Austin Gamblers’ Jose Vitor Leme gets right back to work Monday night in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Gaffney: 'What an anchor, what an athlete. We’re really lucky to have him.'
PUEBLO, Colo. – On an opening night which featured the league’s third-ever double-shutout, a triumphant return from Carolina Cowboys’ ace Daylon Swearingen and some sizable contributions from several first-year PBR Teams riders, including Nick Tetz, Elizmar Jeremias and company, fans had several storylines to keep their eyes on during the season-opening round of action.
Add in a beautiful summer evening in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the ever-revered Cheyenne Frontier Days, aka “The Daddy of Them All,” and you’ve got yourself a magnificent setup for the best bull riders in the world to make their return to the PBR Camping World Teams Series at.
There just something special about a well-marketed, outdoor bull riding on a late July night.
Living legends don’t need a perfect scenario to find success, though. Our sport’s special athletes don’t need a season-opening event or a game-clinching scenario to motivate them. The urge to dominate is already coursing through their veins.
Needing no introduction, a certain two-time World Champion repping the Austin Gamblers’ green and black welcomed himself back to the 5-on-5 format Monday evening during a matchup against the Kansas City Outlaws.
Providing some of the biggest fireworks of the evening, defending 2022 PBR Teams Most Valuable Player Jose Vitor Leme showed up to the season kickoff event the only way he knows how: With an epic, 90-point ride.
With Wingson Henrique da Silva recording a respectable 88.25-point out aboard I’m Legit Too to start things off for Kansas City, Leme’s teammate Dalton Kasel had the opportunity to remind fans about his own skillset.
Making easy work of his animal athlete, Whatever, each team had one ride score apiece, but it was the Outlaws who stood atop the leaderboard with a slight 88.25-86.5 advantage.
Seeing each team’s next three riders hit the dirt prior to the requisite 8, it’s almost as if the scriptwriters were setting this one up for some late-game Leme heroics as the game wound down to the final participant, the man himself.
Needing any type of score to lift Austin past the Outlaws, Leme readied as the anxious crowd made some noise for the storied rider.
RELATED: 2022 PBR Teams’ MVP Jose Vitor Leme leads Gamblers to victory over Outlaws
Exploding from the chutes, Leme remained in control for the entire duration, riding his bovine counterpart Red River to the right for an explosive 90.5-point mark.
Austin Gamblers: Jose Vitor Leme rides Red River for 90.5 points
Jose Vitor Lemerides Red River for 90.5 points in Game 3 of the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series event at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY
Earning the first ride 90-point ride of the season, the team captain recaptured the lead for the Gamblers and eventually clinched the win during the first game of the year, as Kansas City’s Bob Mitchell wasn’t able to get the job done paired with Commander, edging the orange and black squad 177-88.25.
“That’s exactly it, the punctuation mark. When we have him, I mean what an arsenal, to have him in the lineup,” Austin Gamblers Head Coach Michael Gaffney shared following the game.
“Just knowing that you’ve got him and to have him come through in the clutch every time, knowing that we’ve got to get a score, he’s there. What an anchor, what an athlete. We’re really lucky to have him.”
While fans, riders and his teammates alike generally expect Leme to exit any given matchup with a qualified ride, it wasn’t so long ago that the talented Brazilian posted a 2-for-8, eighth-place finish at the 2023 World Finals: Unleash The Beast in Fort Worth, Texas.
Despite missing parts of the premier series season due to injury, Leme was able to return to action the weekend prior to the season-culminating event, in Louisville, Kentucky, before ending the season ranked No. 2 overall, seeing Rafael Jose de Brito string together an insane performance en route to capturing his respective triple-threat feat.
“We’re just excited to get this first one under our belt,” Gaffney shared.
“It’s always a little bit more nerve-wrecking (during the season-opener), well we’re nervous all year, but extra nervous coming out of the gate. We rode two bulls and we got the win.”
Gaffney and the Gamblers (1-0) are set to take on the Missouri Thunder (0-1) Tuesday night at Cheyenne Frontier Days as the squad looks to stay perfect early into its second trip around the circuit.
“Coming into tomorrow, every one of us should feel great because there was focus tonight,” Gaffney concluded.
Refusing to concentrate on Tuesday’s potential first-ever “Extra Outs” toe-breaking format, the Gamblers will first need to finish their opening weekend with a flawless record before worrying about any of the extra noise.
“I don’t want them obsessing on anything, just obsessing on their hard work and hard try that they put forth tonight. Come in here tomorrow night fresh overall, a few bumps and bruises, but overall, we’re feeling good, so I just want them to nod their head, enjoy themselves and enjoy the battle.”
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media