The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) 2009 Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) returns to The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, for the 2nd stop on the elite tour. The top 45 bull riders in the world buck into New York City for the Built Ford Tough Invitational on January 9-11. The action will get underway at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. For three-action packed performances, the Big Apple will see a world-class production unlike any other they will see in all of 2009!

Tickets for this marquis event are priced for as little as $10 and increasing to $25, $40, $50, $95, and $195. They are available by phone at 866 448 7849, in person at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, and online at TheGarden.com. A ticket will guarantee an up-close-and personal view of the Toughest Sport on Earth, more than two-hours of non-stop action, pyrotechnics, and rock & roll music.

PBR fans can look forward to rides by top athletes such as 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil); two-time World Champ—2000& 2003—Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.); 2007 NYC champ Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil); 2008 PBR Daisy Rookie of the Year Reese Cates (Carthage, Texas); and fan favorites J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.), Mike White (De Kalb, Texas), and Ross Coleman (Molalla, Ore.). Challenging them will be the top bovine athletes on the planet.

The format of the Built Ford Tough Invitational consists of four rounds of competition with the first three rounds featuring the top 45 qualified riders randomly matched against the sport’s rankest bulls. The top 15 riders based upon their total cumulative score after three rounds will qualify for the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, the final decisive round of action which will happen at the conclusion of the third performance on Sunday, January 11th. The rider with the highest score on four bulls will take the coveted event title!

For more information on the Professional Bull Riders and their return to the Big Apple, please contact Katharine Sherrer at 719 252 6967 or visit www.pbrnow.com.

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About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over 1.7 million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries.

About Madison Square Garden:
MSG Sports Properties is part of Madison Square Garden, L.P. owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, as well as the legendary Chicago Theatre; and which manages wholly-owned live entertainment properties including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; MSG Media, which is comprised of television networks MSG and MSG Plus, and MSG Interactive which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives; Fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

It’s not uncommon for Deb and Kim Zonies to spend their afternoons milling through antique stores or visiting local museums before cheering on their favorite riders later that night at Built Ford Tough Series event.

In fact, on a past trip to Chicago, the sisters went on an architectural tour of houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and then later that day attended an event at the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont.

“We were like, ‘Hmm—I wonder how many other people are doing this?” asked Deb, who said that she and Kim like to plan trips that typically combine two passions—one being the PBR.

“For us, it’s always interesting to go to a new place and just sort of see what’s there.”

Originally from Redding, Pa., the sisters now live in New York City on the Upper Westside of Manhattan.

Deb is a corporate lawyer and Kim works as an intimate apparel merchandiser for Hanes. This weekend, as they have now for the past three years, the two will be attending the Built Ford Tough Invitational, which be held at the famed Madison Square Garden.

As in years past, they won’t be going alone.

This year, they’re taking a friend and his son along with his nephew; bringing two nieces, who also went to an event in Redding; and a girlfriend, who until now has never been to a PBR event.

Although they remain partial to the now-annual New York event, they also make it a point to attend the Mohegan Sun Invitational every year, and travel to two or three other events throughout the course of the season.

“For us, it’s a chance to travel to different parts of the country that we wouldn’t normally travel to,” said Deb, who added that they’re thinking about attending The NILE Invitational in Billings, MT, in April. “We’d like to try some of the events that are further out west.”

What do your friends in Manhattan think about the fact that you’re such a fan of bull riding that you travel to events?

I would say they fall into two camps: Half of them think that we’re crazy, and then we’ve actually brought a number people with us over the last three years that the event has been at Madison Square Garden. Some of those people come back with us and then go with to Mohegan (Sun Invitational in Uncasville, CT.). The friends who have given it a try love it.

What was it about the PBR that grabbed your attention?

As a sport it’s fascinating to watch these guys do something that for us is really outside the norm. I think the riders are pretty amazingly skilled, and then they’re matched up against the bulls, which are just magnificent animals. I think it’s just the whole event and, I think, once you actually go to a live event it’s just amazing. It’s fun to watch on television, but to go to a live event it’s just an amazing experience. I think the PBR, in that sense, does a pretty fantastic job of putting on a show.

It combines a sporting event with entertainment.

It is an entertainment vehicle and, like I said, this friend of mine is coming and he’s bringing his son and his nephew and I told him, “It is great because you don’t have to worry a single bit that there’s going to be anything you don’t want your kids to see.” We’re bringing two of our nieces with us, who have been to the event in Redding, and we don’t worry that there’s going to be anything inappropriate. I don’t know—it’s like good clean family fun.

Do you have a favorite city that you’ve traveled to, or a favorite event?

For us, maybe we’re sort of partial because we live in New York, but I think it’s hard to beat Madison Square Garden when that place is rocking. That, to me, is pretty amazing. And also, just as a fan, it’s really cool to look around and see Madison Square Garden filled to the rafters with PBR fans. I think that’s really cool.

If you are interested in becoming a member of TeamPBR like Deb and Kim, please call 800-732-1727 or go online and log onto www.teampbr.com for more details.

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright

“I figured I was good enough to go.”

The last two times Kasey Hayes thought he was “good enough to go” he’s won both events—neither of which, for two completely different reasons, he’ll soon forget.

Last year he returned from a broken neck to win the first Challenger event he entered. This year, he started off the 2009 Built Ford Tough Series with an impressive win as well.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t do anything,” said Hayes, of his offseason routine in preparing for the 10-month long season. “I went to J.B.’s house and got on two practice bulls, rode both of those and I figured I was good enough to go.”

While he admits it is a great feeling to start off the season with a win, in the overall scheme of things he looks at Baltimore as “just another event.”

“You’re a little unsure when you get on that first bull because you haven’t been on in awhile,” he said, “and you’re wondering how this is going to go.”

Hayes was a perfect three-for-three.

In the first round he drew Chief of Staff, and there was no better way than a trip into his hand to start the season off with a score of 87.  In Round 2 he drew another of the 55 bulls Chad Berger hauled from North Dakota to the East Coast when he teamed up with Walk the Line.

“I would have been 90 on him,” Hayes predicted, “but he got too close to the chutes and couldn’t turn back, so I was 85 on him. But he still bucked.

“I was good enough to make the short round and I picked El Presidente because I’ve had history with him. I rode him in Vegas (during the 2008 PBR World Finals) and I was 89.75, and this event we teamed up for 92.”

As good fortune would have it, his three-bull total – 264.75 – was again “good enough” to win the event by a quarter of a point over Kody Lostroh. Valdiron de Oliveira and Guilherme Marchi were the only other two riders to record three qualified rides at the 1st Mariner Arena.

But to hear the humble cowboy from Kansas, who relocated to North Carolina, tell the tale of his high-marked ride of the event in the short go, he was “just holding on.”

“The only thing that felt tied in was my hand,” he said, “and my feet were just flopping.”

At least for the time being, the 23-year-old can relax and take it easy on the golf course – a time or two – knowing he’s currently ranked second in the 2009 world title race.

That, however, is one thing that is not quite good enough.

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright

The world’s best bull riders turned on the heat in Baltimore, Md., as the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) kicked-off the 2009 Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) at the 1st Mariner Arena on January 2-3. In front of the largest PBR crowd that Baltimore has ever seen, Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) walked away victorious after scoring 264.75 points on three bulls. Hayes left Maryland with a check for $28,370.

“You can’t beat coming into the first event of the year and taking home the win,” Hayes said from the winner’s circle. “It was a packed house and I appreciate all of the fans spending their hard-earned money to come see us. I treated this just like any other event although I was nervous getting on my first bull. After I rode him, it was back to the normal routine.”

In round one, Hayes scored 87 points on the bull, Chief of Staff, owned by Chad Berger/Julie Rosen. He followed that up by taking on Chad Berger/ Clay Struve’s bull, Walk the Line, for 85.75 points in the second round. The Kansas cowboy went into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round in ninth place and chose to ride Jeff Robinson/Broken N-N/Skyhawk Rugs’ bull, El Presidente, in the PBR Bull Draft which was held at intermission. Hayes scored 92 points on the top bovine athlete, locking up not only the round victory, but the overall event win.

“I chose him (El Presidente) because I rode him at Finals and he’s a great bull,” Hayes stated. “I had confidence in the bull and that’s why I picked him.”

Taking second place overall was Colorado superstar Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) who scored 264.5 points on three bulls. Third place went to Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) who accumulated 263.75 points after riding all three of his bulls. 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) took fourth place with a total of 258.75 points, including 91.25 points on Chad Berger/Clay Struve’s prize bull, Say I Won’t Gunner. Rounding out fifth place was fan favorite cowboy Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) who totaled 178 points on two of three bulls.

The race for PBR’s million dollar world title takes the top 45 bull riders in the world to The World’s Most Famous Arena--Madison Square Garden—for the Built Ford Tough Invitational in New York, N.Y. on January 9-11. The VERSUS network airs PBR events every Saturday and Sunday evening. Be sure to check www.pbrnow.com for upcoming cities, ticket information, and complete broadcast times.

INJURY REPORT:
Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) broke his nose during round two of competition. He is probable for New York.

Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) injured his neck during the Built Ford Tough Championship Round. He is getting x-rays at the hospital and is questionable for next weekend’s event.

Kolt Donaldson (Idabel, Okla.) dislocated his shoulder during round one of the Baltimore Invitational. He is questionable for the New York event.

BEHIND THE CHUTES:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s “Ride with the Best” Bonus:
Due to his ride in round seven at the 2008 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) was eligible to compete for the $5,000 Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus during round one of the Baltimore Invitational. Because of his qualified ride on the bull, Full Throttle, owned by Mike Solomon, Palermo was awarded the $5,000 bonus.

As the round one winner at the Baltimore Invitational, Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) qualified to compete for the $5,000 Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus during the second round of competition in Baltimore. Briscoe rode The Iceman, owned by Chad Berger/Denny Hawks and was awarded the $5,000 bonus.

As the winner of round two, Team Enterprise rider Brian Herman (Victoria, Texas) will be eligible for the bonus at the 2nd BFTS stop in New York, NY.

Ford Truck Moment of Truth Bonus:
Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) was in the lead going into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and ultimately did not win the Baltimore Invitational. As the $5,000 bonus was not claimed, it will increase to $10,000 at the Built Ford Tough Invitational in New York, N.Y., on January 9-11. The bonus grows by $5,000 each week if it is not claimed. Once claimed, it returns to $5,000.

Ford F-150 Challenge:
As the Baltimore Invitational event winner, Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) has qualified for a chance to compete at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, against all other 2009 Built Ford Tough Series event winners. The Ford F-150 Challenge contestant who finishes the highest in the event aggregate during the 2009 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals will win a brand-new 2009 F-150 truck.

Salem NationaLease Bull of the Event:
2008 PBR World Champion bull Bones (Teague Bucking Bulls, LLC) earned Bull of the Event honors with a score of 46.75 points in Baltimore. This honor is acknowledged by an award of $1,250 going to the top bull of each event as determined by the PBR judges’ bull score.

Baltimore Invitational RESULTS
ROUND ONE: 1) Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) 90.5 points on Aerial Assault (Sonny Williams), $2,730; 2) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 89.75 points on Lil’ Feller (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls), $1,950; 3/4) Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) 89.5 points on Superman (Williams/Roth); 3/4) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 89.5 points on Booger Butt (Robinson/Tedesco/Larry the Cable Guy); 5) Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) 89 point on Full Throttle (Mike Solomon).

ROUND TWO: 1) Brian Herman (Victoria, Texas) 88.75 points on Big Coyote (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls), $2,730; 2) Nick Landreneau (Sulphur, La.) 88.5 points on Hard Copy (Williams/Mucherino), $1,950; 3) Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) 88.25 points on Chance (Teague Bucking Bulls, LLC), $1,170; 4/5) Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) 87.5 points on The Iceman (Chad Berger/Denny Hawks); 4/5) Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) 87.5 points on Shrek (Mark Reed).

BUILT FORD TOUGH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: 1) Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) 92 points on El Presidente (Robinson/Broken N-N/Skyhawk Rugs), $2,730; 2) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 91.25 points on Say I Won’t Gunner (Chad Berger/Clay Struve), $1,950; 3) Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) 90 points on Bad Blood (Chad Berger/Clay Struve), $1,170; 4) Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) 89.75 points on Blue Boy (Chad Berger/Roger Ward); 5) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 88.5 points on Team Equine’s Evil Forces (Chad Berger/Clay Struve).

OVERALL EVENT STANDINGS: 1) Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) 264.75 points, $28,370; 2) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 264.5 points, $15,610; 3) Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) 263.75 points, $10,122; 4) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 258.75 points, $7,490; 5) Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) 178 points, $5,665.

BUILT FORD TOUGH WORLD STANDINGS (The PBR World Champion is based on total Built Ford Tough Series points earned through the season)

1) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 704.5 points, $15,610; 2) Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) 664.75 points, $28,370; 3) Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) 633.75 points, $10,122; 4) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 558.75 points, $7,490; 5) Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) 508 points, $11,929; 6) Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) 493 points, $5,665; 7) Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) 406.25 points, $8,030; 8) Nick Landreneau (Sulphur, La.) 355.25 points, $3,850; 9) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 310 points, $2,575; 10) Mike White (De Kalb, Texas) 233.75 points, $1,482.

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About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over 1.7 million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries.

Professional bull riding is as unpredictable as it is brutal.

Saturday night in Baltimore the Built Ford Tough Series proved to be both.

Two-time World Champion Chris Shivers broke his nose, and Valdiron de Oliveira was taken to a local hospital as precaution while a Kansas cowboy claimed the first event win of 2009.

A lot of the off-season talk has centered around 21-year-old J.B. Mauney, but it was Kasey Hayes who put together three qualified rides at the 1st Mariner Arena to win the Baltimore Invitational.

“The thing I liked about Kasey this weekend is the same thing I said about Chris Shivers last night,” said Clint Adkins, who rejoins partner Brandon Bates this season as an in-arena announcers for the Built Ford Tough Series, “he walked and talked and looked confident.

“It was a commanding performance. He stepped up and picked El Presidente, and 92 points later he’s your champion here in Baltimore.”

Hayes, who relocated from Kansas to North Carolina last summer while recovering from a broken neck, was one of four riders to cover all three bulls. His short-go score of 92 on El Presidente was enough to beat to runner-up Kody Lostroh by the slimmest of margins.

Reigning World Champion Guilherme Marchi and his countryman Oliveira, who landed awkwardly on his dismount from Bad Blood, also tallied three qualified scores.

“This was a great pen of bucking bulls,” Adkins said. “All these guys had to work hard to get to the championship round.”

Round 2 (which featured 20 qualified rides), and the short go will be broadcast this afternoon on network television. The telecast, which features color commentating from 9-time World Champion and PBR co-founder Ty Murray, will be on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Following last night’s competition, in-arena announcer Clint Adkins chose the following highlights as some of the key moments to look for during this afternoon’s broadcast.

Ross Coleman versus Bones: “This is a big pick for him. … There was no doubt about it. When he walked up on the stage he had ample opportunity to pick a bunch of different bulls and he didn’t. He went for the No. 1 bull in the world. There was no hesitation about it. I just thought it was a classic battle—Ross Coleman picked the World Champion Bucking Bull and I just thought it was classic. It’s another testament of what the draft has done for the PBR.”

J.B. Mauney versus Chicken on a Chain: “He stepped up there like Ross Coleman. In fact, he was the fifth guy in the draft and he took Chicken on a Chain. He didn’t hesitate and he knew what bull he was going to take. He said, ‘I want Chicken on a Chain.’”

Valdiron de Oliveira versus Bad Blood: “He rode him, but he took a shot. He got off real bad and they had to take him to the hospital for observation. He came down hard.” [Postscript: according to Dr. Tandy Freeman’s weekly injury report, Oliveira underwent x-rays of his neck and is questionable for New York City.]

Guilherme Marchi versus Say I Won’t Gunner: “Put an exclamation mark on Guilherme Marchi. Even though when it was all said and down this weekend Kasey Hayes was your winner, but when you talk about the World Championship race: has this guy missed a beat? No. He looks just like he did when he won that world title. There is absolutely no doubt about his dominance on the back of these bucking bulls. It is phenomenal to watch. We’re a long way from Vegas, but – wow – it is just awe-inspiring to watch this guy.”

Cord McCoy versus Blue Boy: He made it back (to the short go) on one bull and he didn’t really have much to pick from. He only had two bulls at the end of the evening, but riding Blue Boy for 89.75 points, I do have to say, man, he was ready for this bull. When he blows out there and turns back to the left he’s got a hard corner and Cord was right there. He did a great job. It’s good to see Cord back in the Ford championship round and doing what he does best. He stepped up and rode Blue Boy—tough, tough bull to ride.”

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright