SAO JOSE DO RIO PRETO, Brazil – Following day one of the PBR Teams combine in Icem, Brazil, Florida Freedom head coach Paulo Crimber seemed disappointed.
“A lot of guys were making six-second rides, and then they were looking off and jumping off before the 8 seconds,” Crimber said. “That’s a culture that’s going to have to be fixed, but I see a lot of talented guys.”
Turns out, Crimber wasn’t the only coach concerned with the numbers. There were 28 qualified rides out of 92 attempts resulting in a 30.43% riding percentage. Of the 64 attempts that were not qualified rides, three riders lasted 6.5-7 seconds, seven riders lasted 7-7.5 seconds, and three riders lasted 7.5-8 seconds. That means 20% (13 of 64) bucked off after 6.5 seconds, while 16% (10 of 64) bucked off after 7 seconds.
According to Ken Lehner, Vice President of PBR Teams, riders may have considered the combine along the lines of a practice pen. When practicing in Brazil, riders are taught to jump off if they’ve dominated a bull for five or six seconds.
That’s not how things go in the U.S., and Missouri Thunder head coach Ross Coleman kicked off day two in Icem with a few words about it.
“I want to tell you guys that we’re here for you,” Coleman said with Crimber translating. “We’re not here for bucking bulls. We’re here for bull riders. And in the real world of bull riding, especially when you come to America, we don’t ride bulls for five or six or seven seconds. We ride them for 10 to 12 seconds. So when you hear the whistle when you’re riding your bull, don’t be afraid to spur him three, four more seconds, and get off when you want to get off.
“In reality, it’s your choice, if you guys want to be real cowboys, you want to change your life and go to America one day, I highly advise you to make sure that you’re here for you. Not for any bulls, not because of any other plans or whiners or guys making excuses. It’s a great opportunity here with the PBR. The PBR has the ability to change your life, and that’s your choice to make.”
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Before the riding kicked off, Carolina Cowboys assistant coach Robson Palermo said a few more words in Portuguese and even climbed on a bull in the chute to demonstrate his point.
While it was a simple cultural difference, the riders got the message, and the energy was palpably different on day two.
“I didn’t want to try to get over here and start coaching on these guys. They’re not even on a team yet,” Coleman said later on with a wry smile. “But the whole rumor of yesterday was just that it was pretty disappointing. They know they see potential, and some great, athletic, good bull riders for about five seconds on a lot of easier bulls. So we kind of had a meeting or two about it, and we just thought we’d try to talk to them about it before we started riding bulls today and try to let them understand that they’ve got a choice to make, and if they want to be real, if they want to change their life, they might want to ride better. And I think they rode a little better.
“But that’s just the same stuff we talked about at home with the bull riders on my team, and all these coaches talk about it a lot. We’re here for bull riders. We’re not here to train bulls – we’re here to train bull riders. We want to see potential great bull riders, and we’re working at it.”
Coleman appreciates the toughness of Brazilian riders who haven’t had it easy in life, and he’s excited by the possibility that this combine could be the first step in them changing their lives forever.
“Could you imagine if it does change their lives?” he said. “We’ve got to see Silvano Alves, Adriano Moraes – all these superstar Brazilian guys that have done nothing but change their life because of what they’ve done in the arena. And that’s what’s so great about the PBR, is that you get paid if you win, and those guys got paid a bunch because they won a bunch. But it’s changed their life.
“If you’re going to be in the PBR, if you’re good enough, you’re going to go change your life. PBR is a riding contest. It’s not a drawing contest. And the reason why the PBR started is so the best rider would be the one who wins.”
Even with the bumps in the road, Coleman expects to see some of the riders on hand in Icem selected in the 2025 PBR Teams draft in May.
“I think there’s a couple of young kids we’re looking at that look like they might have potential one day,” Coleman said. “But a couple of older guys are kind of getting ready. If they do make it to America, they’ll be tested. It might not happen overnight, but there’s a handful of them that look like they have potential.”
RIDER SPOTLIGHT
The youngest kid of the bunch in Icem is Gabriel Henrique da Silva, who’s garnered interest from several teams. At just 17 years old, he’ll turn 18 just before the draft, so the PBR Teams combine was his first-ever PBR event.
“It brings the pressure because I never experienced nothing like this,” Silva said with Jeremias Moraes translating. “Everything is so organized and it’s all so new for me. So it’s experience.”
Silva has been riding bulls for two years but started on calves when he was 6. His father, who was his chaperone in Icem, used to be a professional bull rider and is the one who got him started in the sport.
“My father was always my big inspiration, but also my brothers, my uncles – they all rode, so I grew up with them teaching me and taking me to bull ridings,” Silva said. “But my big inspiration is my father.”
Growing up in a family of bull riders, Silva says, is what’s helped him to be so talented at such a young age.
“All the help I have, my father, my uncles, my brothers – if I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be where I am,” he said.
Riding in front of so many Brazilian bull riding legends-turned-coaches is a daunting task at his first PBR event, despite his lifetime spent around bull riders.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but my father got me used to pressure with hanging around with big bull riders, famous bull riders,” Silva said. “But still, a lot of pressure.”
Despite the nerves, Silva is ready for a big move to the United States and is laser-focused on his goals. If he gets drafted in May, he could be in the U.S. as early as this fall, at just 18 years old.
“I’m not afraid because this is my dream, and not only mine, but my family’s,” he said. “So it’s what I want.”
Round 3 Results
1. Rafael Silvio de Oliveira – 84.5
2. Jhon Carlos Moreira – 84.25
3. Douglas da Silva – 84
4. Gean Carlos da Silva – 83.75
5. Pablo Soares – 83.5
6. Rafael Pereira – 82.75
7. Zilmar Rocha – 82.5
8. Joao Vitor dos Santos – 78.25
9. Valdenilson Pereira – 77.5
10. Fabricio Gomes – 73.25
11. Joao Victor dos Santos – 72
12. Uemerson dos Santos – 70.25
13. Rafael Lana de Lana – 69.5
14. Tales Xavier – 68
15. Mario de Negri – 66
Round 4 Results
1. Jhon Carlos Moreira – 86.25
2. Elzisclay dos Santos – 85
3. Geovani do Nascimento – 84.5
4. Douglas Da Silva – 84
5. Uemerson dos Santos – 83.75
6. Eudimar Novais – 82.75
7. Rafael Lana de Lana – 82.5
8. Romario Domingos – 82.5
9. Pablo Soares – 80.5
10. Alex Oliveira – 80.5
11. Willian Teixeira – 80.5
12. Jhoanderson Botto – 79.5
13. Valdenilson Pereira – 79
Photo courtesy of PBR Brazil
