PUEBLO, Colo. - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is excited to announce the 25 bull riders who have been selected to represent their respective countries (United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Brazil) for the 2009 PBR World Cup presented by Dickies - Barretos. The three-day competition gets underway on August 28-30, 2009 in Barretos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Festa do Peao de Boiadeiro de Barretos.
Defending World Cup Champion Team USA is led by Team Captain J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.), the 2002 PBR World Finals Event winner and former PBR Rookie of the Year. The United States team will consist of five of America’s best. Topping out the list is North Carolina sensation J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.), who will be competing at his second-consecutive World Cup. Other Team USA members are Zack Brown (Santa Fe, Texas) and Brian Canter (Randleman, N.C.), both of whom have taken three BFTS event titles in 2009; Ryan McConnel (Colgate, Okla.); and Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.).
Team Brazil, the 2007 World Cup champion, is being led by three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil). His team is headed up by 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil). Marchi will be joined in his home country by top BFTS competitors Renato Nunes (Buritama, SP, Brazil); Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil); and Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil). Rounding out Team Brazil will be newcomer Juarez Terra (Alterosa-MG, SP, Brazil).
Captaining Team Canada is 1983 World Champion Bull Rider Cody Snyder (Medicine Hat, AB). The team consists of 2008 PBR Canada National Champion Aaron Roy (Asquith, SK); 2006 PBR Canada National Champion Scott Schiffner (Stettler, AB); Tyler Thomson (Black Diamond, AB); Tanner Girletz (Cereal, AB), and Chad Besplug (Clare Holm, AB). Team Canada is looking to take their first World Cup championship after finishing runner-up for the title in the past two years.
For a third consecutive year, 1998 PBR World Champion Troy Dunn (Queensland, AUS) will lead Team Australia. Three BFTS regulars will be heading up the team – “Australian Sensation” Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS); Ben Jones (Golbourn, NSW); and Pete Farley (Kempsey, AUS), one of the top contenders for the 2009 PBR Daisy Rookie of the Year title. Rounding out the team are David Kennedy (Kyogle, NSW) and Rhys Angland (Moranbah, QLD).
Team Mexico will be led by Rocky McDonald (Juarez, Mexico) who will both captain the team as well as ride as one of the five Mexican riders. Joining McDonald are 2007 PBR Mexico National Champion Hugo Pedrero (Leon, Mexico); Gerardo Venegas (Juarez, Mexico); Nile Lebaron (Chihuahua, Mexico); and Francisco Morales (Irapuato, Guanajuanto, Mexico).
The 2009 PBR World Cup, PBR’s premier international event, is being held in conjunction with Barretos International Rodeo. It is the largest bull riding event in all of Brazil, drawing over 80,000 attendees per night in over 10 days. In its 54th year, the 2009 Barretos International Rodeo will be held from August 20-30, 2009 with the World Cup being held on the last three days – August 28, 29, and 30.
Five of the best PBR bull riders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and 2008 World Cup winner, the United States, will gather at Barretos’ Parque do Peao for the premier event. 2009 looks to be a showdown between Brazil and the United States as each has taken one World Cup event title home.
Travel packages for the event can be arranged with Silvia Hirsch of Zizatur Travel Agency. Packages include air flight, host hotel room with breakfast and lunch every day, transportation from airport to the hotel, shuttle to the venue, tickets for the event, and more. Five different travel packages are available with prices starting at $2,748 per person (NOTE: Prices are changing daily due to airfare fees). Click the following link for more information: http://www.zizatur.com.br/?dir=barretos_09.
For more information on the 2009 PBR World Cup presented by Dickies - Barretos, please contact Katharine Sherrer at 719 242 2800 ext. 3372.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR):
PBR attracts over 1.7 million live attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. With over 450 hours of prime time programming annually and a viewership of 100 million, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air and broadcasts on FOX, NBC, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, and prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions across the five countries.
For more on the PBR, please visit www.pbrnow.com, www.teampbr.com, myspace.com/pbr_bfts, twitter/teampbr, facebook/professionalbullriders, or www.pbrnow.com/worldfinals/.
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