PRCA's Xtreme Bulls Tour Clovis,New Mexico.

PRCA's Xtreme Bulls Clovis ,NM

by Sheila Totten

I finally got to see the action from both of these events on ESPN and was very happy to see Cory Melton riding well .Donnie Gay and Paul Page were the broadcast team with Stran Smith's wife Jennifer doing the interviews.

Cory Melton made a good ride for 84 points in the long go in Clovis and beau Hill made a good one into his hand for 83.Wolf Cam made a low but fast spin to the right into Joe Meling's hand for 80 points  while Gold Coast spun to the right in a flat but fast spin away from BJ Schumacher's hand for 79.Two weeks prior to Clovis Cody Hancock won the event in Houston before a record breaking full house.In Clovis the PRCA World Champion was not so lucky as he got whipped off to the outside.PRCA is drawing  really well at its venues and from the crowds  shown at the Xtreme events they are filling the house there too.

Marcus Michaelis made a great looking ride aboard Broken Bone  who circled left with lots of rear and drop,kick and twist. Marcus scored 87.When Jennifer interviewed Marcus he said about the bull:"Just a good draw.One you want. He's just a showy bull who looks good and bucks hard."

Jerry Shepherd's draw went around to the right away from his hand and slowed down near the gate getting Jerry off. 

Steve Woolsey made a good ride aboard Spin Drift  who took three leaps out then spun around to the right away from Steve's hand and at the end of the ride gave Steve a big jerk to the left but Steve held on for 87.

Steve said about his ride:"He got me behind a little bit."

Cash Me Out was bad in the chute and injured Jarrod Ford's foot. Jarrod said he thought it was only badly bruised and the medical staff checked him out before he got back on the bull.In the meantime Kankakee's Mike Moore  didn't make the buzzer aboard Magic who took one leap out then spun to the right away from Mike's hand getting Mike off balance   and causing Mike to slap the bull at 5.7. Jarrod Ford came out on Cash Me Out  who took a leap with all fours off of the ground and then managed to step on Ford as he hit the dirt.Zack Oakes would have scored better if his draw had stayed in a left spin but the bull leaped forward and continued straight  while Zack scored 81..I like this experimental X Power  that has been developed for the Xtreme Bulls Tour.It measures everything from speed to height ,power ,kick,etc and averages it as the bull's X Power. The bulls wear transmitters  and this new technology sure beats  subjective judging.

JW Harris scored 74 as Hard Drive just hop ,skipped and jumped straight left  before going into a spin at the end of the ride.

Screw Ball performed a little better for Travis Sellers as he took one leap out then bucked straight left then made one right spin into Travis' hand before jumping out straight again with high kicks for 78.

Big Poppa  bucked with no timing  and a herky jerky motion  as he spun left into Zeb Lanham's hand before reversing right .Zeb scored 82 while the bull had an X Power rate of 2.53. 

Wes Silcox  wasn't shown but scored 77 and Sonny Murphy had a flat spinner  who spun to the left into Sonny's hand for 76.

Flying U's Sky Walker  is a handful.He got Matt Austin off as the bull dropped his head nearly into the ground while spinning to the right into Matt's hand then jumped out of the spin and beat Matt around the corner.Matt said he never really had a good seat on this power packed bull.

JW Harris was the first one out in the short go aboard Rough  and Ready who bucked straight before turning  hard left and sent Harris down. Sonny Murphy looked good aboard the Kish bull Wise Cracker as he stayed up over his rope and centered while the bull spun to the right into Murphy's hand. Murphy scored 88 and had 164 on two.

Wesley Silcox made a great ride aboard Poison Ivy who took two jumps out then spun to the right then jumped out of it and reversed left with lots of kick and action.The X Power was 2.47 and Wesley scored 92 giving him 169 on two.His comment was"That bull is really good."

BJ Schumacher and Travis Sellers failed to score while Zeb Lanham rode Stinger for 82. The bull faked right then faked left then circled left.He stepped on Lanham's  right leg after the dismount.Zeb had 160 on two head.

Beau Hill scored 76 on Twin Pike who did a lot of belly kicking while bucking straight along the chutes.Beau had 159 on two head. Stunts California got the best of Cory Melton as the bull took one long leap out and sent Melton down as he made a sharp left spin.Cory got too far back .

Marcus Michaelis made a rookie's mistake as he looked right  as the bull turned left and he was off into the dirt. Steve Woolsey made a good ride on a really wild bull Frosty.The bull took two leaps out with all fours off of the ground and alternated between low and high kicks and belly kicks before spinning to the left  with a belly roll and high kicking. The X Power was incredible at 2.82. Steve scored 85 and had 172 on two head to win the event.Of Frosty he said:" He kicked pretty hard and he gave me a couple of rolls."

 I want to add that i loved the fact that Clovis is one of the older arenas that still uses wooden chutes and gates.I love that .

Mikel Moreno Loses Battle With Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

It is with much regret that I am reporting the passing of Julio and Cindy Moreno's  18 year old son . The grandson of Hall of Fame stock contractor Cotton Rosser had been battling acute lymphocytic leukemia for the past three years.His cancer had gone into remission in 2003 but by early 2004 it had returned which is the pattern with the acute form of lymphocytic  leukemia.He entered a program of very aggressive chemotherapy which put the cancer back into remission according to what his uncle Reno Rosser had told me as we talked at the Xtreme Bulls Finals last fall; but according to Reno even after the marrow transplant which was needed after such aggressive treatment Mikel's immune system was  almost non-existent and the least little cold could endanger him.He had to stay away from crowds,dust and many such things. I could tell from Reno's voice and his eyes that he was very worried about his beloved nephew.

Mikel had been an accomplished athlete, a football player: and as a senior in high school was awarded his diploma in a special ceremony.He had also become a stock contractor and helped with the breeding programs  at the  Flying U Rodeo Company Ranch.One of his dreams was to have his beloved Reindeer Dippin win a World Champion Bull  title.The Rosser/Moreno team turned down a cool million for the bull because of their love for Mikel; promising him the bull would not be sold before Mikel had his World Champion buckle.

Julio has vowed to keep ,raise and buck the bulls from Mikel's breeding program in his son's honor. Just recently Mikel spoke about his disease and  his work during a PBR broadcasted taped interview at the Flying U.Mikel was loved by many and will be missed by all.My sincerest condolences go out to the combined Rosser/Moreno family and all of the many people  who knew and loved Mikel.

 

Bullnanza Events

I just heard from Cory Cart the new PR Director of The Lazy E. There have been many changes  there and for awhile  they had thought about  canceling the Bullnanza events for the rest of the season. According to Cory they have re-instated the two most popular events aside from Bullnanza Guthrie which has already occurred.The events left will be OKC on August 4 & 5 at the Ford Center and Bullnanza Nashville which has been moved to Sept. 8 & 9. Both will still be PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour events.

Because of the changes  there will not be a Bullnanza Reno or Birmingham event this season and the Xtreme finals will not be a Bullnanza event .The Xtreme Finals will be held in Indianapolis,Indiana.

Country Singer Craig Morgan Is One "Tuff" Cowboy

You may have heard that Craig Morgan broke his wrist several weeks back during a Motocross race. Because one of<SPAN class=spell id=sp-0 title="Click here to replace with: foe" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://sdk.webmail.aol.com/sdk/20050527/images/bg_spellingErr.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: black; PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x; BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow" _backupTitle="null"> his staff's mom is battling Breast Cancer Craig had his second cast  made pink and vowed to auction it off for Breast Cancer Awareness. That shows heart but  what he did this weekend shows endurance and guts even more so.

Craig was competing in a 12.5 mile Motocross which took him through some rough country,through woods,hills,etc. and during the race he had a major spill.With a badly broken leg  Craig picked his bike up and finished the race.he rode into his pit  and told the crew that he thought he may have broken his leg.Well,it is so badly broken that Craig is wheelchair bound for 6-8 weeks! To be able to get up at all on his own,let alone  finish the race before going to the hospital sounds like something we have seen our bull riders do. It reminds me of Tuff and his collision with Bodacious that smashed his face but never knocked him out.Yes,Craig Morgan is cut from the same "Tuff" cloth that our greatest bull riders are cut from! Get well soon,Craig.

CBR's Reigning World Champion Matt Austin Produces Dual Event for May 26-27

Matt Austin Invitationa Shootout

By Sheila Totten

Reigning CBR World Champion Matt Austin has a great time planned for fans,family and friends for the weekend of May 26th and 27th as he puts on  the Wal*Mart Invitational Junior Steer Riding and The Matt Austin Invitational Shootout Championship Bull Riding presented by Lone Star Dodge and Longhorn Ford on May 27th at 8 PM at the Austin Arena  in Myrtle Springs Texas. The current CBR/PRCA World Champion actually began the festivities back on May 2nd when both he and Sammy Andrews signed autographs at Circle B Western Wear in Canton to promote the event.

The Invitational steer riding is open to riders 14 and under as of January 1, 2006.The first 40 paid entrants ride on Friday night with the top ten returning to ride during the CBR event on Saturday. Steers will be provided by Matt and Lonnie Austin and the judges are Matt Austin and Colby Yates. The winner of the event will receive a Championship Buckle. The admission on Friday is only $5 for general admission if you buy your tickets in advance and if not just $10 at the door.

On Saturday night the top 40 riders in the CBR will compete for $10,000 added money. Along with Colby Yates and Matt Austin also scheduled to ride here will be PRCA World Champion 2000 Cody Hancock and 2004 PRCA World Champion Dustin Elliott. There will be a $5000 Bounty Bull featuring the Bodacious son "Bo's Excuse". Bo's Excuse is a chip of the old block and has a 100% buck-off ratio. I am going to love this bull. Sammy Andrews is the stock contractor for the event; and Sammy has always provided great bucking stock.. Tickets for this great CBR event are so reasonable  that you could take the entire family. Reserved seats are only $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Concerts cost more than that. General Admission is only $10 advanced sales and $15  at the Gate.You can buy tickets at  sponsor locations as Circle B Western Wear in Canton,Texas and Lonestar Dodge/Longhorn Ford in Mineola,TX. And don't forget that children 2 and under are free. Family tickets can be purchased with the entry form.And for kids 8 and under there is the Pepsi Quarter Scramble on both nights.

Today you can still catch Matt Austin  and Sammy Andrews from 4-6 pm at McDonald's in Canton where they will have another autograph session.

On May 25th Matt,Tuff Hedeman, Sammy Andrews and the CBR Bullfighters will sign autographs from 4-6 pm at the Wal-Mart in Canton.Then on May 26th Matt,Tuff,Rocket Ryan and the CBR Bullfighters  will be at Circle B Western Wear from 3:30-5:30 in Canton to sign autographs

On the 27th it will be Matt ,Tuff,Colby Yates ,the Bullfighters and Rocket Ryan at Lonestar Dodge./Longhorn Ford, in Mineola,TX where a great day is planned for the fans from 10 AM-1 PM. There will be lots of fun  with Dummy Roping with some great prizes to be awarded.This is limited to the 1st twenty to sign up for either division-Seniors 15 and older, Juniors 14 and younger. There will be ticket giveaways and KMOO  will be broadcasting live.Also plenty of food.

 Prior to the event on both night the CBR will hold its Meet and Greet at the Austin Arena with Matt,Tuff,Sammy,Colby,the CBR Bullfighters,Rocket Ryan and the CBR bull riders. It should be a great time for all.

The Host Hotels are:

Days Inn(903) 567-6588

Super 8(903) 567 6567

Luxury Suites(903) 567-0455

Ask for the CBR Bull Riding May 27th rate of $55 for 1-4  persons.

The after event party will held at Silver Saloon, Highway 34,Terrell,Texas. For more information you can contact any of the following:

www.cbrbull.com

www.andrewsrodeoco.com

 www.truckingduo.com

American Bullriding Association Rider Budda Gatons

Budda Gatons
by Sheila Totten
I had the pleasure of meeting Budda , his traveling partner Dustin Dohman and Budda's mom Donna McKittrick at Circle 13's American Bullriding Association's Jackson,TN event  on May 6th. I want to thank Donna for her help.We had been storm delayed and lost and I had missed rides.She had  everything written down and offered me  the use of her notes,her umbrella and a chair. She's a great lady with a great personality. During intermission I got her to tell me about her son .
Budda(Ronald) began riding steers at age 11.The following year  he graduated to Jr. bulls and rode primarily in the Cape Giradeau/Jackson MO. area.He was reserve champion his very first year and was the champion  his second year on the tour.In 2003 he rode in high school rodeo and in 2004 he was 3rd in the state of Illinois.He was 15th in the nation at the National High School Rodeo Championship in 2004 and second in Illinois in 2005.The amazing thing  is he missed the first half of the season each of those years;and that in itself says a lot about this young rider's talent.When he turned 18 Budda joined the PBR and rode in two Enterprise events but did not place.He admits there is a big difference in the caliber of bulls at youth and high school rode and at the PBR.(Well,that is unless you ride in Texas  or Oklahoma where many of the big stock contractors  provide bulls for these events.)Budda now rides in open rodeos and he joined the ABA last week when he rode in the first event of the season at Circle 13.Budda was first in the long go at the Jackson event and was second in the average.
He and Dustin think the world of fellow Illinois bull rider Craig Sasse who is a great guy.Craig rides PBR and has set up a bull riding facility at his home.Good luck Craig.

NAIA Celebrates 25th Anniversary With A Concert

NAIA 25th  Anniversary Party
by Sheila Totten
NAIA has announced that they will have a 25th Anniversary Party at the world reknowned Wild Horse Saloon in Nashville,TN. Titled "Legends and Sacred Dreams Concert" the program stars  Grammy winner David Frizzell,Grammy winner Bill Miller and Southern Rock Star Ricky Lynn Gregg.Tickets are $30 and can be bought through www.ticketmaster.com
Master of Ceremonies or in this case Mistress of Ceremonies will be 92-Q morning host Anna Marie Ritter. The event  begins at 8PM on June 4th at Wild Horse.Proceeds will be used to fund the  Native American Indian Association Circle of Life Building and Library.You can see  the building's design at www.naiaindiancenter.com. Hope to see everyone at this special event.

Cody Nance Wins ABA's Second event Of The Season

Cody Nance Wins The ABA's Jackson,TN  Event.

by Sheila Totten

 Mother Nature did it again as the rain came down,making traveling bad but the fans made it to Jackson,TN and never let the rain scare them off . The second ABA event of the season is now in the books with Cody Nance taking top honors. 

Because of the weather the rides were quickly moved on,and the bulls ruled . There were only two qualified rides in the long go.Budda Gatons from Herrick ,ILL. scored 74 aboard Circle 13's 014 Copenhagen Drifter.Budda's traveling partner Dusty Dohman didn't fare as well as CW Ranch's 584 Jr. sent him flying off early.Current ABA World Champion Ronnie Maness (Henderson,TN) lost his match against Circle 13's LJ Lockjaw.
Cody Nance(Paris,TN) drew Circle 13's TK3 Denmark Biggs and scored 66.
Matt Littrell(Denmark,TN) who came down from Rafter C's 3 Intimadator  was one of the three riders making it into the championship round on a draw back.Bradley Wiggins(Bartlett,TN) and Altus Dieterlen were also drawn back.
Budda Gatons was the first rider up and he drew Circle 13's 1X Buzzard Bait who faked left then reversed right and beat budda around the corner. Budda won second place in the event .
Altus Dieterlen(Millington,TN) was next aboard Rafter C's 11X Resistol who took two long leaps out of the chute  before spinning right to dust Altus.
Cody Nance was next and he drew Circle 13's 2% Milk who took two leaps out then made a spin right jumped out of it ,hesitated and then bucked straight left.Cody scored 74  which gave him 140 on two head and the win.
Brad Wiggins(Bartlett,TN) drew CW Ranch's 77 Black Knight who took one leap out then made a sharp right spin   to beat Brad around the corner. Matt Littrell(Denmark,TN) was aboard Rafter C's Krazy Kat who took two leaps out  then spun left into Matt's hand and Matt was down. Matt said the bull just got ahead of him.

Sorry to hear that Charlotte,TN brothers Trey and Tye Allen will be out on the injured list for awhile.Trey nearly cut his hand off at work on May 8th and Tye broke his leg when a bull he rode landed on his leg  during the PBR's Enterprise event at Bowling Green,KY.Heal quickly guys.We miss you.

I want to thankTerry Littrell for getting a day sheet for me, Marv Littrell for his great protective attitude and Donna McKittrick(Budda Gatons' mother) for all her help while I was taking notes.I really enjoyed meeting her ,Budda and his traveling partner Dustin.
The ABA has two events on Saturday, May 13th  in Missouri.McDonald Rodeo Company is putting on one in Seymour,MO with $300 added money and along with Circle 2000 they are also putting one on in Springfield, MO with $500 added money..They will also produce another Springfield event on May 20th with $500 added money. The next TN event will be May 27th at Circle 13 in Denmark,TN with $300 added money.Hope to see everyone there.

Matt Austin Wins The CBR's Event At Gallup,NM

Matt Austin Wins The CBR's Red Rock Championship Bull Riding
by Sheila Totten
I wish I had been able to attend this event.There is something magical about Red Rock and  there sure were great people there.I know I had a great time meeting many members of the Navajo Nation last year. They really support this event. And it was even more so this year as there were many Indians riders who competed.

This event is always like a homecoming to CBR President Tuff Hedeman as he spent many of his formative years in and around Gallup and went to many high school rodeo events there.I really hated missing the event because its one of the few I get a chance to see his mother Clarissa Hedeman at ;and she is always a delight to be around. Her little anecdotes  are precious.
You can always tell a pen of bulls that has been picked by CBR President Tuff Hedeman. You find short go bulls in the long go because  there are so many good bulls.
In the first section of the long go Friday Sterling Yancy rode R/W's  Bounty Hunter for 81.5 while Jeff Hansen rode R/W's Video Games for 77.5. Brian Canter tied with Wesley Silcox with 84 points in the section.Brian  rode the Harlan Robertson/Henry Wilson bull Tyrone while Wesley has Wes Bruce's  Night Stalker.
In section two Cody White rode  Jessie Hill's Icon for 84.5 and that was the only qualified ride in that section as the bulls from Owen Washburn , Bruce/Goodale and Owen Washburn reigned supreme.
Terry Williams' son Clayton  didn't fare well aboard BG/G's Chicken Hawk while Owen Washburn's  Hacky Sack had Mike Moreno down early and Owen's Zombie blanked INFR World Champion Bull Rider Shawn Best.
In section three Jesse Schellhamer rode JM's Dirty White Bull for 72 points  while Steve Woolsey rode R/W's  Crimson Tide  for 86.5.
JB Mauney rode Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo's American Freedom for 84.PRCA World Champion Cody Hancock got "no respect"  from Wes Bruce's  Detour and Lufkin's Surprise  treated  Gabe Benally the same.Cooper Kanngieeser was also among those who didn't make a qualified ride  as Owen Washburn's Scobby II dusted him.
In the final section Jarod Wright rode MJ's  Brother for 78 while reigning PRCA/CBR World Champion Matt Austin rode MJ's Cat Daddy for 85.I can't wait for Red Rock to be televised.I heard it was a great ride.
Travis Sellers rode  Owen Washburn's Black Sheep for 82.5 while Chad Castillo looked good aboard DA's Captain , scoring 87.5.
Caspar Baca brought a lot of his good bulls and Ardie Maier,Jason McClain and Trent Cormier  all fell victim to them.Trent Broussard scored 88 aboard Caspar's Alien while Bonner Bolton scored 83 aboard his Jelly Roll. Trent Broussard won the round while Chad Castillo was second.Steve Woolsey was third with Matt Austin fourth. Because there were only 13 qualified rides Marcus Michaelis and Jason McClain got into the Short Go on draw backs.
Jason made a great ride aboard Caspar Baca's Corral West staying in complete control and riding aggresively while scoring 92.5 to come in second in the round. Marcus was blanked by R/W's Bad Whiskey as was Jeff Hansen by their Trickle Charge.Their Law Dog blanked Jarod Wright also.
Streling Yancy was blanked by LRR's Torque and R/W's  Mercury Rising beat Travis Sellers.MJ's Legally Blonde got the best of Bonner Bolton and WS's Stacie's Pet beat JB Mauney.Brian Canter  could not score aboard JH's Gung Ho either.
Wesley Silcox thrilled the crowd with a great 94 point ride aboard Caspar Baca's Painted Wolf. Wesley is riding hot and Painted Wolf is one great bull.He's either going to put you down early or you are going to score big.Wesley jumped into the lead with 178 aboard two head.
He was followed by Cody White aboard Jessie Hill's  Wolf with 90 points in another great ride.Cody took over second place in the round with 174.5 on two and ended  fourth for the night.Its so much easier when the judges stick to this traditional method of scoring.
Then came Matt Austin's ride aboard R/W's  Renegade. Matt  was picture perfect  with good free arm action and stayed centered He finished second in the round with 93.5 and took the lead  in the event with 178.5. One of my favorites LRR's Zorro blanked Steve Woolsey but Owen Washburn and the Five Ladies Ladies' Choice gave up an 88 point ride  to Chad Castillo who  was fifth in the short go and third for the night with 176.5 on two.
Trent Broussard went into the short go in the lead but only scored 78 on Wes Bruce's Flack Jacket which gave him 166 on two and placed him in fifth place for the night's event.
On Saturday there were even less qualified rides in the long go.In section one Ronnie Kitchens scored 79.5 aboard Caspar Baca's ZZ Top. Well we have several bulls named after Tuff from Tuff Nut to Tuff Stuff but now we have one of Caspar's named Roach. Too bad none of the Tuff bulls were in Gallup.
Caspar's bulls blanked  everyone but Ronnie. Riders like Danny Ted McDowell and Tye Odden were just a few the Baca bulls overpowered.
Lee Woolsey had the only other qualified ride  in the first section aboard R/W's Crimson Tide for 87.5.
In the second section Kasey Hayes made a great ride aboard R/W's Lady Luck for 89.5.He was followed by McKennon Wimberley aboard JH's Bad Bob with 82 while JH's Wolf set down Monty Yazzie early.PRCA World Champion Blue Stone was blanked by MJ's Blindside while Kolt Miller was also among other riders who were blanked.
Section three had the most qualified rides beginning with Zack Elliott aboard MJ's Malpractice for 84.5 points. Derald Riche scored 76 aboard OW's Zombie while Brendon Bond scored 79 aboard OW's  Old School.Klee Jones scored 79 aboard OW's Scooby II and Brian Frost scored 83.5 aboard OW's Big Shot.
Bennie Begay,yet another of our Navajo riders  had the only qualified ride in the fourth section.I am really glad that so many of our Indian riders took part.I had  said before that I wished more of our Indian riders would also ride in the CBR and PRCA along with riding in the INFR and IIFR tours; and it was great to see such a good turn out here. I hope they continue  to ride  in the CBR. Bennie  scored 76 aboard R/W's Video Games
Shane Ludeman,Tye Odden , Josh Kendrick, Cain Patterson and Blue Stone all got draw backs for the Championship Round.
Blue made a good ride aboard R/W's Hillbilly Rock while Tye Odden scored 85 aboard  LRR'sTorque.Ronnie Kitchens rode the Bruce-Goodale bull El Lobo for 89 points.This is a great season for Ronnie who is currently second in the PBR World Standings. He has really gotten his life and his head together  and  it shows in his riding. These were the only qualified rides in the round. You know the bulls are going to be "tuff" when 4X World Champion and CBR President Tuff Hedeman picks them.
Ronnie won the short go and had  168.5 on two head to finish fifth in the event which pushed Trent Broussard down to sixth place.Kasey Hayes was seventh on one head with his 89.5 score and lee Woosley was eighth with 87.5 on one head.
As both nights are grouped into one event  and considered part one long go and part two long go the placement  is not computed till the second night is over.Although Trent Broussard was in first place in the long go on Friday he was bumped to second by Kasey Hayes score on Saturday. Chad Castillo and Lee Woosley tied for 3/4 in the cumulative long go with 87.5 and Lee's brother Steve was fifth  with 86.5.Matt Austin was sixth in the long go with 95 and Zack Elliott and Cody White tied for 7/8 with 84.5.
In the cumulative short go it was Wesley Silcox  in 1st with 94 points from Friday.Matt Austin was second with his 93.5 score and Jason McClain was third with 92.5. Cody White was fourth with 90 while Ronnie Kitchens was fifth with 89 and Chad Castillo was sixth with 88.
Matt  who is currently in first place in the Crown Royal World Standings earned $10,000  for the win to add to his lead over second place Ronnie Kitchens.JB Mauney is in third place less than three thousand behind Ronnie while BJ Schumacher is $1060 behind  JB in fourth and  Zack Oakes  is in fifth place
Matt Austin is phenomenal and has received the highest praise from CBR President Tuff Hedeman.Matt broke and set records last year while winning four titles.He won the national Collegiate  Championship ,The National PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour Championship,The CBR's World Championship and the PRCA's World Championship. Who else can boast of all that? As Tuff said in a quote from the CBR Press Release by Montica Wilmschen: "This guy is on fire and if last year's performance of breaking multiple records and winning two world championships wasn't enough, he is on track to win the world title again this year." And that is true also in the PRCA. The CBR's next is  on May 27th in Myrtle Springs,Texas.

Wiley Petersen Is On A Roll

Wiley Petersen Is On A Roll
by Sheila Totten
As the BFTS goes into hiatus for  over a month one can only hope that Wiley Petersen won't lose the momentum he has built in the past few weeks Wiley won his second event of the season  when he  topped the field at  the Detroit event on April 14-15.Wiley scored 84.75(I never will get used to this odd scoring method) aboard Stookesbury/Thorsell/Owens  Freightliner to finish in fifth place in round one. He rode Paradise Farm's Hornet in round two for 85.25 and tenth place (which is now out of the money as the PBR only pays 8 places). Wiley won the short go with a 90 point ride aboard Page and Teague's  Black Smoke and the event was his. Allan Moraes had the only other qualified ride in the short go with 86.5 on Paradise Farms' Jeopardy.Only two other riders had rode two head going into the short go and both bucked off. The great Pandora's Box sent Brian Herman down early with no score while Navajo did the same to JW Hart.Wiley won the Ford Truck Moment of Truth Bonus as he led going into the short go and was the event winner.
Danny Joe Fowler  won round one  on Rice Ranch's Mr.Harrison with 87 points while Chris Shivers was second aboard Paradise Farms' . Scare D Cat.Shivers was hurt coming off of the bull and was unable to compete in round two due to a sprained neck. Rob Bell was third with 86 points on Paradise Farms' Dorris and JW Hart was fourth in the round aboard Taylor Made's I'm A Bad Cat..
Hugo Pedrero won round two with 90 points on Taylor Made's Chili while Brian Herman was second with 88.25 aboard Paradise Farms' Missfire. Allan Moraes was third aboard Ross Coleman's Dakota Country with 87.5.Ross has a good one here.Great going big guy! Claudenir Souza was fourth  with 87.25 on Page and Teague's  Squirt Gun.
Chad Denton tore a tendon in his riding arm and had surgery April 19th and will be out  for about 6 months.Adriano Moraes suffered a possible stress fracture in his Pelvis and sat out Chicago. Cody Whitney sprained his wrist and was scheduled  for x-rays.
Although Wiley did not win in Chicago he did go on to win his home state event in Nampa before many adoring fans.That made it special for our Shoshone-Blackfoot rider who had many friends and relatives there.Wiley tied for 6/8 in round one aboard Cat's Meow with 84.25 points.It was a great ride and at one point Wiley looked nearly bucked off as he went down into the well but corrected his position a lot like we have seen the Brazilians do.The bull took three long leaps forward then went into a fast spin to the left into Wiley's hand.Once Wiley corrected his position it was a perfect ride.He's one tall rider who can ride these small bulls and this little guy looks like he will be another Blueberry Wine.
In round two Wiley drew Kelly Bowcutt's Kicking Bird.I love the name and I think of Graham Greene and Dances With Wolves whenever I hear this bull's name. Wiley made another great ride as the bull made a fast spin to the right away from Wiley's hand with lots of kick and action.Wiley scored 85.75 and tied for 3/4 in the round. In the short go Wiley rode Diamond G's Whirlygig  who looks like my bull Gary Leffew called Dairy Queen for 88.5 points and 4th place in the round.The bull took two long leaps out and went into a right spin away from Wiley's hand with lots of action.Wiley moved with him jump for jump and made it look like a text book ride..The score gave Wiley the title  with a two point lead over Adriano Moraes who won't let injuries slow him down.
It was good to finally see an event as OLN now is back on Dish Network even though less than half the rides were shown.
Justin McBride tied with Cord McCoy for first place in round one with 87.75.aboard Big Bend/Flying U's Firewater while McCoy rode Flying U/Moreno's Monsoon.Brendon Clark tied for 3/4 with Kody Lostroh with 84.74.Brendon rode Ed Hill's Achey Breakey while Cord rode Kaycee Simpson's Pasture Master. The tie went to McCoy for the Mossy Oak Shoot Out and he faced Flying U/Moreno's  great bull Reindeer Dippin who made quick work of the rider.Gotta love Reindeer.He's a cool bull.

Shawn Waite took round two with 88.25 aboard Diamond G's White Rose while Guilherme Marchi was second with 86.75 aboard C&H's 3 Spot.Wiley's 85.75 tied with Kody lostroh on Flying U/Moreno's  Mr.Bond.

In the short go Adriano Moraes  won the round despite nagging injuries making a great 91.5 ride on Doug Joseph's  Evil Forces who faked right then backed up then spun left real fast while Adriano remained in total control with great free arm action and aggressive spur action. Guilherme was second on Berger's Red Jacket with 89.5 and Luke Snyder was third with 89 on Bowcutt's Scream while Wiley was 4th. Wiley got a standing ovation from the fans in Nampa .Adriano finished second in the event while Guilherme was third.

PRCA Photographer Fly Thomas Injured

PRCA Photographer Fly Thomas  was injured Saturday night while photographing the bull riding portion at a rodeo near his home.Fly had just changed sides  of the arena to get a different perspective on the rides when   he had to jump up on the arena wall to avoid a bull who was intent on clearing the arena.Fly is quite tall and he was unable to get his right foot up high enough and the bull drilled it into the wall.Fly was taken to the local hospital in Edmond,Oklahoma where he underwent  three hours of surgery and had an external fixator  put on his ankle and leg.He not only shattered his ankle but broke both bones  in the leg right above his right ankle. He told me his foot looked like it was just dangling loose there which tells me  he also had soft tissue damage.

I can relate to this as I had the very same injuries from stepping wrong in red clay and shattered my right ankle,broke both bones above it and also suffered a complete dislocation with torn tendons and ligaments. several years ago.My heart goes out to Fly.Know just what he is feeling.Fly returns for major surgery in two weeks when plates and pins will be put in.This big guy has a heart of gold and is so very caring.I hope everyone who reads this and knows Fly will send him a card or at least wish him well.

Edgard Oliveira Receives 12 Month Suspension

Edgard Oliveira Suspended
by Sheila Totten
The PBR announced the 12 month suspension of Edgard Oliveira today .Last Friday in Nampa Oliveira  was disqualified for taking too long in the chute.He reacted very badly and upon climbing out shoved his shoulder into back judge Cody Custer.To prevent injuries and stress to the bulls the PBR has set a  rule which limits the time a rider can take getting ready in the chute.This is at the discretion of the judges . If the bull is acting up too much and that makes the rider take too long that is not considered the riders fault.If it is the rider simply taking too long in adjusting his position then the judge may disqualify him.
The board met to decide Oliveira's fate because of the unsportsmanlike attitude he took.You never hit or shove a judge.Cody Custer abstained from voting because he was involved .The rest of the board made a unanimous decision to suspend Oliveira.

Austin Meier Wins First PBR BFTS Event Title In Chicago

It seems like the CBR 2004 World Champion Austin Meier has really made himself known in the PBR.Not only is he leading in the Rookie of the Year standings there but he won his first BFTS event at the Jack Daniels Invitational in Chicago.
I met Austin  when he was riding  on the CBR tour and the PRCA's Xtreme Bull tour  and he impressed me as being one of the nicest  of the young guns. He had barely turned 18 and was friendly and gracious; and so easy and pleasant to interview.He has already done well in both the CBR and PRCA Xtreme tours and he will definitely make a name for himself in the PBR. Watch out guys .There is a new kid in town and he is really hot! Austin leads the Rookie race with a whopping $56,127 over J.B. Mauney who recently won The Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge in Ft.Worth on the CBR  tour in March; and who currently sits in third place in their standings. I recognize a lot of the new PBR riders as those I met on the CBR and PRCA tour last season; and some are even coming up against bulls they first met on those tours as one of my favorites, Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo's Zorro.
Meier proved that you do not have to win a go round  to win the event. He bucked off of Rockin Robin in round one which was a disappointment but rebounded in round two with 84 points about Gizmo finishing 8th in the round.In round three Austin rode Mighty Mike for 85.75 and sixth place while he finished tied for 2/3 with 89.75 points in the short go aboard Berger/Ryken/Loe's Palace Station Deuces Wild-another really great bull. That score gave Austin 259.50 on three head and the event title.
Round one went to Helton Barbosa aboard Sports Machine with 89 points.Barbosa faced  Taylor  Made Bucking Bulls' Pud in the Mossy Oak Shoot Out and came up short.
Second place in the round went to  returning local rider Cory Rasch(Clarksville,TN) with 86.75 aboard Jack Simmons' Mohegan Sun. Guilherme Marchi  was 3rd aboard page and Teague's Honkey Cat with 86.5 and Steven Shelley was 4th with 86 aboard Paradise Farms' Jeopardy.
Round two went to Cody Hart with 88.50 aboard Chad Berger/Chad Weishuhn's Kamo Kat but Cody failed in his attempt to ride Bill and Betty Morrison's The Boogerman in the Mossy Oak Shoot Out.
Chris Shivers was second with 88.25 on Mohegan Sun while Wiley Petersen scored 86 aboard Ross Coleman's Dakota Country to tie for 3/4 with Shawn Waite on Taylor Made's I'm A Bad Cat. And Cory Rasch made the top five again with 985.75 aboard Mossy Oak Break-Up.
Round three went to Kyle Cudmore aboard Taylor Made's Chili with 87.75.I ,for one will never get used to the PBR's new scoring and wish they would return to the standard scores.Luke Snyder who has been having a good year was second aboard Berger/Ryken's Rockin Robin with 87.25 while the big guy,Ross Coleman was third with 87 aboard Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo's  Torque for 87. Fourth place went to Mike Lee with 86.25 aboard Hebert's Boris the Blade.
In the short go it was Guilherme Marchi with a great 91.5 ride aboard Paradise Farms' Wild Life.Austin Meier tied for 2/3 as he scored 89.75 aboard  Palace Station Deuces Wild and Robson Palermo scored the same aboard Kingpen Cattle Company's Cat Man Do.
As stated Meier's won the event  with Guilherme Marchi just a half point behind in 2nd place.My  neighbor Cory Rasch was third in the event and Robson Palermo was 4th. Andre Moraes was 5th with Chris Shivers 6th. Steven Shelley was 7th and Sean Willingham was 8th while Helton Barbosa was 9th and Wiley Petersen was 10th.

Charlotte , TN's Trey Allen Wins ABA's First Event of The Season

The American Bullriding Association's first event of 2006 is now in the record books . The storms raged all around the area but Denmark,TN  was lucky enough not to get the wind and rain we had here.Some riders might have wished for a rain-out though as there were only two qualified rides in the long go.You would have thought Tuff Hedeman put the pen of bulls together!
The first rider up was 2005 ABA World Champion Ronnie Maness (Henderson,TN) on Circle 13's 014 Copenhagen Drifter.Ronnie came down early  and was followed by seven consecutive  buck-offs..
Trey Allen (Charlotte ,TN. ) rode 49% Marvelous Marv( Marvin Littrell Bucking Bulls) for 78 points. Altus Dieterlen then rode Circle 13's #54 Super Dave for  76 points.I really like this bull.He  spun hard and fast  at the jackpot bull riding at Circle 13 last month and I think he will be another Blueberry Wine.John Leffler(Vincennes,IN) came up a fraction of a second short aboard Circle 13's #3 Jackhammer in what was a wild and wooly ride.
In the short go Robert Milholen(Wildersville,TN)got too far back on CW Ranch's #77 Black Knight and came down early.Bubba Gatons(Herrick,IL)came down early from Circle 13's 1X Buzzard Bait. Then came Brandon Green(Clarksburg,TN) on Rafter C Rodeo Company's 121 Rudy Red.Finally a score and its was a good one.Brandon scored 82 and took over the lead.Altus Dieterlen drew Rafter C's 11X Resistol and bucked off. Trey Allen,our home town boy, drew CW's 20 Spot  and made a great ride for 85 points giving him the win with 163 on two.All I can say about Trey is watch out Chris Shivers; he's on your tail!
Brandon Green finished  second with 82 points  and Altus Dieterlen was third in the event  with 76 points.The next ABA event will be at Jackson,TN (Oakfield) on Saturday , May 6th.
Trey Allen leads the ABA standings with 100 points and Altus Dieterlen is in second with 80 points.

Bucks,Ducks and More Magazine

Although it is outdoors orientated and not rodeo I want to let everyone know that I will be writing for the new TN. based "Ducks,Bucks and More" magazine. My first story will be in their next issue and will be about the 25 pound  double bearded Tom Turkey shot by Richard Thames.Pictures by Teri Lann.

CBR Results:Shellhammer Wins At College Station

It might have been storming hard across Texas but inside Reed Arena at Texas A&M  the storm was all dust ,bulls  and cheering fans as the CBR rode into College Station with its Bull Bash Tour for the first time.Northern Texas might have seen hail and debris flying through the air but safe inside Reed it was bull riders flying off of some of the greatest bucking bulls in the business,
The bulls dominated the long go , giving up only seven qualified rides.There were only two changes of bulls from the draws and I do not  know if they were rerides or changes made before the event began. All these bulls bucked hard and  unless a bull fouled on the chute or the rider was unable to get out on the bull its rare to see a reride here.
There was only one qualified ride in the first section of bull riding and that came from event winner Jesse Schellhammer on Robertson/Wilson's White Diamond.Jesse made a great, aggressive ride and scored 90 points.
A &M's Tate Stratton was bucked off of R/W's Silver Select - another great bull .
Round Two had the bulls in charge again as only Chad Castillo made the whistle aboard Scotty Burris' Pistol Pete for 83.5 points. Sammy Andrews Old #7 dumped Ty Scoggins while Culpepper  did the same to Culpepper. Sammy is yet another great guy with great bulls, a mainstay of rodeo and bull riding.
The bulls stayed in command into round three where there were four qualified rides.Robey Condra rode Robbie Herrington's Snowflake for 88 points.I love the Herrington bulls and its good to see them here. J.C.Bean rode Herrington's  Wampus Cat for 86.5 while the great Coyote Ugly sent Cooper Kanngieeser  off early and Orbit set Josh Whiteing down.Love those two bulls. Just so many great bulls were here with some of the best contractors. You really get to see lots of great action.Tye Odden rode Vernon Guidry's Malcontent for 85 points while Buskin Wilson rode Guidry's Lil Wasp for 85.5.Again Vernon is yet another who always brings great bulls to these events .
In round four there was only one qualified ride and it was Josh Carter aboard Jerry Nelson's Boobie Dance-the bull Brett Haber would always refuse to call by its name.Carter scored 85.5. Nelson's Ram Jam unloaded CBR/PRCA World Champion Matt Austin which really surprised me.Kevin Loudamy's Cha Ching unloaded Sam Smith.As for Jerry Nelson I guess he won't be bringing Big Bucks or Rocket Man anymore  to CBR or PRCA events thanks to selling half interest in both with a contract calling for them  to buck exclusively in another organization.Its a shame that one man can try and keep  the best bulls from bucking everywhere and I don't mean Jerry here.His new partner made that a stipulation. There are many more great four and five year olds bucking here and the void will be filled.
I don't want to leave anyone out.In round one  JA's  Choctaw and Aggie both dumped their riders. Although  the judges sheet didn't list the contractors I believe JA is former rider Justin Andrade.If I am wrong I am sorry.
With only 7 qualified rides in the first round eight riders made it into the short go who had had bucked off in the long go.
McKennon Wimberley was the first man up and he rode R/W's  Foolish Man for 84.5 to tie for 9/10 in the round with Josh Carter aboard R/W's Rafter Jack. Danny Ted McDowell made a great ride aboard Vernon Guidry's bull Hot Damn for 90.5 and a three way tie  for 2/3/4 in the round. He tied with event winner Jesse Schellhammer who rode Sammy Andrews' Erks Me ,a son of Erkel while Chad Castillo rode another great bull,Vernon Guidry's Western Hauler Dip. Its rare when this great bull gives up a qualified ride but when he does it can be a round winner . Ronnie Kitchens scored 87 aboard Jerry Nelson's Short Mag and was 8th in the round while JC Bean scored  87.5 aboard R/W's Mercury Rising to tie with Tye Odden aboard R/W's Lady Luck for 6/7. CBR/PRCA World Champion Matt Austin made a great ride aboard Scotty Burris' Tombstone to lead the short go with 91.5 points.
Jesse Schellhammer put together  180.5 to win the event and earn $10,000 while Robey Condra rode Guidry's Dippin XS Energy in the short go for 89.5 to take 5th in the round while finishing second in the event with 177.5 points.
JC Bean and Chad Castillo tied for 3/4 in the event with 174 points while Tye Odden was 5th with 172.5. Josh Carter  was the last man in the average to ride two.He averaged 170 for 6th place.I think the CBR had a misprint because I show reigning  CBR Champion Matt Austin in 7th with 91.5 and the results page has buskin Wilson in seventh with 85.5.
According to the press release sent by CBR's PR Director Montica Wilmschem CBR President Tuff Hedeman was very pleased with the crowd and the event. On the event he was quoted as saying:“This was our first event at Texas A&M and we were grateful for the welcome we received from the locals and dedicated fans. The Reed Arena is an awesome facility.  All around this event was top notch - high quality riders and bulls.”
On the short go Montica wrote:“The finale in the Final Round was just awesome,” stated Hedeman.  “10 of the guys in the Final Round made the whistle – with 4 of them at the very end - which just makes for a great close to an already great event.”
I want to thank Montica once again for her help.She is great .