New York, NY (January 9, 2010) - Twenty miles is all that has separated Shane Proctor and Bones.
When Proctor relocated from Washington to North Carolina a little more than a year ago, he got a good look at the 2008 World Champion Bull.
“He’s out there and I’ve been wanting to get on him,” said Proctor. “(Tom Teague and Boyce Knox) buck him at the Thursday night bull ridings sometimes and I haven’t had him.”
Proctor’s long since believed “Bones is one of the best bulls in the world and he’s one that can make or break a career.”
Special bull riding events call for special bull pens, so PBR Livestock Director Cody Lambert loaded the opening round of the New York City Invitational with short-go-quality bulls, and finally Proctor got his chance.
Proctor spurred Bones to 91.25 points and won the round.
He was one of only 14 qualified rides in a round that also featured reigning World Champion Bull Code Blue, Big Tex and Uncle Buck.
Friday night’s intermission was slightly longer than most, so Proctor, who noted the importance of “concentrating on one ride,” said that it was important for him to “pack away all that adrenaline until after the intermission.”
He was so focused that he said he hadn’t even looked at the list of bulls for Round 2. Proctor will have the first pick in the bull draft, but has no idea which bull he’ll select.
“I had to step up,” said Proctor, who is aware of the tradition and history of a famous arena like Madison Square Garden. “I’ve been on tour for five years and I (haven’t) been real successful, and I think in the last year or two I actually started to make my point.”
Another young rider who continues to make a point is last year’s Rookie of the Year Cody Nance.
Prior to the start of Round 1, the 22-year-old from Paris, Tenn., said he thought he had the bull – Deja Blu – to win the round. He did in fact make 8 seconds, and for most of the night, he was atop the leader board with an impressive 89.5-point effort.
Rounding the Top 5 scores of the round were Mike Lee (89), Travis Briscoe (88) and Zack Brown (86.75).
Lee is trying to recover from a disappointing 2009 season in which the onetime World Champion finished ranked 28th in the world standings – his lowest finish since 2005. He covered Little Yellow Jacket Jr. and will now have the third pick in today’s draft.
Speaking of recovering, Brown is back for the first time since recovering from a terrible groin injury that forced him to withdraw from this past World Finals.
Brown looked impressive on Nasty Town. Equally impressive was Briscoe, who was elated in spite of his high-flying dismount after making the whistle.
Others who earned scores include Ross Coleman, Dustin Elliott, McKennon Wimberly, Skeeter Kingsolver, J.B. Mauney, Sean Willingham, Luke Snyder, Renato Nunes and Reese Cates. Notably missing from the top of the leader board are Kody Lostroh and Guilherme Marchi.
Lostroh never quite looked comfortable on Smack Down, and Marchi, who wound up with Drill Baby Drill, was bucked off for the first time this season.
Round 2 of the three-day event continues tonight at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen live on Versus.
NEWS and NOTES
PBR riders team up with Garth Brooks: The PBR hosted a press conference Friday morning with Garth Brooks, who has sold over 128 million albums worldwide, to announce a partnership in which the top riders in the world have been challenged to raise $1 million for Teammates for Kids.
Brooks founded the organization 10 years ago and has raised more than $75 million, all of which goes to children’s charities throughout the world. To date, Teammates has helped children in over 55 countries.
The organization, which started with 67 Major League Baseball players, is associated with more than 2,400 athletes from every major professional sport, including the PBR. Each athlete vows to make a contribution based on athletic achievement. For every dollar raised the foundation triples the donation.
At the conclusion of the press conference, PBR CEO Randy Bernard presented Brooks with own personalized gold buckle.
“It’s a great day, Teammates,” said Brooks, after being introduced by Bernard. “It’s great to marry with a sport that’s very family-oriented like these guys are. I like to stand around people that make me want to be a better man, better father, and that’s what these guys do, so we’re very proud.”
“To me, it’s a privilege to be with Garth Brooks and all the PBR staff to announce to you this partnership,” said Adriano Moraes, who noted that Teammates helps “kids all over the world, even Brazil, where I’m from.”
Kody Lostroh added, “We’re also here to announce the PBR has challenged us to raise $1 million for Teammates for Kids for 2010, and as riders, we’re definitely excited be part of another big challenge. That’s what we live for. I really think we can do that with this organization. In addition to that, the fans will be able to get directly involved and make donations and contribute.”
It’s all about the barbecue: When Bernard called on his good friend Adam Perry Lang to come in and cook some of his world-renowned barbecue for Brooks, the riders and the all media in attendance, Lang was in London, England. But that didn’t stop him from agreeing to fly in for the event.
“He’s the best barbecue chef in the world,” Bernard said.
Unfortunately, his plane was delayed, so he didn’t arrive in New York City until 4 a.m. on Friday. In the meantime, his staff from Daisy May’s BBQ on 11th Ave. started preparing the barbecue at 10 p.m. on Thursday because one of them said, “slow and low” is the key.
Lang also recently published “Serious Barbecue,” which is available wherever books are sold.
Back in the New York Groove: “We are very excited and proud to be back in New York City at Madison Square Garden for our fourth year,” said nine-time World Champion Ty Murray. “The way New York City has embraced us has been overwhelming.”
In fact, during the Friday morning press conference, Bernard recalled how four years ago he was told not to try and stage a Built Ford Tough Series event at Madison Square Garden because allegedly there aren’t any bull riding fans in Manhattan.
“Here we are four years later, and folks, I have to be honest with you,” he said, “the way the press has treated us in New York and welcomed us is why we’re still here four years later.”
Murray added, “We love it and this is the stop that we really look forward to coming to.”
Event Center: Follow all the action from New York City by logging on to www.pbr.com and entering the “Event Center,” which is accessible from the a tab located at the top of the main Web page. The “Event Center” provides live scoring, live blogging and event-related Podcasts and interviews.
Lostroh, Mauney up to the Challenge: The two will go head-to-head in a $10,000 winner-take-all challenge immediately following the opening round in Sacramento. The rider with the highest score or lowest buckoff time will have first pick between Troubadour and Necessary Evil.
PBR NOW on RFD-TV: Hosted by J.W. Hart and Justin McBride, “PBR NOW” is a weekly live one-hour TV series that debuts on RFD on Thursday, Jan. 14. The format is similar to ESPN’s wildly popular “Mike & Mike in the Morning.”
Hart said that he and McBride are going to “take calls from viewers…whoever wants to call in and complain, if they want to brag or compliment, ask questions. We’re going to be there to answer them. We’re going to stir the pot a little bit and cause a little trouble and see what happens.”
New PBR poll: This week’s poll on the homepage asks the question: What would you think if Flint didn’t wear his traditional face paint while entertaining live at PBR events? Be sure to cast your vote. Flint will be blogging about the topic next week.
