OKLAHOMA CITY (February 13, 2010) - Pistol Robinson didn’t know what to expect from Ice T&D.
But the 26-year-old from Burleson, Texas, gave J.B. Mauney a spot-on scouting report of Ricochet.
“Pistol rode him somewhere the other week,” said Mauney, “and they said he was going to be right there around to the left. He was exactly what they said and I couldn’t have asked for a better bull.”
In the end, both men scored 89.25 points and split the round win in Oklahoma City.
Friday night’s top scores came from two riders at opposite ends of the world standings.
Mauney is continuing to put the pressure on Travis Briscoe, who bucked off of Little Bear, for the overall lead atop the standings. Robinson, who is eighth in the alternate standings, is trying to make the most of his early-season opportunity on the Built Ford Tough Series.
“It’s about everything,” said Robinson, noting that at this point in the season it’s as much about points as it is money, “getting bulls ridden and whenever the next cut comes around hopefully being seeded up there. Right now I’m close enough to be an alternate, but I have to get bulls ridden here in this arena.”
After contending for Rookie of the Year in 2008, Robinson was cut from the tour early in the 2009 season and has spent the past year working his way back.
He finished last year ranked 56th in the world standings a year after finishing 27th as a rookie, and is 2-for-6 on the season.
“I’ve been making that ride, I just haven’t been making it at the right place,” said Robinson. “You just have to keep going at it and eventually you will make that ride and put them together.”
Mauney escaped an awkward dismount without any injuries.
After easily making the whistle, Mauney said he was hoping to hop off to the left side into his hand, but his riding hand popped out of the rope a little earlier than expected. Before he knew it, he had come down in front of the bull.
“The dismount procedure I don’t have down pat yet,” he joked, “but they don’t pay to get off of them. I kind of messed that up.”
Initially it looked as though he might not even get out of the chute on Ricochet.
“When they do like that it fires me up,” he said. “Classic bulls are young bulls, and haven’t been bucked much and they’re wired up and ready to go, hopping around a lot.
“He was kicking in there and trying to jerk me down in the bucking chute, and luckily Shane (Proctor) stepped in there and caught me before he did the first time. He did it a couple more times, but that just gets me pumped up and gets my blood going.”
There were 16 qualified rides and not a single re-ride flag thrown the entire round.
Robinson and Mauney were followed closely by another pair of riders – Ryan McConnel and Matt Werries – who split third and fourth with 87.5 points. Josh Koschel rounded out the Top 5 with 87.25 points on Lil’ Red Kat.
The bull draft for Round 2 takes place at 11 a.m. today, and the event continues at the Ford Center tonight live on Versus at 8 p.m. ET.
NEWS and NOTES
Looks can be deceiving: Last weekend in Winston-Salem, N.C., newcomer Stormy Wing was knocked unconscious by Cajun Blast after a head-to-head collision in the short go. “It looked a lot worse on TV,” said Wing, who is competing in Oklahoma City this weekend. “When I left, my neck was a little sore, but other than that I felt fine. I really did.” The Texas native came down early on Da Bidness last night, and will need to cover his bulls in Rounds 2 and 3 if he plans to make it back to his second championship round.
Just like old times: Thursday night, Skeeter Kingsolver was passing through Hulbert, Okla., and stopped in to see his buddy Ryan Dirteater. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time,” Kingsolver said, “and we hung out like old times. It was good seeing him.”
According to Kingsolver, Dirteater’s rehab is coming along as expected and he will be at the Ford Center this evening to be reexamined by Dr. Tandy Freeman. Kingsolver also said Dirteater is hoping “he can quit using his brace, but he’s doing real good and they said hopefully July.”
He was in no hurry to leave: Fan-favorite Cord McCoy was in no hurry to leave his pals behind. In spite of having recently been cut from the BFTS, McCoy was at the Ford Center last night. He and his brother Jet McCoy will make their CBS debut Sunday night on “The Amazing Race.”
Saturday night is the last time McCoy can do any public interviews until after the show concludes, so look for one last interview with the friendly redhead at the Event Center following the conclusion of Round 2.
Back in black: Veteran bullfighter Joe Baumgartner was back in action last night after missing the past three events with a deep cut to his calf muscle. He was out protecting the riders along with Frank Newsom, who had his family with him at the arena, and Shorty Gorham.
Be sure to listen to Gorham’s latest audio blog, in which he talks about Baumgartner’s injury and return to the BFTS, as well as how the bullfighters alter their rotation if one of them gets hurt in the middle of a round.
Like father, like son: A struggling Ryan McConnel brought along his dad to the event. Afterward, he said, “My dad really helped settle me down. It really helped having my dad here.” McConnel covered Superfreak for 87.5 points, and for the first time in a while, was dancing atop the shark cage with Flint Rasmussen.
Head games: Brian Canter wore a new helmet Friday night, though he came down early.
