Woopaa

By Kelly B. Robbins

It may be a long time before the kind of excitement, extreme talent, raw courage, and record-breaking scores are unleashed on bull riding fans like they were at the PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this past week. But then again, it may just be next year!

124 Woopaa was right in the middle of it all. This one-of-a-kind bovine athlete scored a whopping 48.75 points in the final out of the championship round of the World Finals to claim the 2021 YETI PBR World Champion Bull title, and the 2021 YETI PBR Bull of the World Finals. He earned $125,000 in prize money for owners Larry Barker of Barker Bulls and Laramie Wilson of the Hookin’ W Ranch. Earlier, Woopaa also earned the $25,000 prize for being the number one ranked bull of the regular season.

At the end of the Round Two competition by the rank bulls on Thursday evening, Woopaa was still in first place after quickly dispatching Daylon Swearingen in 3.00 seconds for a bull score of 45 points. Number two ranked Chiseled had bested Junior Patrick Souza in 4.91 seconds, for a bull score of 46 points, which edged him a little closer to Woopaa, and kept him in the running for the title. Woopaa needed a score of at least 43 points in the championship round to claim the bull title.

Jose Vitor Leme and Woopaa (Barker Bulls / Hookin’ W Ranch) team up for 98.75 points, the highest marked ride in the history of the PBR, in the championship round of the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, NV.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media

For that final championship round, event leader and number one ranked Jose Vitor Leme, the reigning PBR World Champion Bull Rider, selected Woopaa, the number one ranked bull. Before that ride, Leme learned he had already clinched the 2021 PBR World Champion Bull Rider title, joining Silvano Alves as only the second bull rider in PBR history to win back-to-back championships. Although he was in pain from reinjuring his groin, he cowboyed up and climbed aboard Woopaa for that last out of the Finals, hoping to win the World Finals event title as well. Eight seconds after that chute gate opened, Leme had somehow stayed aboard the high-flying Woopaa for a new PBR record high score of 98.75 points! Along with Woopaa’s bull score of 48.75 points, Leme had a rider score of 50 points, the first-ever perfect rider score recorded in the PBR. These two champions had teamed up again to make history and beat their old record score of 97.75 points, set just 100 days earlier in Tulsa!

Woopaa’s handler and co-owner Laramie Wilson flanked him for the final out. “At that point, I was sure that Jose was going to ride Woopaa to the buzzer. I was just wondering what kind of a score they would get. I had no idea they would hit 98.75! That was just amazing! They seem to score Woopaa higher when a rider like Jose can stay on him. Daylon Swearingen was bucked off in three seconds, and they scored Woopaa 45 points. That was Woopaa’s lowest score all season.”

Woopaa handled Daylon Swearingen in 3.0 seconds in round 2 of the PBR World Finals.

Photo by Andre Silva Photo

“I never had a doubt that Woopaa was going to win the championship,” co-owner Larry Barker shared. “It threw me a little when Woopaa went to the right on Thursday night. But when Jose picked him for the championship round, I knew it was a done deal. And I knew when he rode him that we had broken the record. I just knew! It was an exciting time for all of us!”

As you may remember, Jose rode Woopaa at the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington, Texas to clinch his first 2020 PBR World Champion Bull Rider title, with a score of 95.75 points. That ride also gave Woopaa the 2020 ABBI Classic Bull Championship.

Cody Lambert, PBR Director of Livestock told PBR Insider Justin Felisko, “Woopaa just keeps delivering. He’s like Jose. He just shows up and does what he has to do. He just does the job, and he’s up against the very best guys every time. That’s the thing that people don’t realize. It takes a guy like Jose to ride Woopaa. A high-level pro has a chance on him, but that’s not guaranteed. When Jose gets on him, it’s pretty well guaranteed because that’s how good he is, and he’s capable of riding every one of them, and they deserve the record.”

Five-year-old Woopaa basically dominated the season as the number one bull and ended the season with a world average bull score of 46.93 points. Chiseled was the runner-up for the second consecutive year, with a final world average bull score of 46.35 points, 0.58 points behind Woopaa. Woopaa’s last out score of 48.75 points set a record as the highest score ever earned in the history of the PBR by a bull that was ridden for the full eight seconds.

According to Slade Long and Probullstats.com, Woopaa had twelve outs for the season, and was ridden eight times, for an average ride score of 95.94! He earned eight YETI Bull of the Event titles. The lowest bull score Woopaa received all season was 45 points. He had six bull scores of 47 or more points, with two of those being 48 or more points!

Boudreaux Campbell rode Woopaa to the buzzer three times this season. In Kansas City in March, he rode him for a score of 95.50. In July in Cheyenne, Boudreaux rode Woopaa for a score of 95.25 points. In Little Rock in August, he rode him for 93.75 points. Paulo Ferreira Lima rode Woopaa in Ft. Worth in August for a score of 95.25. And 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel hung on to Woopaa for eight seconds in San Antonio in October for a score of 96.75 points. At the time, that was the second highest score ever in PBR history.

Dalton Kasel rides Woopaa for 96.75 points to win the 2021 PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational in San Antonio. The 96.75 was the second highest score in PBR history at the time.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media

“Woopaa is an exceptional bull,” Larry Barker exclaimed. “I’ve turned down big money for him. He’s part of the family! He’ll just stay with Laramie and Katie (Perschbacher) forever. I have no intention of ever selling him. We’re just going to keep going and see how he does! Woopaa is special. My lifelong friend, JP Lewis, always used to yell ‘Woopaa!’ Whenever you heard ‘Woopaa!’, you knew that ole cowboy was close by. When JP lost his battle with cancer, his wife asked me to name one of my bulls to honor JP’s memory. So Woopaa is really special to me.”

In the CBS PBR World Finals pre-show broadcast, Cody Lambert summed up Woopaa’s exceptional athletic abilities. “You can stack any bull of any era up and Woopaa would best them in many ways.”

Woopaa will be back next year, and Jose Vitor Leme is sure to ride him again. “We’re going to try to win the world title again next year,” Laramie predicted. “I’m hoping that somehow those two will get together again!” Laramie invited fans to visit www. woopaa.rocks to purchase some of the new merchandise now available for Woopaa fans.

“He’s just a great bull,” Larry declared. “But everybody knows that. We are excited for next year!”

There are also some exciting new changes happening in the PBR next year. The World Finals will be at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas in May. And the new PBR Team Series will kick off in June of 2022, with a champion team being crowned in Las Vegas in November. So stay tuned to next season all you bull riding fans! It’s going to be fun!

124 Woopaa

Photo by Andre Silva Photo