ATLANTA - On the eve of the first of four stadium events,
J.B. Mauney said, "I try to stay calm before I get
on and just relax."
The No. 1 bull rider in the world added, "When you're at a big
deal like that and you do make a good ride, it's like being on the
top of the mountain."
Mauney is a mere 39.25 points ahead of Valdiron de
Oliveira, and is looking forward to the change of pace
from the normal grind of the Built Ford Tough Series. This week's
one-day event in Atlanta will take place at the Georgia Dome. Said
Mauney: "Any time you go to a big place like that, it pumps you up
a little bit more."
The format this week, and next week in Houston, is one in which
anyone with a qualified ride in the long round moves on to the
Built Ford Tough Championship Round. The winner is determined by
the highest cumulative score on two bulls.
Unlike the final two stadium events in Arlington, Texas, and
Detroit, the first two are set up such that any rider offered a
re-ride is almost certain to take the option.
'Any time you go to a big place like that, it
pumps you up a little bit more.'
"They run 'em in there and you keep getting on," Mauney said.
"At that type of deal, you want to be as many points as you can on
two bulls."
GO BIG OR GO HOME: The Professional Bull Riders
Built Ford Tough Series Stadium Series officially begins with the
Atlanta Invitational at the Georgia Dome. The Stadium Tour will
travel to Reliant Stadium in Houston on Feb. 25; Cowboys Stadium in
Arlington, Texas, for the Dickies Iron Cowboy III presented by
WinStar World Casino on March 3; and Ford Field in Detroit for Last
Cowboy Standing on March 10.
GEORGIA, SWEET GEORGIA: This is the fifth time
that Atlanta has hosted the PBR, but the first time since 2007. The
BFTS competed the last two years and three times overall at the
Gwinnett Center in nearby Duluth, and Columbus hosted the BFTS for
three years from 1999-2001. Atlanta is the seventh of 28 stops for
the BFTS, which will visit 23 states before the World Finals in Las
Vegas on Oct. 24-28.
Guilherme Marchi is no stranger to success in Georgia. He
won the event in Duluth in 2010.
WHAT IF?: In addition to being a World Champion,
Guilherme Marchi is known for joking around in the
locker room and during interviews. When asked about the format for
Atlanta and Houston, the 2008 champ said, "Maybe everybody is going
to ride 35 bulls and make the short go. Just kidding."
On a serious note, Marchi said the stadium series is "good for the
sport" and that the PBR works hard to put on big events, which are
nothing new to him and fellow Brazilians. Many of the Brahma Super
Bull events in Brazil draw 25,000 to 30,000 fans. "I love the
people," he said.
Kody Lostroh, who like Marchi is both a former
champion and a jokester, talked about the size of the Georgia Dome
and the other stadium venues. He said, "You're indoors, but feel
like you're outside there's so much space around you. It doesn't
feel like a building should be that big. There's a good energy
there."
BRICK BY BRICK: L.J. Jenkins, who has competed
the past two years at Cowboys Stadium, said he thought an entire
four-event Stadium Tour is "opening up the sport to a new level. I
think it's only going to help the sport."
'When I started riding I was 6 years old, and I
never dreamed I would be where I am today. I grew up watching the
PBR thinking that was the best. Now that I'm older, on tour, the
sport has reached a new level.'
Last week, he talked about being aware of great athletes from
throughout the sports world who have competed in all four venues.
He said, "When you sit down and think about it, a lot of people
would love to have that opportunity.
"When I started riding I was 6 years old, and I never dreamed I
would be where I am today. I grew up watching the PBR thinking that
was the best. Now that I'm older, on tour, the sport has reached a
new level."
DEBUT ALERT: Blaine Skaggs will be making his
BFTS debut on Saturday. The 21-year-old from Hubbard, Ore.,
qualified for Atlanta after finishing first at the Lucas Oil
Touring Pro Division event on Feb. 11 in Yakima, Wash. Skaggs was
the only rider to cover two bulls at the event.
POWER RANKINGS: Based on the past five BFTS
events (Anaheim, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.;
Baltimore; and Oklahoma City), the Power Rankings measure rider
efficiency using a variety of statistics, including, but not
limited to, wins, riding percentage, scores, and bulls. The current
rankings are: 1. Mauney, 94.25; 2. Austin
Meier, 91.82; 3. Oliveira, 91.12; 4.
Marchi, 88.78; 5. Jordan Hupp,
87.01; 6. Marco Eguche, 86.31; 7. Ryan
Dirteater, 85.51; 8. Aaron Roy, 84.59; 9.
Stormy Wing, 83.75; 10. Lostroh,
83.66.
TOP FIVE RIDES OF 2012: 1.
Oliveira and Buckey, 94 points
(Sacramento); T2. Eguche and
Priceless, 92.25 points (Sacramento); T2.
Meier and Shepherd Hills Trapper,
92.25 points (Sacramento); T2. Mauney and
RMEF Gunpowder & Lead, 92.25 points
(Baltimore); T2. Mauney and Smackdown, 92.25
points (Oklahoma City).
BUSHWACKER SCHEDULED TO RETURN IN ARLINGTON: The
2011 PBR World Champion Bull is scheduled to return on March 3 at
Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Bushwacker had surgery on Jan. 3 to
remove bone fragments from his back right leg. Dr. Gary
Warner, who performed the procedure, also removed some
small bone chips from his back left leg.
TV GUIDE: The action from Atlanta will be
televised in HD on NBC Sports Network, formerly Versus, at 9 p.m.
ET this Saturday, Feb. 18. There will be an encore airing at 11:59
p.m. ET as well. Veteran broadcaster Craig Hummer
will provide the play-by-play. Color commentary will be provided by
PBR Ring of Honor member J.W. Hart, and dirt-level
interviews will be handled by Leah Garcia.
LIVE EVENT CENTER: Follow all the action from
this week's BFTS event by logging on to the Event Center at www.pbr.com/live. The
multimedia center provides in-arena audio and video, live scoring,
live blogging and event-related interviews.
