4/1/2005

Bullriders begin quest for greatness

By NICK DRAPER

The top bullriders from the National Federation of Professional Bullriders began their quest to become the best bullrider Thursday night at Civic Arena.

Matt Pojanowski from Woodbury, Minn., leads the competition after two rides with an average score of 86.5. He led the competition after round one with a score of 92 while riding the bull Country.

Justin Carlton from Trenton, Tenn., scored 90 points in round one to move into a tie for second, but failed to score in the second round.

“It was just a little bit badder bull that second time, I guess,” Carlton said. “I felt like I should have rode him. He just got me.”

Eighteen-year-old Danny Schlobohm from LaMonte, Mo. sits in third place with an average score of 84 points after the first night of competition, despite riding with a torn ligament in the thumb that he uses to hold onto the leather strap.

“We’ve been riding with it all year,” Schlobohm said. “This is a new injury, but we are always used to riding with the pain.”

Schlobohm was pleased with the way he rode Thursday night.

“I drew some bulls tonight that weren’t the greatest bulls to get on, but they were gooduns,” he said. “They were good enough to get me higher up in the standings.”

Ryan Clark, the event’s defending champion, failed to score in either round.

The first round was the highest-scoring round of the Federation finals, with 15 out of 25 riders scoring.

In one of the more scary moments, Adam Mace from Markesan, Wis. was bucked off as soon as he left the chute and fell into the metal fence headfirst. He stayed on the ground for a second, but walked away. He came back in the second round and scored 88 points, the highest of any rider in that round.

Dustin Hall, who has been to the Professional Bullriders world championships in Las Vegas, sits in second place with two scores of 86. During his first ride he was stepped on by the bull he was riding, but was not injured.

Bullriders provide action for fans

By NICK DRAPER

The most dangerous part of bullriding events is supposed to be for the bullriders themselves and not for the spectators.

On Friday night, during the second evening of the Federation Finals at Civic Arena that was not the case.

Near the end of the fourth round - while Kenny Hickman was trying to ride the bull named Johnny B. Goode - both Hickman and the bull slammed into the fence next to the front row seats extremely hard. Hickman walked away and no one was injured in the front row where the bull slammed into the seats, but a man standing next to gate where the bull struck was knocked to the ground.

He lay motionless for a few minutes while paramedics were attending him. He eventually got back on his feet.

Matt Pojanowski, the leader after the first two rides on Thursday night, scored a 90 in the third round. His score was the highest score of the round.

Pojanowski said that a good ride depends on which bull you draw and by concentrating on staying on the full eight seconds.

"You don't really try to count when you are on it," he said. "You just wait until the horn blows. Everybody wants a good bull, a good spinner, but it is really the luck of the draw. You just have to have confidence that you can ride any bull out there."

Adam Mace from Markesan, Wis. posted his second score of the finals with an 82 in the fourth round. He wasn't impressed with the bull he drew.

"Everybody was saying that he was a good bull that bucked a lot," Mace said. "But when I was riding I was like 'What's this?' I thought he was pretty good when the horn sounded, but I'd really like to draw a better bull."

Virgil Alsup from Senatobia, Miss. leads the competition with an average score of 82.75. He is the only rider to post a score in all four rounds.

The event concludes beginning at 8 p.m. tonight.

4/3/2005

Trenton man riding high on life
Ropp left Amish life for bullriding fame

By ALYSON E. RALETZ

Willy Ropp walked away from a lifestyle and toward a dream two years ago when he decided to ride bulls for a living.

And he’s kept one philosophy the whole time.

“No quitting until your head hits the ground,” he said.

Mr. Ropp, 23, of Trenton, Mo., was in St. Joseph this week for the National Federation of Professional Bullriders Finals, which were held at the Civic Arena.

Originally from Jamesport, Mo., he grew up in an Amish family and spent most of his time training horses. He rode a bull for the first time at a Trenton fair in 2000 and was hooked.

After he showed more and more interest in the sport, it became obvious he had to make a decision.

“My family thought it was a disgrace to ride bulls,” he said, but the adrenaline rush after a ride was too much to pass up.

So he said goodbye to the Amish way of life when he was 21 and immersed himself into the lives of cowboys. He moved in with a family in Trenton and has been hopping from bull ride to bull ride ever since.

He did not, however, say goodbye to his family. He still visits Jamesport often.

“They’ve never come to see me ride,” he said. “I’ve tried my hardest. I sure wish they would.”

Hundreds saw him ride this week. He strutted into the federation finals this week with a No. 4 ranking out of 25 cowboys.

He had quite a season.

The ranking came after raking in $11,000, including six first-place finishes and numerous other top six standings at other bull rides across the country.

It seems a shear feat after a bull in August put him out of federation rides for five months. At that time, he was ranked No. 2.

“The worst thing anyone fears is for a bull to step on you,” he said. “And that happened to me.”

Two of his lungs collapsed from the injury, sentencing him to nearly half a year of recovery.

It was time away from riding he needed, according to friend of 10 years and bullfighter Jared Lamma, of Trenton.

“The time done him a lot of good,” Mr. Lamma said. “He respects them (bulls) a little more now.”

Mr. Lamma considers himself Mr. Ropp’s own personal bullfighter and attends most of his rides.

While the Jamesport native hasn’t been riding that long, Mr. Lamma said, that hasn’t proved a problem for him.

“He came from a different lifestyle, but he’s picked up real quick,” he said.

4/3/2005 

Alsup rides to Civic Arena glory

By NICK DRAPER
Sports Reporter

For the first time in National Federation of Professional Bullriders Finals history, the champion managed to ride every bull that he faced.

However, for 29-year-old champion, Virgil Alsup, the last ride was the toughest.

After riding the bull for the full eight seconds, Alsup released his hand from the leather strap and got off the bull while it was still bucking. As soon as Alsup jumped off, the bull dug his head into Alsup’s chest, flinging him nearly four feet into the air.

The bullfighters quickly jumped in front of Alsup to protect him, and he exited the ring holding his chest, but not after he threw his hat into the air in celebration.

“I was just so glad when it was over,” Alsup said. “He could have smoked me, and I (still) would have been happy.”

Alsup takes home the championship belt buckle and a brand new pair of chaps.

Ben Ferrell took home second place after riding five out of six bulls. He said he was very pleased with the way he performed throughout the three-day event.

“This is best finals I’ve had,” Ferrell said. “I got bucked off that one, but came back and stuck the rest of them. All these cowboys, they support everybody all the way. This is the best crew I have ever ridden with at a set of finals.”

Curt Check, the top-ranked bullrider coming into the finals, left the Civic Arena Saturday night with the National Federation of Professional Bullriders cup championship. That award is given to the cowboy with the most points overall throughout the year.

Check won two rounds in the event, posting a score of 91 in the fifth round Saturday night and a tied Jimmy Twedt in the fourth round Friday night with an 89.

Both Check and Alsup will receive their awards at a crowning ceremony today at 1 p.m. at St. Jo Frontier Casino.

4/4/2005 

Alsup rides to victory
Bullriders finished up late Saturday night at Civic Arena

Nick Draper

For the first time in National Federation of Professional Bullriders Finals history, the champion managed to ride every bull that he faced.

However, for 29-year-old champion, Virgil Alsup, the last ride was the toughest.

After riding the bull for the full eight seconds, Alsup released his hand from the leather strap and got off the bull while it was still bucking. As soon as Alsup jumped off, the bull dug his head into Alsup’s chest, flinging him nearly four feet into the air.

The bullfighters quickly jumped in front of Alsup to protect him, and he exited the ring holding his chest, but not after he threw his hat into the air in celebration.

“I was just so glad when it was over,” Alsup said. “He could have smoked me, and I (still) would have been happy.”

Alsup takes home the championship belt buckle and a brand new pair of chaps.

Ben Ferrell took home second place after riding five out of six bulls. He said he was very pleased with the way he performed throughout the three-day event.

“This is best finals I’ve had,” Ferrell said. “I got bucked off that one, but came back and stuck the rest of them. All these cowboys, they support everybody all the way. This is the best crew I have ever ridden with at a set of finals.”

Curt Check, the top-ranked bullrider coming into the finals, left the Civic Arena Saturday night with the National Federation of Professional Bullriders cup championship. That award is given to the cowboy with the most points overall throughout the year.

Check won two rounds in the event, posting a score of 91 in the fifth round Saturday night and a tied Jimmy Twedt in the fourth round Friday night with an 89.