Some other interesting statistics emerged after this sixth stop of the 34-city tour. There are eight cowboys who are riding at more than 75%. While there had been at least 20 rides in every long go so far, Sunday set a record, as 30 men rode their bulls! Think about that, it really is amazing. And these were good bulls. We did not have a lot of new faces to the BFTS as was the case in Fresno and Sacramento. Finally, there have been 26 rides scoring 90 points or higher, six of which came from the short-go in Albany. To say the riders have been hot is an understatement.

Eventual winner Briscoe and Brendon Clark split first in round one with scores of 89.75. Travis rode John and Lacey Berger/Clay Struve’s Frank the Tank, while Clark covered Blue Nose of Chad Berger/Clay Struve. Third was Luke Snyder. He was given a score of 89.25 after his ride on High Test, owned by Sonny Williams. Popular Cord McCoy was fourth when he rode Bad Action to an 89. Chad Berger/Larry Ryken owns Bad Action. Fifth was Adriano Moraes. He covered Rafter 7R Bucking Bulls’ Blaze to an 87.75.

Round two was not to be won by a single rider either, as Chris Shivers and Kody Lostroh tied for the top slot. Both scored a 90. Shivers rode High Test, the same bull that Snyder had the previous night. Lostroh covered North Dakota Kid, owned by John and Lacey Berger. Another record broken here, as Chris posted his 68^th 90-point ride – quite an achievement.

Right behind those two in third was Mike White. He scored an 89.75 after his ride on Spitten Image, owned by Mark Reed/John Bystrom. Fourth was Mike Lee on his re-ride bull, Smiley. Smiley awarded Lee with 88.50, and is owned by Davis/White. There was a tie for fifth with an 88.25 between Briscoe and Matt Bohon. Briscoe rode John and Lacey Berger’s Real McCoy, while Bohon stayed on Liquid Kitty, owned by Chad Berger/Clay Struve.

What a super Championship Round we were treated to! As I mentioned earlier, six of the eight rides made in the short-go were 90 or above, as both the bulls and the cowboys shined. There was a tie between three men for first place, as each of them was awarded a 90.75. Brazil’s Paulo Crimber rode the Chad Berger/Larry Ryken bull Live Wire. Kasey Hayes made his score on Shane, owned by Hebert Bucking Bulls. Not to be out down, L.J. Jenkins covered the super little red bull Cooper. That bull is hauled by Chad Berger/Ryken/Rosen.  

In fourth all alone was White. He was 90.25 on Chad Berger/Clay Struve’s Almost Famous. Another tie, for fifth and sixth this time, was between Snyder and Lee. Each scored an even 90. Luke rode Walk the Line, yet another Chad Berger/Larry Ryken bull. Mike’s partner was What I Say, owned by Hebert Bucking Bulls.

What a great event this sixth stop was. The overall standings for Albany saw Briscoe on top after he received the exact score that he needed, an 89.50, with Snyder second, White third, Crimber fourth, and Hayes fifth.

The high score bull of the event was Copperhead Slinger. This great bull, owned by Chad Berger/Ryken/Larson, was given a bull score of 46 in the Championship Round. Moraes had the luck of drawing him this week, but Slinger proved too tough this time. Back in Worcester, Briscoe covered the super bovine athlete for an outstanding 95 points, with Slinger receiving a 46.25 score. This is a very consistent bull, wouldn’t you say?

A couple of men were injured and are not expected to compete next week. Jason Bennett sustained a concussion and is doubtful to return that soon. Canada’s Vince Northrup had a tougher time, as he suffered several broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a possible collapsed lung. His return date is not yet known. I want to wish both men a speedy recovery.

I need to mention a couple of other things here. First, let me say just how much I am enjoying J.W. Hart in the announcer’s booth. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be watching him ride, but he is a breath of fresh air on the microphone. He explains things for the fans, and is still so close to the action that he is in the loop with both the riders and the bulls. He makes me laugh with some of the things that pop out of his mouth. For example, Cord McCoy looks like the Lucky Charms guy – that one got me for sure, and actually, he’s right! I for one think he is doing a great job.

The other thing I want to bring up also relates to speaking ones’ mind. This refers to Brendon Clark’s comments about the bull he had to ride last week. Clark pulled no punches about being very disappointed and stated this week that he received quite a bit of backlash about his remarks. While J.W. might be right when he said that Brendon “might have laid on the dog too long,” (another example of a J.W.ism), I appreciate that Clark is not afraid to speak his mind, and I can’t say that I feel he was wrong in doing so. Politically incorrect perhaps, but not necessarily wrong.

So for the first weekend in February the boys move to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Built Ford Tough World Standings going into that event have Briscoe in the lead, with Guilherme Marchi second, Lostroh third, Crimber fourth, and Lee fifth. For those of you who are following Moraes as he marches closer to retirement, he is in ninth place right now.

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.