Behind the chutes: Glendale
Jenkins takes a risk, reaps the reward
GLENDALE, Ariz. (March 15, 2010) - Some shook their heads in disbelief. Others wondered aloud: “Why?”
Why would L.J. Jenkins pick Voodoo Child – a bull who had only been ridden once in 34 outs on the Built Ford Tough Series – when there were 10 other bulls to choose from? Why would he choose a bull who had bucked him off two weeks earlier in just 4.5 seconds?
“Everybody’s been wondering why keep picking him,” Jenkins said after riding Voodoo Child for 94 points to win the Glendale Invitational, “but I knew something that everybody else didn’t. I knew I could ride the bull.
“Even if it took me 10 times, I was going to keep picking him, and now that I know how to ride him, I’ll just keep picking him anyway.”
There was another person inside the Jobing.com Arena who had just as much faith as Jenkins himself: Justin McBride, who happens to be the only other rider to earn a qualified score on Voodoo Child.
“I’ve made it pretty well known on the broadcast and different places that I thought L.J. was one of the few guys that could ride the bull,” McBride said. “L.J. understands the mechanics of bull riding well enough that on a bull like Voodoo Child, he’s supposed to be able to ride him.”
Voodoo’s known to take one strong jump out of the chute, then immediately start spinning, but he’s up-and-down the whole time, and never flattens out or weakens.
“You gotta ride him like a jump kicker more than anything, because he moves ahead so much,” Jenkins explained, “and stay loose. It took me two tries to figure all that out, but I got it figured out.”
“That’s what you’re looking for,” McBride added. “That’s what you learn to ride on, right there.”
The win has been a long time coming for Jenkins, who last won a BFTS event in 2008 when he finished first in Albuquerque.
It’s the sixth time in 12 events that Jenkins has qualified for the short go in 2010, and he’s now covered four of the six bulls he’s chosen there.
His 66-percent average in what some affectionately refer to as the money round – Jenkins won a total of $28,643.40 this weekend – is 16 percent higher than his season average of 50 percent, which is up just over 4 percent from his career average of 45.9 percent.
The win catapulted Jenkins into the Top 10 in the world. He’s now within 1,457.25 points of leader J.B. Mauney, and less than 500 points from breaking into the Top 5.
With No. 2 rider Valdiron de Oliveira out with an injury, Mauney failed to capitalize, going 1-for-2 and gaining just 83 points on his closest rival. World No. 3 Austin Meier wasn’t able to gain any ground at all. After winning last week in Kansas City, Meier came down early on both bulls in Glendale as the Top 4 remained virtually unchanged.
But it was Jenkins who used the highest marked ride of his career to leapfrog four other riders in the average and win the event.
“It felt awesome,” Jenkins said. “I had never been 94 in my life. This is sure going to go down as my best ride ever.”
It took nearly every one of those points for the New Mexico native to beat out Aaron Roy, who finished a half-point behind in second place. Roy came into the final round first in the average and selected RMEF Bugle with the first pick.
“I picked one I thought I could ride,” said Roy. “It just turns out I needed to be a little more points.
“Coming into the short round in first, you gotta pick one you know you can ride. I’m happy with the pick that I had. But, yeah, L.J. was better rider today on Voodoo.”
Rounding out the Top 5 in Glendale were Dustin Elliott, Guilherme Marchi and Renato Nunes, whose exclusion from the World Cup seemed to be the big story the entire weekend.
Next week, the BFTS will be in Fresno, Calif., for the Table Mountain Casino Invitational. The two-day event takes place Friday and Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.
NEWS and NOTES
Medical update: One day after winning the opening round in Glendale, Kody Lostroh dislocated his left riding shoulder. According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, Lostroh has had some problems with the shoulder in the past, “but it’s never been completely out.”
The reigning champ will be examined more thoroughly this week. Freeman said if X-rays show there isn’t a fracture, Lostroh will have to choose between non-operative treatment or go with surgery.
“I can’t tell you which way he’s leaning right now,” said Freeman, in an interview posted at the PBR.COM Live Event Center for the Glendale event. “We’ve talked about what his options are, and he’s going to have to see how he feels and what he wants to try and do.
“The earliest he could possibly be back within reason – and sometimes reason doesn’t fit in to when these guys come back – but the earliest he could be back within reason would be a couple of weeks, and quite honestly, anything before four to six weeks is probably pushing it.
“If he has surgery he’s out for six months. Quite honestly, that might be an option that he takes, depending on whether he wants to do something with his elbow during that time or not. He’s got some decisions to make, but there’s more information that we have to be able to gather first.”
As surprised as anyone: “It surprised me because Renato is No. 6 right now,” said Guilherme Marchi, when asked Sunday morning about Adriano Moraes’ decision by to leave Nunes off of this year’s World Cup roster.
Marchi, the 2008 World Champion and longtime anchor of the Brazilian team, added that “Renato is a good guy” and that he hopes “Adriano changes his mind.”
The complete team rosters were announced Saturday night; however, the captains have the discretion to change the roster until a week out from the event. Moraes, who had to replace Valdiron de Oliveira because of an injury to his shoulder, will go with Marchi and Robson Palermo along with three relative unknows — Fabiano Vieira, Silvano Alves and Edimundo Gomes.
“(Moraes is) the coach,” said Marchi, who was outwardly saddened by the entire turn of events. “He picks who he wants to pick. He picks what works for him, but in my position I would pick Renato.”
Marchi said he’s unsure what happened between Moaraes and Nunes, and indicated the two are friends and talk regularly on the phone. To lighten the mood, Marchi ended the conversation by joking, “I hope Brazil kicks United States butt this year.”
A name for himself: Midway through his first full season on the BFTS, Voodoo Child was simply known among the top riders in the world as “the spotted bull.” After L.J. Jenkins rode him Sunday afternoon for 94 points, Justin McBride recalled the Sunday afternoon in 2008 that he rode him.
McBride and Mike White had back-to-back picks going into the short round in Tulsa, Okla., when White asked the two-time Champion which bull he was thinking about selecting. McBride said he was going with “either the big red bull or the spotted bull.”
The red bull was Troubadour, and the spotted bull, Voodoo Child.
According to McBride, White didn’t want anything to with Voodoo Child. “I said, ‘Well, then you get on the red bull and I’ll get on the spotted bull,’” he recalled. “I really didn’t care.”
McBride rode Voodoo Child for 94.5 points and the event win, while White rode Troubadour for 95.75 points. Some have since said they thought White’s ride may have been the greatest ever. The 2008 event in Tulsa is among the best in PBR history, and that particular short round is among the greatest rounds of all time.
“It goes down, to me, as one of the best of a handful of events that I got to witness,” McBride said.
—by Keith Ryan CartwrightWatch Jenkins’ 94 point ride on Voodoo Child
Listen to LJ Jenkins speak exclusively to Keith Ryan Cartwright following his ride on Voodoo Child.
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i dont think that anyone out there is not proud of LJ for that incredible ride. and it made me so happy to see sandy (his mother) there happy and most of all healthy. and it dont matter what seats you get, as long as youre there. to all the riders, good luck, stay safe, and God Bless.
-
Badbill507
March 17, 2010Way off the subject here, but it's a question I have been unable to get an answer to for several years.
We've been PBR fan club members for many years. We love going to the finals. But the first year we intended to go, we couldn't find out how to get decent seats. In the end, we found someone who had tickets to good seats but couldn't attend, and bought theirs. The second year we tried again through PBR to get good seats, but couldn't. We bought half-decent seats through a re-seller, and paid through the nose for them. This year we tried again, WAY EARLY, and PBR said "Sorry - youv'e gotta buy your seats from Thomas & Mack." All they ever have is binocular seats.
Can anyone tell me how & when one goes about getting decent finals seats at a decent price?
THANKS!
Bill McBride (NO relation to Justin - if I was, maybe THAT would be the key!) -
webpbr
March 16, 2010jason - you can go to the PBR forums and they have boards there that you can write on. You can find that by going to the PBR Fan Club tap at the top. Click on that and then click on forums. Also, on the fantasy area (tab at the top), there is a "discuss" section. So, there are places on the PBR site to write as much as you want. The comment section is a little more controversial, the forums are not. The discuss area in the fantasy section is both. -
jason_c_adam
March 16, 2010Thanks joan. I wish there was a better way for all of us to be able to share our thoughts on the PBR, so that there aren't so many blogs, but that's what we have right now. We really need a message board . -
ilikepie
March 16, 2010i miss "the big red bull":( -
joan0711
March 16, 2010jason_c_adam, Jason that is a great article about JB...I really enjoyed reading it.
Very very good.
I guess I can't get RFD-TV. I have Time Warner and I haven't found it yet. -
Joan Simpson
March 16, 2010I have Time Warner. Is it on there? -
jason_c_adam
March 16, 2010RFD-TV is its own channel on DirecTV and Dish, but it is not offered by Uverse. -
cowgirlupdeb
March 16, 2010RFD TV is a separate channel. Comcast doesn't carry it (at least not in Seattle), but Direct TV does (so does Dish).
I had called Direct TV about putting in a new box, but told them I wouldn't make any contract commitments till they had Versus back. The cust. serv. person said they had a lot of people telling them that and he was sending a note to the head office. In my contacts with them it sounds like dropping Versus was a serious problem, hope they don't do it again. -
Joan Simpson
March 16, 2010Is RFD-TV on the versus channel? I want to watch it. -
Shannon K
March 16, 2010jason_c_adam: Thanks for the link! -
jason_c_adam
March 16, 2010ShannonK: Here is the address for the videos of the Touring Pro Event in San Antonio.
www.cowboysdancehall.com/San-Antonio/Bull-Riding/
Keith: Can't wait to see it. Check mine out when you get a chance. I do it a little bit different than you do, but we have a lot of the same names.
Cowgirlupdeb: Thanks for the info. on the situation with DirecTV. My wife is calling today to get prices. Can't wait to have VS. and RFD-TV. -
alade3746
March 16, 2010That figures! I had to wait until mid January to make the switch to Dish so I could watch PBR again. And now DirecTV puts it back on. Oh well, we're actually happier with Dish anyway. It would be interesting to know how many customers DirecTV lost to Dish because of their dropping Versus, and how many will never go back to them having already made the switch. Enjoyed the piece about Mike White's ride on Troubador. What a great ride that was. I have a photo of that ride that Mike was kind enough to autograph for me last fall in Columbus. I will treasure it for years to come. Have a nice week everyone! -
cowgirlupdeb
March 16, 2010Jason - I talked with Direct TV yesterday. They said it is included in the Choice xtra package (about $5.00/mo more than plain Choice). I was getting versus in HD before, but don't know if it is in HD now. I have Choice plus DVR and it is included in that package. -
Keith Ryan Cartwright
March 16, 2010And I didn't think anyone noticed. I've been waiting for the full World Cup rosters to be announced so on Friday look for those power rankings to come out. In the meantime, without any explination a quick look at my current Top 5 rankings: 1. Austin Meier; 2. J.B. Mauney; 3. McKennon Wimberly; 4. Jody Newberry; 5. Renato Nunes. -
janw44
March 16, 2010channel surfing last night also and versus is back on direct TV. Also saw the Glendale event
aired at 9:30pm. We were there at the live show and it was a great show. L.J.'s ride was
super. Go L.J -
Shannon K
March 15, 2010jason_c_adam: Where were you able to find video of Black Pearl's out at the Touring Pro event in San Antonio? -
cowcatcher
March 15, 2010I was channel surfing tonight and there it was. VS is back on direct tv as we speak. I held out and didn't switch. -
jason_c_adam
March 15, 2010DirecTV folks:
Is VS. included in all packages?
What about VS. HD?
I have AT&T UVerse, and get VS. with my normal package, but I would like to switch to DirecTV if VS. is a "standard" channel (ie. available on the "Choice" package).
Thanks for any help. -
jason_c_adam
March 15, 2010Since KRC hasn't kept up his end of the bargain on his "Power Rankings", I have posted my personal March (Post Iron Cowboy) power rankings, if anyone is interested.
www.jasonspbrblog.blogspot.com -
shamelessbrat
March 15, 2010I had heard rumors that Versus would be back on Direct TV sometime in March, but one never
really knows.
Anyways, congrats to all those that stuck it out & waited on Comcast to let Direct TV
air Versus once again.
Let me see, should be a couple of years before they pull the same thing with Dish Network again......that's how its happened the last few times anyways. Every couple of years
Comcast gets a bug up their nose & uses one of the satellite providers as a Kleenex. -
Shannon K
March 15, 2010What great news for you guys who have DirecTV! Too bad you'll only see one night of action this coming weekend...but at least it will be something! -
lostroh_fan_86
March 15, 2010Turned my TV to 603 today and realized that I had Versus again! Awsome...it's about time! -
Cowboy Dave
March 15, 2010Awesome news Versus Returns to DirectTV today!!!! -
wojo62
March 15, 2010What a awesome picture, Voo Doo Child is vertical and LJ is perfectly in sync with him. Way to go LJ. -
TWTX
March 15, 2010Jinnohn - thanks for posting. Be !@#ured that Kody has an army of fans being prayer
warriors for him right now! -
littlegal
March 15, 2010
Kody has been riding hurt and should of taken time off to heal a little. Cannot blame Charlie
that is his thing to get the guy off his back as soon as possible and try to give him a litte
of don't do that again touch
Jenkins had a wonderful ride, but that is why I am against the cowboys getting to choose your
bull in the short go. They can choose the bul over and over and get to know his every move
it was better to me and more interesting when they were computer chosen and the cowboy
did not know what bull he had until they announced it. JMO To me the draft is getting boring
It's like if you want that bull, I'll take this one etc. -
TWTX
March 15, 2010I love this sport, but sometimes wonder why??? I hate to see any of the riders in pain and
some of the wrecks are just horrid! I too hated seeing Kody get twisted around and then
watching him walking back, with !@#istance, in such pain. Even in the locker room you could
tell he was in pain. So many of the riders are hurting right now. I know that Cody
Campbell has a broken bone in his riding hand. In St. Louis I talked to him and he showed me his
hand and it looked swollen and a little purple. I see him holding it every time he walks
off. The announcers never mention his injury, as well as many others that are hurting. It
would be a very wonderful place if we could be guaranteed to watch the bull riding and no
one ever got hurt...but such is life and such a life these young men have chosen. Many
prayers going out for all the riders. -
cowgirlupdeb
March 15, 2010Off topic - Versus is back on Direct TV as of 10 minutes ago!!!!!! Thought you would want to know. -
Joan Simpson
March 15, 2010They have said that JB's elbow is bruised. I sure hope it is not anything more serious. I do know even in Winston Salem he had both elbows iced up.
This is such a dangerous sport one event you can be up and riding anything and then have so much happen in just one ride.
Last year at a Challenger event LJ had all of his teeth knocked out. When I read that I was just amazed that they ride with so much to risk and the pain they go through.
A very humbling sport for sure. -
cactus-sue
March 15, 2010Thanks for the insight webpbr!
Rez, I agree with all you said! when Charlie was stomping around Kody's head, I was just screaming! But you are right, watching him walk, with Tandy holding him up, was so painful - for him and us the viewers!!!! I can't imagine how his wife and family felt watching this on tv, if they were not there in person - yikes!
Yeah, I trust his judgment too, webpbr, lots of prayer will surround his decision!
Hope JB is feeling better soon!
It's great to have fo;lks like you to share these ups and downs with! -
webpbr
March 15, 2010Cactus-Sue - I think he hurt it when we were in St. Louis. However, I am not exactly sure what is wrong with it. Other than saying he has a sore elbow, I don't think anybody, including anyone with the PBR has said what is wrong with the elbow. Does anyone know what is sore or if there is actually an injury?
I know Kody will give his situation alot of thought and prayer and whatever he decides, as a fan, I will trust his judgment.
Great rides by LJ, Dustin, Renato, Marchi, Aaron. I can tell you for a fact, after a conversation with LJ's dad, he does not believe that you have to ride the rankest bull to win, as Justin McBride thinks. In regards to Voodoo Child, LJ was close several times and the more he rode him, the more he believed he could ride him. In other words, you won't see LJ picking Code Blue, or some others if he is at the top, because he understands it is a business and it is not about always picking the badest bulls. It is about winning and getting the check. -
reznibd
March 15, 2010He sprained it in St. Louis and it has been sort of wrapped since then, I think, but I'd have to check the injury rpt. to be sure. Yes, he's taped up and braced up and had a sinus infection this past weekend to boot, according to KRC, on the Event Tracker blog. Makes me sad :(
The Short Go--I thought the whole event was sort of a roller-coaster ride, cactus-sue. Lots of buck offs and then of coures, the wrecks. Kody's was horrible. I was so afraid that Charlie was going to stomp him once he got loose and was on the ground. If that weren't bad enough, we had to watch him walk the hallway to Sports Medicine with his arm hanging down in pain--geez.
Very happy for LJ, but sort of sad about Voodoo being covered. Kind of hoped he would remain unridden this year! Voodoo is such a handsome and talented boy :) -
cactus-sue
March 15, 2010Obviously, I missed it, but when did JB hurt his elbow? He's got quite a big brace on! -
cactus-sue
March 15, 2010That short-go last night was an emotional roller coaster! AMAZING ride on Voodoo Child for LJ! Couldn't be happier for him! HORRIBLE crash for Kody! Couldn't be sicker about it!
As much as it would make me miserable to see Kody out for so long, I hope he picks the right course of treatment, even if it is the surgery, shoulder and elbow. He needs to get healthy and come back strong!
Shannon, I too hope we hear something about Troubadour soon. That Charlie Bullware messes everybody up! -
Jinnohn
March 15, 2010We are distance realitives of Kody, here in Nebraska. We are praying for him to find the answers that he needs and we will all be wishing him well soon. -
reznibd
March 15, 2010Okay, well, I guess I know four of the five mbrs. of Team Brazil, which is actually better
than I first thought. The only one I'm unfamiliar with is Silvano Alves. Ultimately, it is
Adriano's decision, but if Rocky can make it work on Team Mexico. . . .
Maybe that's the operative word--"team"? To be on a team, a successful one, one has to agree
to be a team player, but still all we can do is speculate, because it really is between the
captain and his riders. -
Joan Simpson
March 15, 2010In 2008 that short round was amazing. the highest scores I have seen in a short round.
LJ riding Voodoo Child after so many years and outs that bull has had just put the icing on the cake last night. All of the last four riders were really great but the decision for LJ to pick Voodoo and knowing he would be able to ride that bull sooner or later and it turning out sooner made a good bull riding night.
I am sorry to hear of all of the injuries and only hope for the best for the guys in the coming weeks. I hope they can keep or move up or not move down in their spots when they are competeing with injuries and will be able to hold out until summer break to heal up. -
Shannon K
March 15, 2010"Renato Nunes...whose exclusion from the World Cup seemed to be the big story the entire weekend." How's that for an understatement? :)
Interesting info about how Mike and Justin came to pick Troubadour and Voodoo Child back in Tulsa. Talk about a couple of great riders and great bulls who combined for huge rides that weekend! I hope we get to see a few more big scores on Voodoo Child before all is said and done. I do hope all is well with Troubadour. I'd been hoping that, since Julio was there this weekend, Leah or someone would interview him or at least find out for us whether Troubadour is okay. Guess I'll hope again next week.
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March 19, 2010