PBR 2019 - BANG

April 12-14, 2019 A publication of the Yellowstone Newspaper Group.

Jess Lockwood riding Deep Water

by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 1

Page 2 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

7 Amazing Things Lockwood Said To HERO Magazine By: Andrew Giangola of pbr.com

Jess Lockwood began competing in PBR while still a high school student in Montana, winning more than a half million dollars.

In 2017, capping one of the tightest championship races in league history, and just eight weeks after breaking his ribs and puncturing a lung, Lockwood scorched the record books as the youngest World Champion in PBR history.

Pro bull riding may beat all other sports outside the NFL on TV some Sundays, but it’s still a tough sell with mainstream media.

Yet they’ve taken notice of Jess, captivated by his blazing success as a PBR title holder not even old enough to drink.

The fresh-faced Montana cowboy has been covered in outlets such as Interview magazine, “CBS This Morning,” Business Insider, Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been on “STEVE.” And now, HERO magazine, sold in dozens of countries worldwide, has dropped a massive Lockwood feature – 18 pages in all – just in time for his return to action following a broken collarbone.

Besides photos shot during the 2019 season-opener he won, Jess participated in a photo shoot at a loft studio near Madison Square Garden and sat for his most in-depth interview yet, where he revealed seven new things to PBR fans.

1) Jess Lockwood was a rodeo baby.

“When I was a baby, my parents wrapped me up in a blanket and we went off on a rodeo trail because they were competing, and mom held me on her lap when I was a week old, so that’s when I got on my first horse.”

2) His dad taught him everything he knows, but he owes his life to PBR’s bullfighters.

“You don’t want to sit there and give (the bulls) a chance to run you over, but I’d say when you hit the ground, you’re pretty well safe. Those bull fighters are the best in the world. If you get touched by a bull, it’s your fault because those bull fighters are doing everything they can to help you.”

Jess Lockwood riding More Big Bucks.

Photo by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 3

3) The bulls have it better than him.

And you, too.

“A lot of these bulls are laid-back, but they’ve got the best life in the world. They sit around, eat, and exercise a little bit. Sometimes they do the job for two seconds, sometimes they do it for eight, but that’s the maximum. And then they get to go out and breed cows. I wouldn’t complain about a job like that!”

4) Last season sucked. And he blames himself.

“There were times last year where I didn’t even want to ride bulls. I was pretty weak-hearted at points and I wasn’t very proud of myself. I was pretty disappointed. So I kicked myself in the ass after the season and decided, ‘If I’m going to do this, why the hell am I not gonna do it right?’ So I’m back to that mentality now. This sport’s too gosh darn dangerous to do it just for something to do.”

5) The best way to get in shape? Riding bulls!

“There’s a difference between being in shape and being in bull riding shape. You use muscles you didn’t know you had. Things get sore that you didn’t know could get sore.”

6) When getting settled on a bull, using your brain is pretty dumb.

“In the chute, you don’t really think at all. If you get to thinking, that’s when things go bad. Your body knows how to do it at this point, so you might as well just nod your head as soon as you can, get out of that chute, and just let your body react.”

7) Most bulls are actually pretty mellow.

Above: Jess Lockwood riding Big Dutch.

Photo by Andya Watson, Bull Stock Media

Jess Lockwood with his World Champion Buckle.

Photo by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

“A lot of these bulls are pretty tame. They just wanna do their job and get out of there. They’re not going to put out more effort than they need to.

They know if they go back there, they’re just going to get to eat their food faster.”

Page 4 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

Sweetpro’s Bruiser Wins 2018 World Champion Bull Title By: Justin Felisko of pbr.com

LAS VEGAS – H.D. Page could not hide his nerves this week in Las Vegas.

For the first time in SweetPro’s Bruiser’s career, the star-studded bovine arrived for the PBR World Finals with plenty of question marks after not bucking at all in competition for the past four months.

Page believed Bruiser was ready publicly, but inside he sure was a little anxious.

That was until Bruiser was loaded into the bucking chute on Thursday night.

Bruiser was standing at full attention, intently looking forward, chest puffed out and his ears pointed forward.

It was game time, and Bruiser was ready.

“He was zoned in and ready to go,” Page said. “He was ready, so the nerves were gone.”

Bruiser then dispatched of Francisco Garcia Torres in a brief 3.35 seconds.

The 7-year-old was marked only 44.75 points, but the out showed enough promise to Page that he knew his bull had what it took to win a third consecutive World Championship on Championship Sunday.

“At first, I was nervous leading up because we have had some issues with his stifle and he had a little fluid on his back that we drained out,” Page said. “I was pretty nervous leading up to it. I bucked him a couple of times (at home) before we got here, and he bucked really good.

“When we loaded him the other night, the nerves were gone and he trotted up there ready.”

Bruiser was then back to doing what he does best on Sunday afternoon as he clinched his third consecutive World Championship with a 45.75-point bull score.

Bruiser shared the spotlight with Jose Vitor Leme as the two combined for a championship round-winning 93.5 points.

“I can breathe,” Page said after receiving the World Champion

Bull belt buckle on the shark cage. “It’s special.”

Page knew his bull was going to strike a match with Leme and create fireworks if he stuck to his norm of bucking strong to the left.

“I knew that if Bruiser went left too long, he wouldn’t have a chance to buck him off,” Page said. “That guy’s too good, but I was tickled to death with Bruiser. He worked it out, bucked hard and kicked.”

Leme was extremely appreciative of getting the opportunity to square off against Bruiser in the championship round.

The 22-year-old brushed off the frustration of costing himself a shot at the 2018 world title by bucking off Frequent Flyer in 5.97 seconds, and instead honed in on making a memorable ride with Bruiser.

“It was certainly a dream to ride Bruiser,” Leme said. “I do not think there is a better place than Vegas for that to happen. I'm

really happy for 93.5.”

With all the questions surrounding Bruiser for the last four months, the bovine once again leaves Las Vegas on top of the world.

Bruiser beat out Smooth Operator (45.70) for the World Championship and $100,000 bonus with a 46.08 World Champion Bull average.

“He’s just a great bull, and hats off to the Page family,” reigning Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger said.

Bruiser concludes 2018 8-4 on the PBR premier series with an average bull score of 45.83 points. Riders averaged 92.06 points with Bruiser in 2018.

The future Brand of Honor recipient joins Little Yellow Jacket and Bushwacker as the only three-time World Champion Bulls in PBR history.

Little Yellow Jacket and Bruiser are the only bulls to win three consecutively.

“Bruiser is an all-time great, and if he didn’t win it he still would have been an all-time great,” PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert said.

“He has never been as rank as Bushwacker, but Bushwacker was never as good as Bruiser.”

Bushwacker’s owner Julio Moreno offered his congratulations to D&H Cattle Company.

“He is a great bull,” Moreno said. “You can’t take that from him. I love the way he bucks. I aim to try and get the bulls that buck like that. He is a great bull.”

D&H Cattle Company took a cautious approach with Bruiser and allowed the bull to take as much time off as he needed before bringing him back to competition.

Now for the third consecutive year they leave Las Vegas on top of the world.

“We’ve had some issues with his back and stifle and that, and he just don’t let up,” Page said.

“It doesn’t matter. Whenever you need him to come through he’s going to do it.”

Photos by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 5

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Page 6 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

Working Around Livestock

Montana Farm Bureau Federation is making safety a priority through the Agricultural Safety Awareness Programs designated as Agricultural Safety Awareness Week. Each day of the week had a theme which March 5 focused on Livestock Safety.

Cattle, horses, pigs and other livestock are not pets and can be responsible for many injuries on the farm or ranch. In Montana, it’s calving season and that means being cautious around cows with calves whether you’re the rancher working with them or a visitor to a ranch.

“It is a natural instinct for animals to be extremely territorial,” said Bonita Cremer, MFBF Health & Safety Committee Chair.

“They want to protect the area they feel belongs to them, especially when they have calves. Take extra caution during feeding times and stay out of the way as much as possible. If you need to be around the animals, watch for signs of aggression and leave yourself an escape route should the cow become aggressive.”

Cows will generally bob their heads and paw the ground when they feel threatened so watch for those behaviors and retreat before the animal becomes more aggressive.

It’s important when working around livestock to be calm and avoid quick movements. “Because of the cow’s size and weight, they can be dangerous without intending to be. When working with them, move slowly and lightly touch them to encourage them to move, instead of shoving or hitting them. Never prod an animal when it has nowhere to run.”

Have a daily routine for your animals when feeding or moving

pastures. Animals are calm and work well when they have an established routine to their day. Having the same feeding time each day will help the animals become accustomed to you and they will behave more calmly. Animals sense their surroundings differently than humans. They have difficulty accurately judging distances so one quick movement can easily spook them.

Wear protective clothing including sturdy boots. Non-skid soles can help combat uneven or wet footing which is common to livestock facilities and gloves are advisable. Wearing gloves when working with animals is necessary to protect your hands from vaccinations and chemicals, feces or diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

"Fatigue, extreme cold, deep snow, ice and cows with new calves combine to make this a dangerous time to be working around livestock,” Cremer added. “Remember the basics: stay quiet and calm when handling your cattle and ask for help when you need it. Your safety is most important."

Follow the hashtag #KeepFarmsSafe on social media and visit Farm Bureau and the U.S. Ag Centers online to learn more. For more information and resources, visit the ASAP Facebook page.

Visit the Centers’ YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/ USagCenters) for new content and fresh ideas about how to stay safe while working in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Join the movement to keep farms safe and share your own safety messages on social media using the hashtags #KeepFarmsSafe, #ASAP19 and #USAgCenters.

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Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 7

Gage Gay Looking To Return In June By : Justin Felisko of pbr.com

Gage Gay may be out of competition recovering from offseason knee surgery, but he still can look at the world standings with a sense of pride.

One of Gay’s best friends on tour, Chase Outlaw, sits at No. 4 in the standings and is in the hunt for a world title.

Gay is happy for Outlaw, and seeing his traveling partner on top only gives him that much more motivation for his own rehabilitation.

“It sucks real bad being out, especially when my buddies are doing really great,” Gay said in Duluth, Georgia, nine days ago.

“Chase has been killing it. He is usually one of my roommates and I am happy for him.”

Gay was assisting Outlaw on the back of the bucking chutes right before Outlaw rode his way to 90.25 points aboard Cochise to finish the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational in third place.

Gay made the drive to Georgia a week and a half ago to have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Tandy Freeman.

Freeman performed his knee surgery on Jan. 9 to repair his ACL, MCL and meniscus.

The doctor gave the 24-year-old good news: Gay said he is about nine weeks away from returning to competition.

“It was supposed to be 18 weeks from time of surgery, and it has been about nine weeks,” he said. “Tandy says it looks good and feels good. Rich (Blyn) and Dave (Edwards) in sports med all think it looks really good.”

Based on that timeline, Gay should certainly be healthy for the next PBR Major – Last Cowboy Standing at Cheyenne Frontier Days (July 22-23).

“Probably beginning of June,” Gay said of when he might return. “I will probably go to a practice pen or bull riding around the house first.”

Gay tore ligaments in his left knee twice in an eight-month span in 2018.

The first instance came on Jan. 13 when the then-No. 1 bull rider in the world disembarked Pit Bull at the Chicago Invitational and his knee gave out on the landing.

The Staley, North Carolina, bull rider underwent knee surgery in his home state. He returned to action six months later only to tear the surgically repaired ligaments again in the practice pen a little more than two months after going back on tour.

“It feels really good now,” Gay said. “It feels stronger. I can tell the difference of when Tandy grabbed ahold of it and pulled on it. I can tell the difference between his surgery and the last surgery.”

Despite two major knee injuries, Gay still managed to qualify for the 2018 World Finals and finished the year ranked 36th in the world standings.

The five-time World Finals qualifier still has plenty of time to try to make a run at the 2019 World Finals.

Gay still has five injury exemptions from last season, along with the entire summer run to make up ground in the standings.

Outlaw, Koal Livingston and Matt Triplett all proved last year that a rider can miss the majority of the first half and still qualify for the World Finals.

Gay will continue to go to rehab the next two months as he works toward a full recovery.

“I am getting the range of motion and getting my quad muscle built back up, my hamstring, stuff like that,” he said. “I go to therapy two or three times a week and go to the gym the other days.”

Gage Gay riding Luke in New York City.

Photo by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

Page 8 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

PBR scoring and judging Frm PBR.com

THE BULL RIDE

A PBR bull ride is an 8 second contest of strength, balance, endurance and effort between the world’s best bull riders and the world’s best bucking bulls.

A rider must ride for 8 seconds with one hand in the bull rope and one in the air in order to earn a score.

The clock starts when the bull’s shoulder or hip breaks the plane of the gate. It stops when the riders hand comes out of his rope – voluntarily or not. The clock also stops if the Rider touches himself, the bull or the ground with his free arm during the 8 second ride.

If the rider makes the 8 second buzzer, he receives a score. If he does not make the 8 second buzzer then he receives no score for that attempt.

Each ride is worth up to 100 total points: 50 points awarded to the bull and 50 points awarded to the rider if he successfully rides the bull for 8 seconds.

The bulls are competing for points and standings as well and every bull receives a score of 0 to 50 points after every ride or attempted ride whether the rider successfully made the 8 second buzzer or not.

JUDGING

At the conclusion of each 8 second ride or attempt, PBR judges award scores to both the bulls and the riders.

A bull is judged on his athleticism and difficulty to ride. This takes into account spin (right or left), direction changes (movement forward and backward or side to side), kick in the back end, drop in the front and body rolls. A body roll occurs when a bull is in the air and kicks either his hind feet or all four feet to the side.

The more of these characteristics a bull displays during a ride, the higher the degree of difficulty.

A rider is judged on how in control he is during the ride. This takes into account how well he matches and counters the bull’s moves, how centered he is and how fluid his movement is during the bull ride. Extra points may be awarded for style, such as spurring (the rider lifts his leg away from the bull and returns it) which demonstrates complete control.

The combined bull score and rider score for each successful ride is the official ride score.

If the bull’s performance is sub-par or if the bull fouls the rider during the ride (the rider is rubbed against the chute or an object, the bull stumbles, the flank strap detaches, etc.) then the judges may award a re-ride which affords the rider another attempt.

ROUNDS & EVENTS

The scores earned by riders for each successful ride determine their placement within the round of competition, the event and ultimately the PBR world standings.

The ride scores determine a rider’s place in each round. At the conclusion of each round, points are awarded in accordance with the charts below. which count toward both the event they are competing in and the world standings.

There are multiple series in each of the five countries where PBR currently operates and/or sanctions events. The format of each event varies, but all points earned at any PBR event are counted toward the PBR world standings in accordance with the charts below.

Events consist of one or more rounds of competition with various formats.

In multi-round events, the successful ride scores from all rounds are aggregated to determine a riders standing at that event. The average (or aggregate) score earned during an event determines a riders place in the event standings. At the conclusion of each event, points are awarded to each place in accordance with the charts below which count toward both the event and the PBR world Standings.

The rider with the most PBR world standings points at the conclusion of any event is the event winner.

UNLEASH THE BEAST

All PBR events around the world lead to the Unleash The Beast series where the Top 35 bull riders in the world compete week in and week out for the most money and points available.

UTB or premier series events consist primarily of two- and three-day events with one regular round of competition on each day during which all 35 bull riders attempt at least one bull.

Premier series events conclude on the final day of competition JB Mauney attempts to ride Jenkins Cattle Co.'s Naughty List during the Iron Cowboy Built Ford Tough series 2017 PBR. Photo by Andy Watson

Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 9

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with a Championship Round, in addition to a regular round, in which the Top 15 riders based on aggregate score from all rounds attempt one additional bull. Points and money are higher in each championship round.

PBR Majors offer unique formats such as Last Cowboy Standing, Iron Cowboy and knockout formats unique to each of those events.

PBR WORLD FINALS

All roads lead to the PBR World Finals, where the Top 40 bull riders in the world standings compete in six rounds of competition over five days to determine the winner of both the PBR World Finals and the season long PBR World Champion.

The most points and dollars available in PBR competition are available at the World Finals. Becoming a PBR World Champion is considered to be the most difficult and prestigious accomplishment in the PBR. All points earned throughout the season, in every country and at every level of competition (in accordance with the charts below), count toward the world standings. The PBR World Champion is the rider who has accumulated the most world standings points throughout the course of the season.

The Top 35 bull riders in the world standings at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. In addition to the 35 riders, five additional riders will include the top-ranked riders from the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals.

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Heartbreak Kid. Photo by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

Heartbreak Kid Brings Perfect 28-0 Record Into Kansas City By: Justin Felisko of pbr.com When the championship round draft gets underway on Sunday afternoon at the Sprint Center, there may be some slight chest pain and anxiety developing for the riders toward the bottom end of the draft.

One of them will be left with another case of the heartaches if they end up matched up with the rank D&H Cattle Company bovine called Heartbreak Kid. Heartbreak Kid heads into this weekend’s Caterpillar Classic with a perfect 28-0 record on the PBR’s premier series.

H.D. Page, though, believes it is only a matter of time before one of the PBR’s best riders conquers his bull.

That can certainly be the case too if a bold and fearless rider at the top of the draft decides to try Heartbreak Kid.

round by World Champion Bull contenders Smooth Operator, Fearless and others.

Heartbreak Kid turned 6 years old on Saturday.

The bovine has only been ridden once at all levels of competition, including pro rodeos.

Luciano de Castro, currently the No. 5-ranked bull rider in the world, rode him at the 2017 Velocity Tour event in Denver for 75 points.

Castro was offered a re-ride, but he turned down the option.

Outside of that subpar outing, Heartbreak Kid is 56-1 at all levels, according to ProBullStats.

Heartbreak Kid’s streak of 28 buckoffs is three behind PBR-leader Bad Touch (31) for the most among active bulls.

The 6-year-old is 4-0 this season on the Unleash The Beast with an average bull score of 43.81 points.

“These guys are real talented, and most of the guys are on top of their game also,” Page said. “You are putting your bulls against the most talented guys that are the hottest going. To say they are going to stay unridden is a pretty far stretch.

Heartbreak Kid has bucked off two PBR World Champions – Silvano Alves and Jess Lockwood – and 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier Cody Nance and seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier Lachlan Richardson.

“They will ride him. I have been around a long time. They will ride them at some point. He might not have his very best day, and somebody will have a good day and they will ride him, or he may have his very best day and somebody can ride him.”

Lockwood has lasted the longest on Heartbreak Kid in premier series competition, bucked off at 6.7 seconds in Sacramento, California, on Jan. 27.

Fans can watch Heartbreak Kid buck Sunday on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET, as well as on RidePass at 3:45 p.m. ET. Heartbreak Kid will be joined in the championship

Heartbreak Kid had one his most honest trips with Lockwood as he turned into a steady spin away from the world No.1’s hand.

“He’s smart and a Page bull,” Lockwood said. “Any Page bull is strong if they want to be. He tries to knock your teeth out.”

Heartbreak Kid was scored a career-best 46 points during last year’s World Finals when he bucked off Chase Outlaw.

The bull is the son of two-time PBR World Finals qualifier DaNutso and the nephew of three-time World Champion Bull SweetPro’s Bruiser.

“He is more standoffish (than Bruiser),” Page said.

“He would rather you leave him alone. He is not about scratching and all of that stuff. He is good to handle and stuff still.”

He may nice to work with at home, but in the arena, Heartbreak Kid is far from cooperative to his human opponents.

He has some trickery to him when it comes to making a mockery of the world’s best bull riders.

Page said that Heartbreak Kid is using primarily a three-pronged attack when it comes to bucking off his foes.

Most Heartbreak Kid trips begin with a hop, bounce and a skip.

The goal is to get his human opponent off balance before he turns back, using his strength to rip the rider to the ground.

“He will change it up,” Page said. “He bucks more off feel than he does pattern. Just a little bit of everything. Mostly he feels the riders out. That little bounce, skip and set-‘em-up jump before he turns is what he’s about.

“He is trying to get them moved to one side or the other. For the most part, once he goes, he goes. He wants to kind of get them off kilter before he turns.”

Page 12 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

Outlaw: ‘You Have To Have Gravel In Your Guts’ By: Justin Felisko of pbr.com

Chase Outlaw is hungry. Outlaw is salivating. The 26-yearold is hungry for a five-star caliber meal.

Outlaw is ready to be sitting at the table alongside legendary dinner guests such as three-time World Champions Adriano Moraes and Silvano Alves. Outlaw is looking forward to pulling up a chair next to two-time World Champions J.B. Mauney, Justin McBride and Chris Shivers.

If all goes to plan, Outlaw will be making sure his reservation becomes accepted like recent honored guests Kaique Pacheco (2018), Jess Lockwood (2017) and Cooper Davis (2016).

“I know what it’s like to go through the ringer and be run through the ringer,” Outlaw said.

In just the second event of the 2019 season, Outlaw used a flawless 3-for-3 performance, highlighted by a 90.25-point ride on Big Black, at the Chicago Invitational to move up to No. 2 in the world standings and continue his ascent into the 2019 World Championship race.

“You have to have gravel in your guts if you are going to be in this sport,” Outlaw said. “By God have I had my guts, my eyes and my mouth full of gravel. I am tired of it. I am tired of just being here. I want to be HERE. That is all I am after.”

Outlaw spent the last five months battling back from two reconstructive facial surgeries that lasted close to a combined 20 hours. The first surgery alone involved 68 screws, 11 plates and four pieces of surgical mesh after he broke 15 bones on each side of his face at the PBR Touring Pro Division event at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 23.

Do you really think Outlaw is going to back down from a challenge?

Especially one that pales in comparison to what he has gone through since the summer?

“I ain’t worried about standings,” Outlaw said. “I know I am tough, and it is going to be a riding contest and who can endure the most.”

“Boys better have packed their sack lunch if they want it because I endured. I know what it is like. I am a warrior.”

The 2019 PBR World Finals is still eight months away.

“It is a marathon, not a sprint,” Outlaw added. “One bull at a time. I can’t be thinking about that. What is on my mind is the first-round bull I have at the next event I’m going too. I have to keep on keeping on. Keep having my faith and keep believing in myself. Shit, there won’t be any denying me.”

Outlaw keeps the attitude of moving full steam ahead and not sweating over the past.

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Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 13

He just wants to continue to do his job, and he is going to keep on bringing his lunch pail to work until he earns that prestigious gold buckle.

“Jess Lockwood is a World Champ, but I am not riding against him,” Outlaw said. “I am not riding against Sean Willingham. I am not riding against Cooper Davis. Jose Leme. My competition is against that bull.

“All I have to do is take it one bull at a time and ride each bull I get on. That is where my competition is. It is against that bull. Nobody in this locker room.”

RidePass analyst Colby Yates says he continues to be amazed by Outlaw’s performance.

“He is tired of everybody talking about the comeback story, but I am sorry dude, that is exactly what it is,” Yates said. “It is the biggest comeback story in sports history, but maybe that is because I am partial to bull riding. It is so spectacular.

If you see what happened to him at Cheyenne, and to be able to come back, he came back freaking early. Why even risk it? But for him, he came back too freaking late.

“He loves this sport so much, but I think he has a whole different (perspective) on life in general. That is playing an effect on what we are seeing week in and week out.”

In Chicago, the Hamburg, Arkansas, bull rider spurred his way to town on Big Black for the fifth 90-point ride of his career.

“I didn’t even know that bull,” Outlaw said. “I can’t re-

member ever seeing him buck, which I don’t pay attention to anyways. My focus there is to ride the bulls and take it one bull at a time.”

Yates says you can see Outlaw is thriving off his emotions right now.

“He has always been a spunky guy, but you see him in the locker room and he is ready to rip Hulk Hogan’s head off,” Yates said. “He can beat up Mike Tyson. He is fired up and so intense and ready.”

Outlaw and Lockwood were the only two riders to go a perfect 3-for-3 in Chicago.

Outlaw is currently 20-of-33 on the season and owns a 61% riding percentage with three 90+-point rides.

Last year, Outlaw’s mission was to make the World Finals despite his life-altering injury.

His 2019 objective is to not just get to the World Finals, not just win the World Finals, but cash in on a $1 million World Championship.

“I know if I ride every one I put my hand in the rope on, then there won’t be any denying me,” Outlaw said. “That is my game plan. I am not looking for anybody to be on my side but God, my family and me. That is all that matters. As long as I got them on my side, and I keep that hand from running off that rope and taking it to each and every one, hell, there won’t be any denying me.”

Page 14 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

Pacheco Achieves Childhood Dream And Wins Emotional World Championship By: Justin Felisko of pbr.com

LAS VEGAS – Kaique Pacheco put his still trembling hands around the PBR World Championship trophy, draped in both Brazilian and American flags, as he was introduced to the T-Mobile Arena crowd as the 2018 World Champion on Sunday afternoon.

It took Pacheco – a slow and battered Pacheco – a couple of minutes to limp his way from the PBR Sports Medicine room to the center of the arena as the pain in his mauled left knee had only gotten worse and worse with each bull he attempted during the grueling five days of competition at the 2018 PBR World Finals.

Since he was a little boy in Itatiba, Brazil, Pacheco had dreamed of this moment.

The pain was never going to stop him from riding in Las Vegas.

There was never a question.

Eight days earlier, Pacheco had torn his left PCL and MCL at the 2018 Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals. It appeared as if Pacheco would be on his way to another crushing World Championship shortcoming.

That doubt even creeped into Pacheco’s own mind, the 24-yearold would later admit late on Sunday evening.

Therefore, as Pacheco stood there holding that silver and gold trophy in his hands, the Ice Man finally broke down.

Three years of heartbreak, seven long, restless nights at the Park MGM Hotel and Casino as he struggled to sleep because of the radiating pain in his knee, nearly 40 hours of treatment and the realization of a lifelong dream all overcame him.

He was the World Champion.

“It wasn’t easy this year. I started the season injured and then I picked back up halfway through,” Pacheco said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “I had been working hard and this past weekend I got that injury coming into the World Finals.

With that big injury, this wasn’t easy. I just want to thank God for blessing me and help me go through with so much heart and hard

work. Here it is. It paid off.”

Pacheco sat in the locker room by himself an hour after being crowned a World Champion.

A pair of crutches was waiting for him.

His family was outside the locker room ready to go celebrate.

The journey to a World Championship had finally happened.

He could smile.

And yes, the Ice Man was indeed human and showed emotion.

“I’m really happy just because, again, it’s been a dream since I was a kid,” Pacheco said shaking his head in disbelief with Miriaham Garcia translating. “I wanted to come over to the U.S. and ride and be in the middle of the greatest bull riders and greatest bulls in the world in the PBR. “Just to be able to come over, and to be here tonight and to be a World Champion, it’s just a big dream come true. I’m really happy. I don’t know how to explain how happy and emotional I am to have that under my belt now.”

LONG NIGHTS AND EARLY MORNINGS

It was an 8 a.m. on Sunday morning when Pacheco lowered his head and winced as Jim Bui, an athletic trainer for Fit-N-Wise Rehabilitation and Performance Center, looked at the world No. 1 bull rider’s left knee in room 101 on the fifth floor of the Park MGM Hotel and Casino.

“Is that where it hurts?” Bui asked.

Pacheco, biting his lip, nodded.

Bui was checking on the region around Pacheco’s torn MCL. That was the area where Pacheco was feeling the most pain and struggling with in Las Vegas.

Pacheco’s health had quickly deteriorated after beginning the World Finals with two qualified rides (87.25 points on Rugby and 88.25 points on Smooth Wreck).

The fourth-year pro had felt a sharp pain when he tried to move up on his rope during his 3.81-second buckoff against Finning Milky Chance in the fourth round on Friday night.

Pacheco would only receive one treatment session from Bui Sunday, seeing as the final rounds of competition began at 1 p.m.

However, Pacheco and Bui had been doing three treatment sessions a day.

Pacheco was receiving constant treatment from the PBR Sports Medicine Team (Director Rich Blyn, Dr. Tandy Freeman and their staff) at T-Mobile Arena before each round, during the competition and then post-event.

It was easily over five hours of treatment a day combined.

Kaique Pacheco riding Bruiser.

Photo by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media Bui was using a cold laser on Pacheco’s

knee when asked if he was surprised that Pacheco could be less than a day away from becoming a World Champion.

“Yes and no,” Bui said. “I knew he had it in him. That’s the thing. I knew he’s on a mission. I knew that he had it in him. But I’m surprised at how his swelling hasn’t blown up. That was the main thing. He’s been able to take care of it. Take care of business. Do what he needs to do, and not go around town jacking around, getting to do all the fun stuff right now.

“It’s all business for him right now.”

Pacheco would undergo a round of treatment consisting of electric stimulation therapy with a hot pad, ultrasound therapy (only before events, not after), cold laser therapy, manual massages, NormaTec pulse recovery boots and then Game Ready cold compression.

The sessions would take up to an hour at a time.

The reality was, according to Blyn, that there was not much anyone could do for Pacheco.

Pacheco would have needed 12 weeks to recover with his knee in a locked brace in any other situation, according to Dr. Tandy Freeman, but Pacheco refused to sit out with a world title on the line.

There is also the possibility that Pacheco may need surgery now.

Blyn was in attendance at the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals when Pacheco injured his knee during his 7.9-second buckoff against Fly Over.

He quickly headed to the medical tent to join Doug Olle – the Velocity Tour’s lead medical director – and got to work looking at Pacheco’s knee.

Blyn knew it was not good.

He immediately sent a note to Dr. Tandy Freeman and plans were made to get Pacheco an MRI on Monday afternoon.

Time was of the essence with the World Finals three days away.

When the MRI confirmed the torn ligaments, Blyn worked on getting Pacheco fitted for a brace and had one ordered and shipped overnight.

The brace, and a strong tape job by Blyn, helped Pacheco even land on his feet without crumbling to the ground in pain following his second-round ride.

Pacheco would arrive at T-Mobile Arena every day about three hours before each round of competition.

Blyn would use electric stimulation, massages, heating pads and ice to try and limit Pacheco’s swelling.

Following pre-event introductions, Pacheco would eventually get further treatment from Blyn and Dr. Freeman before competing.

Blyn had been skeptical that Pacheco would be able to overcome the serious injury and win a world title.

Pacheco began to show him otherwise earlier in the week.

“It certainly is (hard to ride with),” Blyn said. “Coming in here, I thought that unfortunately the World Championship might be lost at that point. He had been riding so well up to this point.

That injury is a tough one. The PCL is important for these guys because when they pull their lower leg back, that ligament stabilizes the knee and helps them. Without that ligament, or when it is loose, they have pain, number one, and then they don’t have the ability to squeeze.

Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019 • Page 15 “He has shown some real mental toughness and real physical toughness that he is able to get by.”

The goal of both medicine teams was to make sure Pacheco’s swelling stayed down as best it could, and to keep him comfortable enough to try and ride.

“Right now, it’s more having to treat symptoms, making sure he feels good. It’s one of those things where you feel good, you look good, you play good, right? And I think that also builds up some confidence for him,” Bui said.

“So after that first night, after we’ve been doing everything, I think he was pretty sold that, ‘I’ve got to keep doing it.’ He’s been really good about coming when he says he’s going to come. Sleep or no sleep, he’s going to come and make sure he gets it taken care of. He’s willing to do whatever it takes at the moment.”

Pacheco’s treatment sessions with Blyn (post-event at the arena) and Bui back at the hotel would sometimes not be over until 1 a.m.

“I was trying to forget about the pain,” Pacheco said. “I was just concentrating on my bulls and tried to forget about that – don’t think about it. I tried to forget about just the pain itself and ride the bulls, and everything else would come. I didn’t think about anything outside of that.”

He would then attempt to sleep as much as he could, but the pain would be so bad at times that he was only getting roughly 3 to 4 hours of sleep.

“I’m in a lot of pain, for sure,” Pacheco admitted after the Finals. “It hurts a lot. I haven’t been able to go to bed. I’ve been going to sleep at 3 or 4 in the morning because of the pain because it’s not letting me sleep. Then I’m waking up at 7 in the morning and going straight to Fit-N-Wise to get treatment on it to get better.”

PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert was impressed by the heart and determination Pacheco demonstrated in Las Vegas.

“I’m impressed with Kaique,” Lambert said. “He’s always been really, really good. He’s just very hard to get a read on. And his knee is really hurting and he’s really got some serious pain.”

Pacheco’s father, Everaldo, knew immediately his son was in trouble when he got injured at the Velocity Finals.

“I was watching it on RidePass,” Everaldo said on Saturday in Las Vegas with the help of Miriaham Garcia translating. “I knew it was serious, or big, when I saw him take his helmet off and I saw his face because he was in pain.

“Kaique does not show that. No matter if he’s hurting or anything, he will not show that. He’s the Ice Man. But when he showed it, I knew it was something serious.”

Everaldo walked in to the Fit-N-Wise room on Sunday morning around 8:30 to check on his son.

The father patted his son on the shoulder and looked on with a smile.

It has been hard for him to watch his son be in pain this week, but he also knew Kaique was not going to give up on his childhood dreams with how close he was to finishing the deal.

“I’m impressed,” Everaldo said. “I am overwhelmed with emotions because he’s hurt. I know he’s hurting. He’s been hurt for a while, but he’s riding with heart right now.

“All heart.”

Page 16 • Billings Area News Group - PBR 2019

‘You Are Either Going To Be Another Bull Rider Or You Are Going To Be Your Own Man’

Kaique broke down on the shark cage as he began to thank his family and close friends for all of their love, support and guidance through the years.

“It hasn’t been easy to me, especially coming into the World Finals injured,” Pacheco said. “I want to thank God for everything he has given me in my life. My family. My mom. Dad. My brother. Silvano and Evelin Alves. My girlfriend and all my fans. My sponsors. To be a part of this big dream.”

Eleven years ago, Kaique told his dad he wanted to one day be a World Champion bull rider.

Everaldo – a former bull rider himself in Brazil who used to compete with 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi – paused.

He knew his son was quickly falling in love with the sport since getting on his first steer three years earlier at 10 years old Kaique was brought up in the sport because of his father and his grandfather, who raised bucking bulls in Brazil.

Everaldo had one message for his young, teenaged son.

“You’re either going to be one bull rider, or you’re going to stand out,” Everaldo said to Kaique. “You’re just going to be another rider or you’re going to be your own man.’”

Kaique responded, “I will be my own man.”

So the father and son got to work.

Everaldo was extremely cautious with the caliber of bull his son would get on.

Even when Kaique looked ready to take on a greater challenge, Everaldo stressed being perfect on each and every bull.

“Most of it’s just natural talent,” Everaldo said. “But he did train a lot when he was younger, and he did practice on the barrel, and all that stuff. He did train technique and that stuff too.”

Once Kaique was close to perfect, then he could move up the ranks.

“Bull riding, my dad taught me, and mom, and the whole family kind of helped,” Kaique said.

When Kaique was in agricultural school, his parents would drive 45 minutes to an hour every week to pick him up and bring him to either a bull riding or a practice pen every Wednesday.

“I’ll correct him even now,” Everaldo said. “I’ll watch him and watch in a lot of detail, like ‘You overcompensate over here.’

“Every time I see an error. I’ll watch it and stuff and then we’ll talk, and I’ll tell him. Obviously when he does things the way he should, I won’t say anything, but I try to do that every time I see something that needs to be fixed.”

Outside of the locker room, Everaldo grinned as his son finished packing up his gear.

Twenty-four hours earlier, he was unsure if this moment would arrive.

“It’s very hard to explain how I feel – the emotion – because I know how hard it’s been, how much work he’s had to do, and how dedicated he’s been,” Everaldo said. “Me, his mom, we’ve all had to work for it.”

Multiple Titles Can Be In His Future, But Immediate Future In Jeopardy

Pacheco had just finished up the last of his interviews Sunday when Blyn came into the room with a set of crutches at 6:30 p.m.

It was time for Pacheco to finally stay off his mauled knee.

The PBR Sports Medicine Team had not put Pacheco’s knee in a full-time brace or made him use crutches during the PBR World Finals to try and help avoid the knee from stiffening up any further.

Pacheco will likely return home to Brazil to celebrate his World Championship, but he has yet to decide if surgery, which would require a six to eight-month recovery time, will be necessary.

He will undergo a new MRI at some point to find the extent of any additional damage he may have endured during his 2-for-5 showing at the World Finals.

“I need to get a scan everything and see what is happening,” he said. “I don’t know if I will go to Brazil or stay here.”

It is likely Pacheco did more damage, but that does not matter to him one bit.

He is finally a World Champion.

“I had a dream since I was a kid to wear that gold buckle, and then coming in this weekend with this injury, you get little thoughts, but thank God for everything,” Pacheco concluded. “I just did my best, like I do all the time, and I’m the World Champion today.”

Kaique Pacheco with his World Champion Buckle by Andy Watson, Bull Stock Media

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