News

The unkindest cut

Scramble for final positions leaves some favorites in the cold

LAS VEGAS (October 21, 2009) - A funny thing happened on the way to the Thomas & Mack Center—a few guys got lost on the “Road to Vegas,” while others seem to have taken a trip around the world beforehand.

The qualifier standings – www.pbrnow.com/competition/qualifier/ – has been updated and verified.

As expected, a pair of popular riders – Brendon Clark and Matt Bohon – didn’t make it. Another pair from the Top 15 a year ago – Reese Cates and Mike White – will be among the five alternates. A number of riders, including Thiago Paguioto, Beau Hill, Brian Herman, Cord McCoy and Ben Jones , used lower-level and international events to their advantage and will be among the Top 40 riders competing at the 2009 PBR World Finals.

Unless you follow PBR Brazil closely, the name Paguioto may not sound familiar. That’s because he’ll actually be making his BFTS debut in Las Vegas at the Finals.

Paguioto was 66th in the qualifier standings last week, but earned more than $35,000 at the Brazilian championship. His total winnings of $69,407.74 now put him 25th in the standings.

In Brazil, he beat out Edimundo Gomes, who will compete the first weekend as one of four international riders, and Edvaldo Ferreira, who opted out of the Mohegan Sun Invitational to return to Brazil for the four-day event.

While points earned at Built Ford Tough Series events ultimately determine the World Champion, the PBR uses money earned from all PBR-sanctioned events to determine the Top 40 qualifying riders.

McCoy and Herman were cut from the tour earlier this year.

But in spite of that setback and injuries, they were both successful at Challenger, Enterprise and Discovery Tour events, and each won enough money to maintain a spot in the qualifier standings.

Because Ryan Dirteater dislocated his left knee cap and tore the ACL, PCL and MCL, the cutoff is actually 41 instead of the 40, which means Elliott Jacoby will qualify.

“It’s what I’ve been working for all year,” Jacoby said.

Jones, Herman, McCoy and Hill have all qualified. Between them they’ve ridden in 51 BFTS events in 2009.

Hill twice passed on a chance to compete as an alternate in order to take his chances at a couple of Canadian events. The decision literally paid off for the Montana cowboy. He’s won $60,086.74, of which $42,908.58 was  earned north of the border.

Hill isn’t the only rider to have opted out of a BFTS event in 2009.

Cates and L.J. Jenkins both opted out of the event in Tacoma, Wash., so they too could compete in Canada. At the time, they wanted to try their luck at the best chance of winning money – both had been struggling mightily at the BFTS events. They hoped to earn enough money to move into the Top 5 money earners at the Challenger level, so that they would be guaranteed five BFTS events as opposed to a week-to-week alternate position.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work as well for Cates and Jenkins as it did later in the season for Hill.

Luckily, they both had some success over the summer, and Jenkins has since completely turned his season around. The same can’t be said for Cates.

“This season, for me, has kind of been a season of ups and downs,” said Cates, following a three-day event in Reno, Nev. “I hit a good streak and started doing well and then my groin would start hurting me again.”

Last year’s Daisy Rookie of the Year winner has indeed had a tough go of it in 2009.

In his second full season on the BFTS, Cates has ridden in 18 events, and his riding percentage slipped to 22 percent (10 of 45 outs). He has not ridden at all like he did a year ago, when he rode five of eight bulls at the World Finals and finished the season ranked 11th in the world.

McCoy, Herman and Jones had to hit the road in an effort to qualify.

In fact, only Herman won more money at BFTS events than at the lower level. Herman, at 39 years of age, has earned $55,386.08 this year, and more than $34,000 of it has come from the 16 BFTS events he competed in.

Jones, on the other hand, has won $52,146.43, and $25,770.62 was at lower-level events, with another $10,850.32 coming at international events in Australia.

McCoy’s money has been a bit of an even split, with $20,253.80 coming from 15 BFTS events, and $27,242.60 from various Challenger events he attended right up until he left for Uncasville, Conn. He won another $10,028.22 in Canada and Australia.

“I’ve been so blessed this year in being healthy,” McCoy said, “and when I got cut, things worked out. I went to the Challengers, went to riding good bulls, so I’m very thankful and I know how blessed I am to be here and be qualifying for the PBR World Finals.”

The alternates will include Billy Robinson, Cates, Clayton Baethge, White and Dusty Ephrom.

Robinson and Cates were above the cutline and fell in the standings, while White and Ephrom were outside looking in until they moved up. Baethge, who tried to make the most of his nine BFTS events, hung fairly steady just outside the Top 40.

White moved into contention with a strong showing in Columbus, Ohio, where he won the first round as well as the short go and finished 5th. For his efforts he earned $9,950.40. Ephrom made his best attempt in Uncasville when he rode four of four bulls, but low scores did little but qualify him for the short go.

“It would have been nice to get some higher scores and get some more money won,” said Ephrom, who won all of $1,600, “but I got all my bulls rode and did my job. I guess we’ll have to see how it goes.”

Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone well for either Clark or Bohon—neither will have an opportunity to compete at the Finals.

Bohon, who finished 60th in the qualifier standings, has struggled for much of the season. Last year he rode 27 percent and easily qualified for the Finals, but this year he’s ridden 28 percent and plummeted down the standings. His late-season injury certainly didn’t help matters.

Clark knows all too well about  injuries. He was seriously hurt in Des Moines, Iowa, and has struggled since returning to competition.

Clark finished two spots below the final alternate.

“It’s one of those deals where I don’t want to miss out on the Finals,” said Clark, who admitted it’s been a hard road back, “but I’ve had plenty of opportunities to make the Finals.”

Despite their struggles, each rider believes he’s better than the statistics show.

“I know I may sound conceited,” Bohon said, “but I know I’m one of the Top 5 bull riders here. I just haven’t been able to capitalize on some of the things that other guys have, which has held me back, but winning’s the easy part.

“Talk to guys who are winning all the time and (they’ll tell you) that’s the easy part.  All you have to do is stay on, and that’s what I haven’t been doing is staying on.”

“I’m not one of the guys who’s just going to be 35th through 40th at the end of the year,” Cates said. “I’m one of the guys that’s a Top 5 contender and a World Champion contender and I’m looking to prove that. This time next year we’ll be doing an interview, with three events left, and you’ll be asking me what it’s like to be sitting in the No. 1 position.”

NEWS and NOTES

CBS Sunday: Be sure to catch the Built Ford Tough Race to Vegas this Sunday on CBS. You'll be treated to the best rides, the worst wrecks, and a buck-by-buck review of the closest season in PBR history. Check local listings.

Road to Vegas: All roads are leading to Las Vegas! At this time of the season, the PBR is all about the World Finals, which is Oct. 30 through Nov. 8. Call  866-PBR-SHOW  866-PBR-SHOW  for ticket information or log onto www.unlvtickets.com to order your tickets for what will be one of the tightest finishes for the world title.

Winter reading program: The PBR has released a new 176-page hardcover coffee table book, “The Official Guide to the Toughest Sport on Earth,” this month through Triumph Books.

The book is available wherever books are sold. It retails for $29.95, and will available at all PBR merchandise stands throughout the upcoming World Finals.

In fact, plans are in place for an official book launch signing featuring Flint Rasmussen. Other signings are also in the works with various bull riders competing at this year’s Finals. The book, which is illustrated with 211 full-color photos, was authored by Jeff Johnstone and Keith Ryan Cartwright. Ty Murray wrote the forward.

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright