CBR Rewards $1,200,000 to Bull Owners on the 2017 Road to Cheyenne
World Finals Bull Team Challenge – By the Numbers
WEATHERFORD, Texas – (July 31, 2017) – As a leader in the sport of professional level bull riding, CBR has been in the industry for more than a decade providing fans, riders and stock contractors multifaceted layers of opportunity on two thriving nationwide tours.
There are two things that fans want to see at a bull riding…one is eight second rides, and the other is high scores,” said Tuff Hedeman, Ambassador and Chute Boss for CBR Road to Cheyenne televised tour.
Providing stock that the bull riding athletes want to get on is part of Hedeman’s mandate as he manages the approval bull selection process for CBR.
Sounds easy right? Think again.
The CBR Bull Team Challenge Competition is a franchise league where 60 bull team owners compete in three events per team. Each team consists of three bulls each. The four judge bull scores are added to the time ridden and the team’s total score is that number. Up for grabs, over one million dollars each season. $1,200,000 total was awarded during the 2017 Road to Cheyenne Bull Team Challenge competition and World Finals.
72 different bulls were used in the bull team challenge with an additional 25 in the semifinal, final, and re ride pens. Eight teams had one qualified ride score, nine teams had at least two ride scores and only one, Jaynes/Johnston & McKinney had three qualified rides. 4.92 points (gathered by bull scores and ride times added) separated the Rockin C, Rafter B, and Harris fifth place $19,000 earning team and the first place $100,000 earned by Williams, Freeman, and Pepper.
In Cheyenne it’s a $300,000 split between teams 1 – 17 with the winner take all receiving the $100,000 bonus check. With that kind of money on the line – bull selection is at its best with the elite bull men in the country working hard to assure their three bovine athletes will provide high enough scores combined with ride time for a winning combination.
The best three bulls compete in the first three rounds at the CBR World Finals. Their scores are combined with their ride times and the winner goes home with $100,000 bonus check, a custom tricked out Bloomer Stock trailer, engraved Juan Munoz saddle, a custom engraved Hy 0 Silver trophy buckle, American Hat Co pure beaver felt hat, and full quill exotic handmade custom Logo Boots by Fenoglio Boot Company.
WHO DID IT BEST?
The team of Williams, Freeman, and Pepper left Cheyenne with the new Bloomer trailer and the $100,000 check, but several others had game changing seasons playing the wildly popular CBR Bull Team game.
“I am blessed and can say we are going home and beginning to build our first house with our earnings, a dream come true for me and my wife,” said twenty six year old Justin Freeman, a native of Louisville, Mississippi.
According to franchise partner Terry Williams of Carthage, Texas, the young Freeman and Pepper met him thru mutual friend Dustin Delmas who was also from a partner from Mississippi – the boys wanted to do something and he had the team so they bought in with Williams.
“They are great partners whatever they tell you they are going to do they do,” said Williams.
It is hard to say Jeff Harris, the 2016 CBR World Champion Bull Team, was not the big winner again this year. Leaving Cheyenne last year with the $120,000 check for one team of three, Harris diversified this season taking in friends, partners, and family and came to Cheyenne with 19 bulls.
“You can’t win that kind of money with three bulls anywhere in the industry,” said Cory Melton, CBR bull team owner and member of the CBR Board of Directors.
Harris and company qualified six teams, earned $57,000 while in Cheyenne, with checks from his team’s fourth, fifth and seventh place finishes at the CBR World Finals. Harris’s 2016-17 Road to Cheyenne earnings were $202,000.
“Jeff knows bulls, and he is one of the top notch guys in the industry – I can call him and say – look at this bull and if that bull has it – he knows it, sometimes we hang on to them and he will tell me let’s look at him when he’s older,” said Harris partner and hometown friend, Lowell Clay of Palestine.
Team Scott Burleson and William Barnett were the number two on the earnings list pulling in $54,000 while in Cheyenne with a 2nd and a 16th. Add that to the regular season earnings of $88,000 and that team was $142,000 up for the season. Their second place finish paid $51,000 to the Hockley, Texas partners who met at a bucking bull sale in Vegas when fate stepped in and placed them together ringside.
“We are changing people’s lives with the CBR Bull team,” said Barnett from a friendly hand of gin in the lobby hotel in Cheyenne.
Other multi team winners were Jerilyn Harmon’s Elite Bulls $123,000 on the season including CBR World Finals earnings from a 6th and 13th place finish with CBR broadcaster and former CBR World Champion and PBR super star Mike White on the flank.
In third place at the CBR World Finals was Jaynes Gang/Johnston/McKinney, winning $34,000 combined with their $28,000 regular season, they finished the season with $62,000.
CBR BTC entry fees are $5,000 per Road to Cheyenne tour event and at the CBR World Finals.
WHY WE PLAY?
From family vacations to competitive results sheets, you will find the stock contractors at the CBR supporting one another. “CBR association is a big family, we all get along and root for each other, we appreciate that Tuff and concentrates produces the event with family in mind.”
“CBR association is a big family, we all get along and root for each other, we appreciate that Tuff concentrates producing the event with the family in mind,” continued Clay. “You see smiles on kids, adults, grandmas and teenagers during our events and its just pure fun to be a part of it,” finished Clay.
According to Clay it’s their family vacation in Cheyenne and he is quick to tell everyone, “If you haven’t been to the World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days, you need to go.”
As to the most important point factor in selecting a bull team partner?
“You can count on Jeff Harris to help no matter what you are doing, he’s that kind of guy,” continued Lowell Clay.
THE BULLS
The top bull score plus ride time was Burleson/Barnett’s 756 Wacked Out. Sage Kimzey was 92 points on him with a rank score of 90 for a total of 98 points.
Behind him was 97.5 composite score from CBR Bull of the Year, 911 Hy Test (Rockin C, Rafter B, Harris) followed by a total 97 points from Red Cloud and the fourth most valuable player in the bull team challenge also came to Cheyenne with Jeff Harris, 101 Rolling Hill who assisted Braden Richardson to 89 points and a 96.5 for Rafter B – Rockin C and Harris.
The top bull based on rank scores, and Tuff Hedeman, was x9 Standing on X’s from K & G/Barrett/Willis. He tied with 756 Wacked Out for 90 points on the four judged system while bucking off Braden Richardson in 2.35 seconds.
The winning team had ace stockman Scott Burrus at the helm of bull selection and when it was all said and done, that was what Terry Williams called, the “it factor.” It’s a different game now, said the six time multi association stock contractor of the year.
“So many people are raising bulls so you can pick from 4,000 bulls now instead of 400 back in my day. Scott is a phenomenal bull man and he knows what bulls work where and after 30 years of working together on some level he was the one I recommended put the bulls together,” said Williams.
“Scott was raised with mules, cows, horses and bulls – he is a true stockman,” continued Williams who started CBR with Joel Logan back in 2002.
The newly crowned World Champion Bull Team anchor was the one qualified ride for 90 points from average winner Cody Jesus. That total score plus time ridden was 97 points, third place on the unique CBR system used to copulate bulls in the BTC.
The second place team was anchored by 756 Wacked Out and they had two qualified rides for 282.91 total, just 1.33 points behind the winner. If Dustin Bouget had ridden 1.34 seconds longer they would have been the winner. Juan Alonzo rode their 654 Flip Flop for 90 points and the assist of 96.5 total score.
“We have been second all year, but I’ll take it and we are thrilled to be in that position here too,” said Burleson who hauled the three teams labeled Burleson Barnett to the eleven different cities and tour stops this season for his good friend and partner Will Barnett while he recovered from a life threatening accident taking place in the bull pens last May.
Third place was Jaynes Gang with their three regulars and the only team in the competition to receive three qualified rides. Wes Silcox rode EG3414 Hou Did he Buck to anchor the team’s scores with a composite of 96.5. Caleb Sanderson then was 87 on 2575 Flab Slab and Josh Frost was third entry on cowboy favorite, 1925 Painkiller. The team was .91 behind the reserve champion team.
Fourth and fifth was a Harris orchestrated venture with Harris Bucking Bulls 2.75 points behind third. Two qualified rides from 277 Dirty Little Secret (Vastbinder) and highest team score with ride time, 215 Lone Wolf (Radley) for 96 total points anchored this team.
Be sure and catch all the action on Fox Sports Networks. You can watch the Road to Cheyenne tour every Wednesday with Finals coverage beginning on Wednesday, August 30, on Fox Sports 2 at 9 pm.
Complete scoring and awarded prizes and monies available and for more information on CBR Bull team franchises and teams please contact Kay Lee Pearson. Kay-lee@cbrbull.com. Follow CBR on Facebook, Championship Bull Riding, Instagram and Twitter @cbrbull.com.
Courtesy of CBR