Brett Hoffman
The Athens Review
Athens — On Feb. 20, the Professional Bull Riders’ top athletes will strap on their spurs at the posh new Arlington-based venue and it will mark the PBR’s first time to use a tournament format on its top-tier tour, the Built Ford Tough Series.
The show will feature a field of 24 riders including 2009 world champion Kody Lostroh, J.B. Mauney, who finished runner-up in the 2009 world title race, and 2008 gold buckle winner Guilherme Marchi.
The riders will be paired up and then each will take on a comparable bull with the winner moving on to the next level. The winning rider will be determined by who obtains the highest score. If both riders buck off, the rider who stayed on the longest will move on.
In the final two rounds, competing cowboys actually will ride the same bull. In the end, the rider who rides his fourth and final bull for the highest total points will be declared the winner.
That’s a much different format than the typical Ford Series tour stop, where the winner is determined by the highest aggregate score on three or four rides.
Ty Murray, who has a record seven world all-around titles and is a PBR founding father, said the new format is a thoughtful way to reach the sports fan who has little or no exposure to bull riding.
“Our idea in having cowboys go head-to-head is to bring in a format that makes it where the casual fan can understand,” Murray said. “It’s head-to-head, guy against guy, I beat you, and I advance. Someone who’s not on top of the sport of bull riding can simply watch and say, ‘That ride was better.’”
Another attention-grabber is the bull riding show will be in conjunction with a Gary Allan country concert. Two-time PBR world champion and nascent music star Justin McBride also will perform.
Tickets start at $20 and tickets can be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Cowboys Stadium Box Office.
Happy Birthday
Two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Tuf Cooper of Decatur, son of legendary 1980s roper Roy Cooper, celebrated his 20th birthday on Jan. 31 by turning in a blistering tie-down roping time of 7.6 seconds at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo.
Cooper also has a two-run time of 19.1, which possibly could qualify the young star for this weekend's finals.
After posting the 7.6, Cooper praised his horse Freckles, a 13-year-old gelding that’s owned by Cooper and Freddie Vest of Whitesboro.
“It takes great horses to win and I’ve got one of them,” said Cooper who last year finished runner-up in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association tie-down roping world title race. “This is one of the best birthdays ever.”
Cooper, a Childress native, also is a nephew of 2008 world champion Stran Smith of Childress and a grandson of early 1960s National Finals Rodeo qualifier Clifton Smith who also resides in Childress.
Bernard resigns
The PBR said Feb. 1 Randy Bernard has resigned from his 15-year position as chief executive officer. On March 1, he will take over the leadership position of motorsports' Indy Racing League.
Bernard departs when the world’s top bull riding tour is thriving. The Built Ford Tough Series regular-season attendance increased 12 percent in 2009, and ratings with television partner Versus increased nearly 30 percent last year.
The PBR board has initiated a process to select a replacement and has chosen Rodd Granger, the current PBR chief financial officer, to serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor has been identified.
Brett Hoffman has written a rodeo column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram over the past two decades and he’s a Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member. Email him at brett@myrodeoinsider.com.
