SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (September 17, 2010) - Guilherme Marchi has no idea how much longer he’ll be dealing with the injury to his right wrist.
However, the 2008 World Champion definitely knows, “It’s not good for my head, not good for my wrist and not good for my heart.”
Marchi, who had the wrist surgically repaired in late May, has continued to experience severe pain in it, and has decided to err on the side of caution. He opted out of this week’s Built Ford Tough Series event in Springfield, Mo.
Last week, in Greenville, S.C., he consulted Dr. Tandy Freeman, who informed him that riding would not necessarily cause any more damage, and that resting would not necessarily speed up the healing process. Marchi was originally going to doctor out of the Greenville Invitational, but made a last-minute decision to compete.
He finished the weekend 1-for-3, with his only qualified ride coming in the first of the Final Five Showdowns. Shane Proctor will replace him this week in the Showdown.
Freeman said Marchi’s problem was common, and estimated that a majority of riders deal with the same issue in varying degrees at some point in their careers.
Marchi injured his wrist and riding hand in a chute mishap back in late January in Anaheim, Calif. This will be the fifth event he’s missed in 2010.
While he’s managed to remain in the Top 10 throughout the season – he’s currently ranked 6th in the world standings – he’s only qualified for nine short rounds, and hasn’t done so since early May when he finished second in Wichita, Kan. In the past five years, he’s never finished worse than third overall in a season.
His only win this year was at the first event of the season in Duluth, Ga.
Saturday night Showdown: This week’s Final Five Showdown will take place Saturday night, at the conclusion of Round 2, in order to accommodate the live Versus television broadcast. The same adjustment will take place in two weeks at the BFTS event in Uncasville, Conn., and will air live on Versus.
In the next week to 10 days, the PBR is expected to announce that the conclusion to the Final Five Showdown will be taped by CBS as a stand-alone event in a high-profile location. It will be free to the public.
Training day: After suspending four judges for the remainder of the 2010 season, the PBR competition department has begun preliminary work on what could be sweeping changes with training measures and the certification of judges not only at BFTS events, but also in the Touring Pro Division.
Race for the Cure: Last week’s co-winner Sean Willingham will be running in the upcoming Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure in Chattanooga, Tenn. Willingham has put together a team of 28 runners – Team SAYiWON’T – for the 5K run on Sunday, Sept. 26.
To make a tax-deductable donation, log onto www.chattanoogaraceforthecure.com and click the “Race for the Cure” banner on the left side of the page, select “register” and “donate.” Then search for “Team SAYiWON’T” and select “support” a team member.
World Finals activity schedule: In addition to six rounds of bull riding and the crowning of the 2010 World Champion, there are plenty of activities to enjoy in Las Vegas this year. The Team PBR schedule of events can be accessed here. Among the activities are a tour of the pens where the bulls are housed during their stay, as well as PBR Production 101 tour. Fans can also have lunch with the Dickies DuraBullfighters. For more information, log onto www.teampbr.com or call 800-732-1727.
Live Event Center: Follow all the action from this week’s BFTS event in Springfield, including the second of five bonus rounds for the Top 10 riders, by logging on to the Event Center at www.pbr.com/live. The multimedia center provides live scoring, live blogging and event-related interviews.
