FAIRFAX, Va. – Lonnie West could likely ride with his partially dislocated left shoulder, but the 23-year-old wants to be cautious and smart with so many opportunities awaiting him north of the border.
West injured his shoulder Saturday night during Round 1 of the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational when Stealing Thunder reared back leaving the bucking chute and yanked West forward, twisting his left riding arm in the process.
“Yeah, I don’t really know,” West said. “Bull reared up like a bareback horse. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I thought I was going to completely fall off the back. Then as soon as he came down, I was three feet off my rope. I knew it wasn’t going to be good. That’s when I felt it, too.”
The Cadogan, Alberta, bull rider was evaluated in the PBR Sports Medicine room by Dr. Tandy Freeman, where he learned he dislocated his shoulder. West was unable to take his re-ride option.
It is the second time in the past 16 days that West has hurt that left shoulder. West said he previously injured it on Sept. 5 during his PBR Canada Touring Pro Division victory in Magrath, Alberta.
“I’ve got to talk to Tandy more about it,” West said. “It looked the same, but I didn’t feel it come out. They felt around in it and it’s real loose. So everything’s kind of loosened up, and I’m going to have to take some time off to probably tighten it up. The only good thing, really, is it’s my riding arm, not my free arm, so there’s not a whole lot of movement. That’s probably why it hasn’t been coming out. So you can brace that shit and whatnot.”
West wants to be safe with the shoulder because of the opportunities that await him in Canada.
Not only is he seventh in the PBR Canada standings and in contention for the PBR Canada championship, but he is also on the path to qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo in the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association. West is sitting in sixth place in the CPRA standings.
The PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino, is set for Nov. 22-23 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
“No, I won’t piss around with it,” West said of his shoulder. “I don’t want to make anything worse. I’ve got the Canadian Finals made, and the PBR Canada Finals too, so I’ll probably just try and rest up and be smart about it.”
West is undecided if will get an MRI back home in Canada this week.
It has been an up and down of season for West, who has battled of series of injuries, including a broken leg at the 2019 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy.
West is ranked No. 82 in the world standings and is 17-for-59 (28.81%) this year at all levels of competition.
“A little bit frustrating,” West said. “Just take it for what it is. I’m still on the right side of there, so yeah, I’m a little frustrated.”
However, West knows a PBR Canada title would change everything about his 2019 campaign.
“That’d be huge,” West said. “It does wonders for guys’ careers. You’ve seen in the past, the guys you look up to, they’ve got their name on that. So joining them would be something big for me.”
Two-time World Champion J.B Mauney was unable to take his re-ride in Round 1 because of a concussion.
Mauney was slammed by Podunk in 5.39 seconds inside EagleBank Arena.
Freeman officially has Mauney listed as questionable for Championship Sunday, and Mauney will need to go through the PBR’s concussion protocol to be cleared to ride.
Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves was released from Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday afternoon after spending close to seven days there because of a ruptured kidney.
Alves sustained the injury last week during Round 2 of the PFIWestern.com Invitational when Southern Style stepped on him.
The 31-year-old had two different procedures done after he was admitted to the hospital last Saturday night, including having a ureter stent inserted on Thursday afternoon.
Alves and his wife, Evelin, were on their way to Oklahoma City on Saturday night before finishing their drive home to Decatur, Texas, on Sunday. Silvano will then have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Freeman on Monday or Tuesday and get referred to a Dallas-area urologist.
The Alves’ family expressed their gratitude for everyone’s thoughts and prayers in the past week.
Alves is expected to be out of competition for three to six months.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko