ford home.
Gilbert had been at a very low point in his PBR career;and only was there Friday because Spud Whitman could not ride.Spud grinned from ear to ear when Gilbert made an 89.5 ride on Tony Sharp's Bulletproof. "Gilbert rode the bull I was suppossed to ride and is winning.That's great.I'm real happy for him." Gilbert's win replaced him firmly on the tour by catapaulting him into 31st place.Not only did he win the use of the truck and over $29,000 but he got his groove and his smile back.
In a short interview Spud Whitman told me he ,though injured,was real happy to be at the event.I cannot remember ever seeing this man without the warmest smile on his face.Spud , who had tried switching riding arms because of left elbow problems broke his right arm several months back after a bad wreck at the Challenger portion of Tuff's event.After several months of rehab Spud rode 4 bulls and blew out his left elbow.at the Dodge City Rodeo. Dr Tandy Freeman has suggested surgery and Spud is ready for it.He's had problems with it long enough and learned the hard way that switching arms just didn't work for him.Best wishes for a speedy and successful recovery to Spud.

June 30, 2003
PBR News-Bullnanza Nashville

Billy Robinson Hammers the Hammer! 
Billy Robinson of Galax, Va. won his first event championship in Nashville and became the second rider to best Tony Sharp's great bull Hammer this season. Owen Washburn rode him twice in two days this past winter.
The bulls rolled into the Dickson,Tn. stockyards on Wednesday; and it was great to see the stars of the PBR in my hometown. Maximus was there with Bad Bubba, Slick Willy, Buzzard Bait, Kid Rock and many others. Chuck Donaldson of Donaldson and Lee took their bulls to Cross Plains.

If anyone wants to buy a good bucking bull, Terry Williams will sell Bad Bubba for $75,000
.
Prior to Friday's event I had the chance to interview PBR Outreach Minister Todd Pierce. Todd,who is part Navajo lives just 40 miles from Wiley Petersen. Todd was a PRCA bareback bronc rider who felt his 7 years in the PRCA was his training ground for the ministry. He explained that it was through his rodeo experience that he learned how to love people; and the more he used the PRCA as a platform to meet people the more he grew in his passion for God. When Cody Custer began the PBR's Outreach Ministry, Todd gravitated to it. Cody has been a role model for Todd and so many others. We will have a full story on Todd along with pictures shortly.

Friday , June 27
Thanks to Denise Abbott of the PBR, for the first time media was allowed by the chutes. Last year we had to either sit up above the loges or in a "press room" and watch the event on TV. This year ,thanks to one of the hardest working members of the PBR we were able to be where we needed to be. Unfortunately the GEC as The Gaylord Center is called by locals, did not provide seating for media. We had to stand on concrete the entire performance. All other arenas usually allow seats for media in their first row. The GEC has never been media "friendly" and many of those seats were given out as promotions by local radio stations. Denise tried her best to get us what we needed but ....I want to publicly acknowledge her because she does work so tirelessly for the PBR; and she is always warm and friendly towards those of us in the media no matter how rushed she may be. Its Denise and the other behind the scenes workers who help make the PBR what it is; along with its Board of Directors and present and former riders.

This is the second of four Lazy E produced PBR events of the year. Pride of the Cherokee people, veteran rodeo announcer Clem McSpadden was here to open the event, make introductions and to read his bullrider's version of "The Cowboy's Prayer." During this time, Herrington's Missing Link climbed up on the chute deck and went down the stairs and into the arena. At first we thought he might have jumped in as one of our bulls, dubbed Dairy Queen by the Guru of Bull Riding, Gary Leffew did one evening at a bull riding after country singer Teri Lann had sung. She's a great singer;and I think the bull wanted her to sing for him!

Unfortunately we had a smaller than usual crowd because this was the weekend of Alabama's farewell tour performances in Nashville. Also,it was the much touted Corvette Convention weekend; celebrating 50 years of the most popular American made sports car. Many PBR fans were unable to get hotel rooms as early as February due to this convention.
Although our local PBR riders Evan and Cory Rasch had a good cheering section if we had an applause meter the winner would have been Wiley Petersen. The crowd loves him!

Evan Rasch was the first man out on Roy Carter's Ozzy. It was a good ride for 81 points. He was followed by Ross Johnson on Hitch Hiker, a really good spinning bull. Ross earned 86.5 while the 3 remaining section 1 riders Gilbert Carrillo, Jake Charleston and Cory Navarre) bucked off. Tony Sharp's Slider put on a show right in front of us after bucking off Cory Navarre. He then went after Greg Crabtree, hitting him and then chased him through the gate.

I had a chance to speak with Robbie Herrington. Here is a man who always has a warm smile for people; and truly loves his animals. He updated me on Blueberry Wine. Blueberry is all healed up from the injuries he suffered in the winter ; and has the summer off .Like Dillinger,Blueberry starts breeding this week. Locomotive Breath is recuperating from his injuries also.
In section 2 there were only 4 qualified rides; two of which were with the option of rerides. Jaron Nunnemaker rode Tony Sharp's Bullet Proof for 87 points but was quickly knocked out of first place by the Razor, Jim Sharp. Razor made a great ride on Herrington's Coyote Ugly; and really deserved more than the 89 he got. The ride was to the right away from his hand and Jim rode like the great champion he is. Just phenomenal. Jody Newberry, at 6'2" one of the tallest riders rode Missing Link for 74.5 with an option. The bull did not have a good trip for a PBR event; looking like my own beginner's bull .Adriano bucked off of Camacho. Brendon Clark should have bucked off Speckled Bird at 1.5 seconds but righted himself and held on till 5.7.He appeared to pull his groin. Reports are that he did aggravate his left groin, is unable to finish this event and he is questionable for Oklahoma City in August. Chad Lucas had the other reride option when Sandman hipped himself and just did not have a good enough trip. Chad's score was 75.Cody Custer had a really rough ride on Bad Wicked and ended up bucking off while Justin Volz slapped Sawblade.

In section 3 Dan Henricks bucked off the high kicking bull Chisled In Stone. The bull smacked Dan in his chin and Dan required sutures. Brian Herman looked shocked when he came off of Benjamin right out of the chute. Benjamin has lots of power and Brian was amazed. Jerry Nelson's bad boys made quick work of fan favorite Michael Gaffney along with newly returned riders Royd Doyal and Beau Lindley. Bart Jackson turned Shuffling Madness out when he could not get out of the chute with him and took a reride. Cody Hart was given a reride also when Maximum Overdrive stopped still at 6 seconds; then returned to bucking. Cody scored 79.5Chad Denton made a flawless ride on Firewater who is a strong spinner for 87 points. Everytime the bull changed direction Chad shifted his weight and stayed in good shape.

Section 4 started off with Cory Melton, another tall rider on a small bull, earning 85 points for a good ,solid ride. Robert Bowers appeared to jump off Big John who had poor action and was awarded a reride because the bull fouled himself. Everyone else in this section bucked off. Several of these bulls wore the riders down, bucking or rearing in the chutes Tony Mendes not only bucked off but before he could get away Night Life nailed Tony in the rear ; lifting him up and tossing him. Tony ,thankfully was uninjured. Chad Lucas took his reride and bucked off. Jody Newberry made a good looking ride on his reride bull Gentleman Jack for 86.Cody Hart went head over heels right out the chute on his reride while Bart Jackson rode Super Dude for 87.
In section 5 we had one qualified ride- Dave Samsel on Drifter. He made a strong ride on a really bone jarring bull. Although Troy Dunn was listed he was not there. Neither was Spud Whitman. As this was Bullnanza there were 50 riders instead of 45; as every Bullnanza event allows for 5 alternates to be brought up to ride. Robert Bowers made a good ride on Boobie Dance for his reride, earning 87.
In section 6 Wiley Petersen made an agressive ride on Jack Daniel's Happy Hour but bucked off at 5.2 seconds. Justin McBride has been struggling with his riding hand. which he broke over 2 years ago, and like Lee Akin, had a plate put in it. Our PBR announcers, especially Tuff seem to feel that Justin needs to either change his wrap or use more rosin. Chris Shivers had trouble getting out on Freckles. The bull layed down in the chute and they had to move him forward to the next chute to get him to stand. Chris bucked off at 5.5 seconds.

Jim Sharp won the round and earned the right to ride for The Mossy Oak Shoot-Out. Sling Blade ,like many of the others acted up in the chute. Jim lasted 3.7 seconds on the strong bull.

Both Tony Mendes and Rob Smetts are now wearing the emblem of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Saturday, June 28 
The action started off on a positive note with the G-Man, Michael Gaffney and a really good looking ride on Buford for 86.5.He was followed by an outstanding ride on the hard spinning, high jumping Maximus by Cody Custer of 91 points. Cody was riding with a sore left elbow. Dan Henricks followed with 85 points on Buzzard Bait who has lost more than just a step. Thee is a strong possibility that Cody Lambert will drop the bull from the events. These animals are like the riders; and Cody does not want to embarrass a great bull.
Tony Mendes made a good looking ride on Orbit for 87.5 while Justin McBride made a picture perfect ride on Smiley for 87 points. Justin was glad to have ridden and was heard to say," My hand's been killing me . Yeh, I finally stayed on one." To me this is reminiscent of the problems both Adriano Moraes and Lee Akin have also had with their riding hands.

I love it when Wiley rides. Even when he does buck off our favorite broadcasters are quick to praise his style and determination. Wiley made a great ride on Bo Ding; a son of Bodacious who bucks hard like his notorious daddy. Wiley rides agressively; and he is so quick in shifting his body. He senses the bull's movements almost before they are made. For this reason he is able to ride the hardest bulls-the ones no one else can ride like Little Yellow Jacket- and makes them look like easy rides! Wiley scored 88 points.

Ednei Caminhas, who has not been riding up to par lately bucked off his second bull of the weekend; and walked away from an incredible wreck. Coppertop hit him not once but three times and horned in on his business; ripping his chaps off! Coppertop had Ednei shook loose from the get go.
Several of the riders ended up slapping their bulls; including Clarksville 's own Cory Rasch. As on Friday night we had quite a few bulls rearing up in the chutes.

Sean Willingham made a very good ride on the high jumping, super strong Iceman; earning 88.5 points. Chris Shivers