Six of the world’s Top 30 bull riders will travel to Australia as part of an eleven man contingent, to compete in this month’s Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Brendon Clark Invitational.
The competition pits the world’s best international bull riders against 30 of Australia’s greatest, including event patron, Morpeth boy Brendon Clark (ranked 22 in the world) who returns from the U.S. to compete in his inaugural signature event.
One of the richest bull rides in Australia, the debut PBR Brendon Clark Invitational, at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre Friday May 30 and Saturday May 31, matches the cream of the world’s riders from nations such as the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, against our finest bull riding athletes.
Led by Brazilian sensation Valdiron de Oliveira, currently ranked number three in the world, the international contingent has its work cut out, not only against Australia’s bravest young riders but also against our explosive bovine powerhouses. This is Australia versus the Rest of the World and man versus beast, right here in our own back yard.
So who are these foreign invaders? The aforementioned Brazilian gun, Oliveira, has rocketed through the rankings since making his PBR debut in 2007. He was part of the Brazilian team that took home the inaugural PBR World Cup held on the Gold Coast in June last year and has continued that brilliant form throughout 2008, picking up two wins and four top five finishes already in the U.S. Built Ford Tough Series.
Heading the U.S. riders’ list is eleventh-ranked “Cool Hand” Luke Snyder. Known as the true iron man of the sport, Snyder holds the record for most consecutive events attended in a PBR career, with 216. In nine years with the PBR, 25-year-old Snyder has amassed more than $1m in prize money and comes into the PBR Brendon Clark Invitational in blistering form, having just scored his first victory since 2005 in the U.S. Built Ford Tough Series.
Snyder will have as his lieutenant 20-year-old North Carolina young gun, Brian Canter. Currently ranked 16th in the world this diminutive southpaw has exploded through the U.S. PBR ranks with a combination of style, skill and youthful courage. Standing a mere 164cm and weighing it at just 53kg, Canter is never-the-less a genuine heavyweight contender once the chute opens and the dirt starts to fly.
Serious injuries are something that every PBR rider learns to live with and none more so than thumbless Mexican bull rider Rocky McDonald. Ranked at 51 in the world, this 28-year-old veteran of the sport has fought back from two major head traumas and now always dons a helmet before mounting his bull. McDonald, whose mid-level ranking this season is due to injury and belies his amazing skill, incredibly manages to tackle the massive beasts even though just two years ago he lost the thumb on his riding hand in a roping accident!
Three more Americans who definitely have all their digits in place are Shane Proctor, McKennon Wimberly and Pistol Robinson. This trio of bovine battling warriors are all highly ranked, consistent performers on the U.S. PBR circuit. The brethren rounding out the U.S. contingent are Amish bull rider Willy Ropp and devout Christian Kolt Donaldson.
Adding to the international flavour of the event is Brazilian Arnobio Ferreira Neto and Canadian Tyler Pankewitz. Born just outside the sprawling Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo, Ferreira is a Top 80 ranked rider who will have just turned 23 ahead of arriving Newcastle.
Tyler Pankewitz is the only Canadian making the trip down under but is a serious contender for the PBR Brendon Clark Invitational title. Ranked at 31, Pankewitz tied for first place in the 2007 PBR Canadian National Championship.
“We’ve got six of the world’s top 30 bull riders and the best Aussies,” said Brendon Clark. “This is the level of competition that’s finally happening for the sport of bull riding in Australia and it’s only going to get better.
“It’s good for us as riders, good for the sport in Australia, but it’s the best news for the fans who can expect the same action as the fans in the U.S. get,” he said.
“It’s going to be one hell of a weekend!”
On May 30 “First-blood Friday” of the two-night PBR Brendon Clark Invitational sees ten of the world’s top international bull riders go head to head against local heroes in a team Australia vs Rest of the World format.
Each of the 20 riders buck-out twice and the combined scores, tallied, determine which team takes the win.
Adam Harvey performs and gets dirt-deep in the action, heading behind the chutes as guest commentator.
The action continues on Saturday (May 31) in a last-man-standing battle for the coveted Champion’s buckle and a swag of prize money.
Ten of the international bull riders and 30 of Australia’s best, compete one-one-one, man against beast, in an individual format battled out one ride each in the first round (bucked over three sections), with the top ten progressing to the Championship round.
The highest scorer will take the PBR Brendon Clark Invitational title.
Across Friday May 30 and Saturday May 31
the PBR Brendon Clark Invitational
is at Newcastle’s Entertainment Centre.
Tickets are on sale now from www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849.
International riders snapshot:
Validiron de Oliveira (28, Goias, Brazil, ranked 3)
Validiron de Oliveira is a 28 year old from Aparecida de Goiania, Brazil. He grew up on a ranch in regional Brazil and honed his riding skills upon steers and horses. At the age of 18, with the encouragement of his brother Paulo, Validiron began riding bulls. He made his PBR debut in 2007 and this year has won two events and finished top five in four others to lift his ranking in the Built Ford Tough Series to number three.
Luke Snyder (25, Missouri, USA, ranked 11)
“Cool Hand” Luke Snyder is a 25 year old from Raymore, Missouri. Currently ranked 11th in the world Snyder is a true bull riding ironman, holding the record for most consecutive events attended in a PBR career, with 216. Snyder started riding at nine, turned professional in 2001 as a 16 year old and has proven a mainstay on the U.S. PBR pro tours.
Brian Canter (20, North Carolina, USA, ranked 16)
Brian Canter (17th in the world) is a southpaw from North Carolina. Although diminutive in stature, at 164cm and 53kg, 20-year-old Canter is a heavyweight contender on the U.S.A.’s PBR Built Ford Tough Series. Canter rode his first bull at eight and honed his craft through his teens under the watchful eye of rodeo legend and PBR founding member, Jerome Davis.
McKennon Wimberly (19, Texas, USA, ranked 27)
McKennon Wimberly is a 19 year old native of Cool, Texas, who is ranked 27th. Wimberly grew up in the shadow of his famous bull riding father, Joe, but by his mid-teens was competing alongside his legendary Dad. In his spare time Wimberly boxes to keep fit, sharpen his reflexes and maintain a fighting edge. “I box a lot when I’m not riding. It helps me to stay mentally prepared so I keep pushing myself. After all, when you’re bull riding you’re just fighting a bull instead of a person.”
Kolt Donaldson (19, Oklahoma, USA, ranked 30)
Kolt Donaldson is a 19-year-old resident of Idabel, Oklahoma, who divides his loyalty between bull riding, Christianity and hard rock. Donaldson has just progressed through to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series and is ranked in the Top 50.
Tyler Pankewitz (23, Alberta, Canada, ranked 31)
23-year-old Tyler Pankewitz is the only Canadian making the trip down under this year but he is a serious contender for the PBR Troy Dunn International title. Ranked inside the Top 40, Pankewitz tied for equal first place in the 2007 PBR Canadian National Championship.
Pistol Robinson (24, Texas, USA, ranked 32)
Pistol Robinson from Burleson, Texas, was born on New Year’s Day 1984. Now at 24 years of age he is ranked 29th and claims the secret to his success is to arrive at competitions well rested. “I try to travel with a big group of guys so they can all take turns driving. That way I can sleep the whole time.” Let’s hope the Aussies can catch him napping in Townsville.
Shane Proctor (23, Washington, USA, ranked 42)
Shane Proctor is a 23-year-old resident of Grand Coulee, Washington who started riding bulls in high school rodeos at the tender age of 16. He was a high school champion in several rodeo disciplines and earned a scholarship to Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. Proctor has been riding with the PBR for three years and always wears a helmet when he rides.
Rocky McDonald (28, Chihuahua, Mexico, ranked 51)
Rocky McDonald may have been born in Chihuahua, Mexico, but when it comes to professional bull riding he’s definitely one of the top dogs. A Top 50 rider, McDonald has fought several serious injuries to notch up eight years of pro riding. As a result of two major head traumas, McDonald is now a firm advocate of helmets in the sport.
Arnobio Ferreira de Souza Neto (23, Sao Paulo, Brazil, ranked 81)
Arnobio Ferreira de Souza Neto was born 23 years ago near the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. He took up bull riding at the age of fifteen to follow in the footsteps of his older brother. He now divides his time between homes in Sao Paulo and Gainsville, Texas, where he rides in the US PBR. Arnobio will celebrate his 23rd birthday on Saturday, May 24, during the PBR Troy Dunn International.
Willy Ropp (26, Missouri, USA, ranked 134)
Willy Ropp was raised on an Amish settlement outside of Jamesport, Missouri. Ropp didn’t start bull riding until the age of 20 but has subsequently forged a successful six-year career.
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