by Sheila Totten
A lot of top CBR riders didn't make the cut for the Finals to be held in Las Vegas on January 5&6 while some others will miss them due to injuries. Among those injured are Matt Austin and Sonny Murphy. Matt has already missed the Xtreme Bull Finals and had to quit after one round at the NFR due to injuries he suffered several months ago..Matt underwent surgery for a sports hernia and abdominal tears last week .Dr Tandy Freeman sent Matt to Philadelphia for the surgery and said Matt is expected to be out for three months.
With Matt out, McKennon Wimberley who took over second place when he won the final event of the season in Jackson,MS could be heading towards the title. A little encouragement and coaching from Tuff Hedeman seems to have boosted McKennon this last half of the season and he is riding hot. Hot on his heals though is the PRCA's new World Champion and NFR average winner , B. J. Schumacher.
Hopefully third place rider Ronnie Kitchens will be back in action for the Finals. He could also take the title. Sonny Murphy underwent surgery for a broken neck that he suffered at the NFR and hopefully will be back riding by springtime.
JB Mauney will have an important decision to make.He is number 4 in the CBR standings and could win the event but he is also scheduled to ride that weekend in the PBR. Its so unfortunate that PBR riders have to be at all BFTS events unless injured ,World Champions ,or need personal time off unlike in the CBR where attendance is left to a rider's discretion. A good example would be two years ago when Allan Moraes was number two in the CBR standings and was unable to attend their Finals because of the first weekend of the PBR's extended Finals. Now riders as Mauney and Colby Yates have to choose, and its a hard decision because if they choose to appear and go for the CBR title they could be suspended from the PBR. Its a shame and maybe its time the PBR made a rule change that would benefit its riders who ride in other organizations. After all the fans and the riders both lose in a situation as this. Whereas neither the PRCA nor CBR tell riders you have to be here for every event you would think the PBR could allow the same consideration for riders.
If riders as Colby Yates,J B Mauney and others cannot make it to Vegas that opens the door for riders who did not make the cut.here are the current CBR standings going into their World Championship finals which will be held in Las Vegas on January 5th and 6th at the South Point Hotel and Casino Event Center.