GLENDALE, Ariz. (March 13, 2010) - A year ago, the Canadians thought the third time would be a charm.
But after two second-place finishes, they finished third in last year’s World Cup event. This year, their mantra is about consistency.
“It’s going to take Canada being more consistent, staying on more bulls than we have, and that’s just about all it’s going to take,” said Aaron Roy, who joins Scott Schiffner as the first riders named to the 2010 team.
Tonight the remaining three selections of team captain Cody Snyder will be announced, along with the remaining riders from the other four countries. The announcement will be made on Versus during the live broadcast from Glendale, Ariz.
Roy and Schiffner are the only two Canadians who have represented their country in all four World Cup events.
Canada scored a combined 1,027 points last year in Barretos, Brazil, compared to the United States, who won the event with 1,387.75 points.
There are six rounds, with each country attempting five bulls per round and keeping three of those five scores for a maximum of 18 scores over the course of the three-day event.
Roy is hoping for a repeat of his 2008 performance, when he and Vince Northrop were the only two riders in the entire event to go 4-for-4 in Chihuahua, Mexico.
“We’ve always been up there (in the standings),” said Roy, recalling their past successes. “We won second twice and third last year, but it’s just it because we’re not as consistent as the other teams. When we won second, it all came down to the last ride.
“I know every one of the guys who’s going to get picked for the team can ride as good as anybody in the world. It’s just them getting over that mental thing that’s going to allow them to stay on.”
It’s rumored that Snyder will choose a trio of youngsters to join the two veterans. Roy, by virtue of his continued success on the Built Ford Tough Series, is clearly the anchor for this year’s team.
As in years past, the Canadians seem to thrive on the team atmosphere created by the World Cup format.
“If there are new guys coming in there you can try and coach them along and try and calm their nerves down ‘til they get on,” said Roy, who later added, “When we come to the World Cup, we come together as a team.
“We’re behind each other the whole way.”
Mexico
Mexico has struggled not only in the competition itself, but in simply assembling a team of five healthy riders cleared for international travel. As a result, this year they are employing co-captains – Amando Aguirre, President of the Mexican Federation of Rodeo, and Ruben Mujica, President of Cuernos Chuecos (a Mexican bull riding league) – and coach Gerardo Venegas to make the decisions.
United States
Going for what would be their third straight win, the pressure is on the Americans, considering captain J.W. Hart has the largest pool to choose from. There are six Americans currently ranked in the Top 10 of the world standings, and another three – Kody Lostroh, Jody Newberry and Jordan Hupp – trending upward.
Australia
Once again, Troy Dunn has his work cut out for him. In three previous Cup events, the Australians have never seriously contended. Last week, he named Pete and Jared Farley as the first two members. Aside from Ben Jones, who scored two 90-point rides last week in Kansas City, it’s unknown who else Dunn might select.
Brazil
It’s no surprise that the Brazilians felt embarrassed by last year’s second-place finish in front of 80,000 of their countrymen. But no one could have expected the harsh criticism from team captain Adriano Moraes, who said he intends to “spice it up” without the services of Renato Nunes, Ednei Caminhas, or the injured Valdiron de Oliveira. Instead, Moraes intends to go with a younger, coachable trio of riders coupled with Robson Palermo and Guilherme Marchi.
NEWS and NOTES
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