3-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes to teach bull-riding school
ROSE HILL, Kan. – The only three-time world champion in the history of the Professional Bull Riders organization has gone from rider to teacher.
Brazilian Adriano Moraes will put on a bull riding and bullfighting school June 22, 23 and 24 at the Home of World Champions, the Bud Sankey Ranch in Rose Hill. Moraes will, as expected, focus his attention toward passing along his years of experience to all the bull riders in the class and will. He will leave the bullfighting lessons to veterans Joe Garretson and Bennie Bob Patrick.
“It’s unbelievably incredible for me to have Adriano part of this school,” said Lyle Sankey, president of Sankey Rodeo Schools and a native of Rose Hill. “We are very selective whom we work with, and we seek out high character, quality people who certainly care about the kids they work with. We’ve had Cody Custer and Mike Lee, both world champions.
“And now we’re working with the only three-time champion in the PBR’s history. Adriano’s character is one of the best, and he has helped so many others in his career. His foundation is to help kids, to help people have a better life. Those are just some of the reasons I’m excited he’s involved.”
Now living in east Texas, Moraes got his start more than two decades ago and has become a folk hero in his native Brazil. He brought his talents to the United States to test his mettle against the top bull riders in the world, and in 1994 became the very first PBR world champion. He won two more gold buckles, in 2001 and ’06.
He retired from competitive bull riding at the conclusion of the 2008 season, proclaiming his love for the sport. Now he plans to pass along his passion for bull riding to countless others who hope to take a shot at the extreme sport or who are just hoping to polish their skills.
The class – tuition is $475 with a $100 deposit due 14 days prior to the opening day – will have limited enrollment but is available to students of any skill level. Pro cowboys might want Moraes’ insights on steps they might be able to take to sharpen their already talented abilities.
Sankey Rodeo Schools is an organization that educates cowboys and potential cowboys the skills it takes to compete in the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo.
“This is going to be the most fun Adriano’s ever had at a rodeo school,” Sankey said. “We have a great staff that will take care of everything so he can focus on spending time with the students.”
The Sankey Ranch is dubbed the Home of World Champions because Bud raised world champion cutting horses, then Lyle was recognized for his prowess riding bucking horses and bulls. Lyle Sankey is one of just four men in ProRodeo history to have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in all three roughstock events: bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding.
He also won the NFR average title twice in his career, something few have ever done. In the meantime, his brother, Ike, has taken Sankey Rodeo Co. through 30 years on the rodeo trail to the pinnacle of ProRodeo. Ike Sankey regularly carries some of the rankest bucking stock to the NFR every year, and in 1999 was named the Stock Contractor of the Year in the PRCA.
Ed Belveal has been an instructor for Sankey Rodeo School for 31 years and has taught bull riding at more than 400 schools. He qualified multiple times for the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo as one of the top hands in the PRCA’s region involving Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, and has been around the sport all of his life.
“Ed is a longtime friend, and he started out as a student,” Lyle Sankey said. “Because of other career ambitions, his rodeo career was just part time, but he’s was an unbelievable competitor and is an unbelievable teacher.”
Joe Garretson is one of the top bullfighters in the sport, twice qualifying for the Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection Bullfight World Finals and finishing the 2007 season as the reserve world champion. The tuition for the bullfighting portion of the school is $425, with a $100 deposit due 14 days prior to the opening day. Like the bull-riding classes, the bullfighting school has limited enrollment.
“This is just a good opportunity for anyone who wants to learn to be a bull rider or a bullfighter,” Garretson said. “If you’re already doing it, you can really take the next step through these classes.
“I can’t help but think a bull rider, even a good bull rider, couldn’t become better with Adriano teaching. And I’m very confident bullfighters will learn quite a bit from Bennie Bob and myself. It’s just a fantastic opportunity.”
He has been named the 2008 Bullfighter of the Year in the Professional Championship Bullriders organization. He’s also one of the toughest hombres to work the job as cowboy protector, using tremendous athleticism to keep everyone in the arena out of harm’s way if possible.
Earlier this year, Garretson suffered a broken arm, a broken collarbone, 12 broken ribs, a punctured lung and a lacerated liver – all while working the job he loves. And he’s already back to work, utilizing the tactics he teaches to the students at the numerous schools he works. At Rose Hill, Garretson will work with Bennie Bob Patrick, who has been fighting bulls for 25 years and has spent much of the past two decades passing on his expertise to up-and-coming superstars.
The class is open to anyone who wants to not only learn the proper way to fight bulls but also the skills necessary to market themselves and their talents in order to help either build a career or improve on an existing one.
“Joe goes beyond just being a quality bullfighting coach,” Sankey said. “He has worked tirelessly to change the image of bullfighting from the clown image to the separation of what cowboy bullfighters are. Joe has worked very, very hard to continue to perpetuate that understanding, really giving the students the important details of good protection bullfighting. He also works hard at promoting the sport and the image of the sport, and he’s very good about showing that to the students, too.
“Bennie is a tremendous teacher in bullfighting, but he’s also big in the comedy and acts. It’s really a cool dynamic duo, which is a huge benefit to the school and the students.
“At this school, they’re going to learn more than just bull riding and bullfighting. They’re going to learn more about the big picture, that promoting and marketing yourself also enables you to market the sport as a whole.”
For more information contact:
Lyle Sankey (417) 334-2513 lyle@sankeyrodeo.com
Joe Garretson (417) 844-4395 joeg@joebullfighter.com
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