PUEBLO, Colo. (November 9, 2010) - For top Brazilian bull riders, coming to America is the opportunity of a lifetime.
But adapting to the culture and overcoming the language barrier can lead to misunderstandings and inadvertent adventures.
There was the time Guilherme Marchi accidentally walked into the women’s restroom at a fast food restaurant shortly after arriving.
Then there’s Robson Palermo’s account of his first cab ride in New York. Palermo had been in the United States for just under a year, and his English skills weren’t what they are today.
When he flew from Dallas on his own, his wife Pricila had written the word “TAXI” on one piece of paper and the address of the Marriott New York Marquis on another. Her only other instructions were for her husband to follow the taxi signs at the airport and then give the driver the address.
“I got ripped off,” said Palermo, who paid $100 for trip that left him short of his final destination. With the help of two NYPD officers who hailed a second cab in midtown Manhattan, Palermo eventually made his way to Times Square.
It’s all part of the experience.
This year, Silvano Alves and Paulo Lima made the transition, followed by Wesley Lourenco and Elton Cide Pereira.
Three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes said the transition is much easier for riders now, because as many as six Brazilians or more typically are entered in any given PBR event, whether they’re competing on the Built Ford Tough Series or the Touring Pro level.
Moraes credits Mark Cain, Jerome Davis and David Fournier for their help upon his own arrival back in the early 1990s.
“The only difference is, back then, I did not speak any English and they did not speak any Portuguese,” he explained. “So it was kind of hard to understand and to communicate. I had to learn the language much faster … to help them help me.”
Another notable change has been the development of technology. Today’s newcomers can program their GPS devices in Portuguese to help with directions.
Crimber laughs about the time he flew to Minnesota and was able to rent a car despite having only a Brazilian driver’s license. He wasn’t even able to read the street signs, but somehow found his way to the event.
Moraes pointed to cell phones as a means of assistance in almost any situation.
“Once they get to the location, for instance, they can hand the phone to the waitress and somebody can order food for them,” said Moraes, who also said some of the younger riders use their cell phones to help with checking in and out of hotels from week to week.
“I could not do that.”
And neither did Palermo, who said when he first started traveling throughout the United States he would only eat at restaurants that featured pictures on the menu, so he could simply point to what looked most appealing.
This week, PBR Brazil will host the 2010 Brahma Super Bull PBR Finals, in Campo Grande, Brazil, beginning Wednesday night. When it concludes on Monday night they will have a good indication as to who might be the next top Brazilian to make his way to the BFTS in 2011.
Given the fact that he won three of 15 BFTS events and finished eighth in the world standings in 2010, Alves’ transition was seamless, as was Lima’s, who split a BFTS event win and finished sixth in the average at the PBR World Finals.
Lourenco got a weeklong taste of life in the U.S. He finished third in the average and is in Brazil with hopes of capturing the national title before returning to the U.S. for the start of the 2011 season.
But their accomplishments pale to Moraes’ winning the first PBR world title in 1994.
“At that point, I think, it was good because I could focus solely on my riding,” Moraes said. “I did not know what was going on. The only thing I knew was get on your bulls, ride them and everything will take care of itself.
“The only thing that had to do, that I could do, that I knew what to do, was bull riding. That was it.”
NEWS AND NOTES
BRENDON CLARK will be streaming his live online talk show tonight beginning at 6 p.m. PT. To watch live or to access archived shows, log onto www.ustream.tv and type “Brendon Clark Show” in the search box. He encourages fans to email questions for the show by contacting him through his Facebook page.
COMMENTS
