LAS VEGAS (March 19, 2010) - The world standings represent how well each individual bull rider has performed over the course of an entire Built Ford Tough Series. But that’s not always a true indication of how well each is riding at the present time, which is where the new unofficial Power Rankings come into play.
There is no tried-and-true formula to figuring it out. It’s a subjective look at the top riders in the world. So too are the rankings of NCAA football, basketball and every other college sport, including the Coaches’ poll, the AP poll, the BCS and every other poll or Power Ranking available online or in print.
The monthly Power Rankings typically represent individual riders. This month, the power rankings represent the 2010 World Cup participants.
1. United States - Austin Meier, McKennon Wimberly, J.B. Mauney, Kody Lostroh and Jordan Hupp: For the first time in four years, the United States team is the unanimous favorite to win what would be its third consecutive Cup event. Seven of the Top 10 riders in the world are Americans. The only quandary for captain J.W. Hart is coming up with a replacement for Lostroh if he’s unable to compete because of injuries. Hart said his pool is so deep, he could cut all five riders, replace them with five different riders, and feel just as confident. At this time, the most likely replacement candidate has to be Jody Newberry.
2. Canada - Aaron Roy, Scott Schiffner, Devon Mezei, Tyler Thomson and Tanner Girletz: After back-to-back second-place finishes, the Canadians were disappointed to leave Brazil with a third-place finish last year. Cody Snyder, who has captained all four Canadian teams, said that 2009 left a bitter taste in his mouth. He’s a master at motivating riders, and that may be why this year’s roster is almost unchanged from a year ago – he intends to use that experience as a means of getting more out of his team.
3. Brazil - Robson Palermo, Guilherme Marchi, Fabiano Vieira, Silvano Alves and Edimundo Gomes: It was a huge blow to have to replace Valdiron de Oliveira; the second-ranked rider in the world is out with a broken bone in his shoulder. Renato Nunes’ exclusion because of a “negative attitude” indicates that all is not well with Team Brazil. Team captain Adriano Moraes said in an interview that Nunes was back on board, but then, an hour later, told the PBR to keep his original roster as it was.
4. Australia - Pete Farley, Jared Farley, Ben Jones, David Kennedy and Rhys Angland: Troy Dunn, who will again captain the Aussies, is without a doubt one of the great bull riders of all time. But he’s yet to get much from his team. Perhaps adding Ben Jones to this year’s roster (in place of Brendon Clark) will add a little enthusiasm to an otherwise vanilla cast of characters, who have never seemed outwardly motivated to win the World Cup.
5. Mexico - Rocky McDonald, Gustavo Pedrero, Francisco Morales, Nile Lebaron and Lorenzo Rios: It was believed that with two captains – Amando Aguirre, President of the Mexican Federation of Rodeo, and Ruben Mujica, President of Cuernos Chuecos, a Mexican bull riding league – and a coach, Gerardo Venegas, Team Mexico could turn things around. However, it’s been widely reported the two captains don’t like one another, and McDonald was named to the team without ever having been contacted. Rios was a late addition after Hugo Pedrero declined the offer to compete.
Early Prediction: The top three countries are clearly better than the other two. But Canada won’t face the same pressure or expectations as the United States, and they certainly don’t have the stress and drama of the Brazilians. In an event that comes down to the final ride, Canada edges the United States to finally win its first World Cup title.
