COWBOY CROSSroads

September 2009 Issue

Welcome back, everyone!!! I will be the first to apologize for skipping out on you guys for the past two months or so.  Things have been a little crazy around here with me trying to finish summer school & restart my fall semester within a matter of two weeks, help develop paperwork & website information for our new Horizon series and be on the road for our fall CBR run.  This article will be a little different because I am going to try & back track some of the information you may have missed out on & try & catch you up to date.  Hopefully after this article at the beginning of October I will be back to my regular first on the month postings and try to start on board with all of the happenings in the CBR & bull riding world!!! Once again I am truly sorry for being behind on Cowboy CROSSroads!  Here we go~

• Douglas Duncan of Alvin, Texas has been home rehabilitating his knee & hip after going under the knife twice in on month.  Douglas had surgery on his knee first and then returned a month later to have surgery on his hip.  You may ask, well why didn’t he have it fixed all at one time.  Well the reason being is that the injuries were on opposite sides & he would not have been able to walk so he opted to have them a month apart.  Douglas has stayed busy hanging out with his friends & judging a few local bull ridings while getting prepared to return to the arena in November before heading to his second NFR experience in Las Vegas in December.
• Jay Byrd Morrow of Wayland, Iowa underwent surgery on July 7^th in Dallas, Texas to repair some bone spurs/injury to his hip area.  Jay was taken care of by fellow retired bull rider/CBR judge Layne McCasland where recovering here in Texas.  Jay traveled home for a few weeks and then went to Pittsburg, PA to undergo a pelvic/abdominal surgery repair which had enabled him to compete.  (Note: This was the same doctor that preformed the same exact surgery on World Champion Bull Rider, Matt Austin.) I talked with Jay the other day & he said that he had been working out trying to get back to compete at the CBR Finale in Kansas City, MO., later in October but things were going a little slower than planned.  So I guess we will have to wait & see if he will be ready to go for Kansas City or start 2010 with a bang!
• CBR Bull Fighters Matt Baldwin & Ray Clary along veteran CBR Bull Rider Dave Samsel hosted a Bull Fighter/Bull Riding school at the beautiful Sycamore Springs Ranch outside of Tulsa, OK.  The school was quite a success with 13 year-old, Shell Apple son of WW Livestock sales rep, Lee Ross Apple receiving the award for most improved student.  I will speak on behalf of the CBR Crew to say a “Thank You” to all of the fine people at Sycamore Springs Ranch & their fine facility.
• Congrats to CBR bull rider, Chad German of Hillsboro, Texas for capturing the College National Finals Bull Riding Champion title over the summer.  Chad is a member of the Hill College Rodeo Team! Way to go, Chad!
• Steve Woolsey of Payson, Utah got stepped on at a PRCA event two weeks ago & underwent surgery on September 10^th and will be out of competition until the NFR in Las Vegas in December.  It was really a weird deal. Steve thought he had broken his ankle, went & had x-rays that night and there were no fractures.  He went back to the doctor the following week for a follow-up and was told that if he did not have surgery he would end up crippled the rest of his life so there you have it.  I think it was some torn ligaments, but getting medical information out of these guys is worse than pulling teeth!!! They really hate it when they get hurt & I am around because I ask all the medical details!!! LOL
• Clint Craig of Mena, Arkansas injured his groin at a PRCA event in Washington.  Clint plans on taking 2-3 weeks off and plans on being in Lubbock, Texas for the CBR West Texas Shoot-Out event.
• Jarrod Craig seems to extend his CBR World Championship lead, but only by a small margin while Mexico’s star, Hugo Pedrero and South Dakota’s Ardie Maier play seesaw back & forth between second & third position.  The World title is going to come down to the CBR Kansas City Finale which should be awesome watching because the point system doubles at the Finale.  Tickets went on sale this week so be sure to check out our website or the American Royal Rodeo website for detailed information.
• .Bossier City, Louisiana was quite the success.  It was the break-out of all new things.  The CBR debuted it’s first ever Bull Team event with top honors going to Scott Burruss.  The CBR will feature the next Team event on October 17^th, in Lubbock, Texas so stay tuned for upcoming information.  Speaking of breaking out new things, that is exactly what Jake Littlefield of West Point, Mississippi did with his “signature 70’s hat”.  Jake walked in the Century Tel Center with his 10-gallon hat & took names while walking out with a 10-foot smile & the event title. Jake has captured the CBR/CMA Nashville Fan Fair Mechanical Bull Riding title the past two years but this is his first “real” event title! Congrats, Jake!
• While in Bossier City, Louisiana, Chad White hosted the CBR Bull Riders/ Staff to a fun filled day at the Louisiana Downs Race Track. Thanks again, Chad for all of the special treatment you give the CBR Crew!
• I would like to say a “Thank You” to Mike Langhman with Cain Creek Lodge for always providing the CBR staff with such a wonderful place to stay.  Actually, minus the snake that I stepped on outside & almost had a heart attack over!! Yes, Cody Sosebee & Brad Vogele thought it was so funny, but they did not have a snake head snapping at them!!!
• Thanks to Red Wilks Construction & Warren Barton and the 4-H arena crew for helping the CBR out while in Huron, South Dokata.
• It was an event for the “C’s”as Cooper Kanngiesser & Clint Craig came away with the two event wins in Huron, South Dakota.  This one is a must see on GAC because you will not want to miss Clint Craig dancing for the TV after his win!!!
• What a whirl wind this trip was for all of our staff.  I have never seen a group of guys more dedicated & work so hard as our road crew (Ray, Cody, Brandon, Robert, Sid, Adam, Colby, Dan, Matt, Todd, Dan, Zach, & Scott) you guys did an unbelievable job!!! These guys packed up the arena in Huron, SD and we pulled out off of the grounds at 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning with me, Cody K., Cody S., & Sid driving the four vehicles.  The rest of the crew slept & we arrived in Hankinson Friday morning around 9 a.m.  The crew checked in hotel rooms, dropped bags off, showered, got a bite to eat & set up the entire arena by 4 p.m. Friday afternoon.  You talk about some dedicated people & hard workers! Yes that is what the CBR is made of! Great job, CBR Team!!!
• The CBR event in Hankinson, ND turned out to be a standing room only event.  Our CBR riders wowed the packed crowd at the Dakota Magic Hotel & Casino as Cole Echols pulled the lever on the lucky slot machine to take home his first ever CBR event title! I will let the TV show on GAC do the talking, it was an awesome event!  Thanks once again to Danny White & all of his crew at the Dakota Magic Hotel & Casino for all the great hospitality!
• The CBR Horizon Series that was held over the summer in the Ft.Worth Stock yards proved to be successful earning several young riders a breakthrough on the CBR televised tour.  Rookie Riggin Phillips of McKinney, Texas got an invite to Huron, SD & Hankinson, ND by riding in the summer series.  Riggin went on to win his first CBR event at the Navajo Nation CBR event in Window Rock, Arizona.  Congrats to Riggin for an awesome job!
• While on the road the CBR Crew did manage to get in a game of golf. We decided to have a scramble with Team #1 (Ray, Cody K., Robert & myself) & Team #2 (Brandon, Dan, Todd & Dave).  I will take the bragging rights & say that Team #1 took top honors.  You know I did go to state all four years in high school playing golf, although it took me a few holes to warm up, but we had a great time & released a little on the road hostility & exhaustion.  Hopefully we will have some of the pictures posted soon on the CBR website.
• Our deepest regrets & sympathy goes out to CBR Bull Rider, Friday Wright of Moss Point, Mississippi and his family for the tragic loss of Friday’s brother, Todd.  Friday had flown to Albuquerque for our CBR event in Window Rock on Wednesday, September 9^th when he deplaned to find out his brother had been in a tragic automobile accident.  Everyone here at the CBR sends their condolences to the Wright Family. 
• Don’t forget to pick up or check out the CBR Short Round Magazine.  It has all the latest upcoming information and pictures.  You can contact them at leighann@theshortround.com
• Also, don’t forget to check us out every Tuesday night on GAC TV (Channel 326 on Direct TV) & thanks to Jeff Medders & Geronimo Productions for all your great work!

Ok, it is getting pretty late & I have several 100’s of pages of class work to read through so if I forgot something I will catch it up in the next article. Please make plans to join us for one last regular season event in Lubbock, Texas on October 17^th on the Texas Tech campus to see who will make a final bid for the CBR World Finale in Kansas City, MO at the American Royal on October 30^th-Novemebr 1^st. The 2010 CBR season will kick off October 24^th in Carthage, Texas with the first Horizon series event.  Please check on www.cbrbull.com for upcoming information & our 2010 event schedule to be posted soon! Finally I do apologize once more for being so behind & I promise to do better in the future! Until next time, take care & God Bless~Cicily