A quick comment by J.W. Hart in response to questions that he has apparently been getting regarding Guillerme Marchi got my attention, and I wanted to discuss it here. J-Dub indicated that some PBR fans think that he is having his wrist shot up with steroids. I don't know what they are shooting Marchi up with, but this happens in every sport. I would venture to guess that 75% of the NFL athletes that suit up on Sundays get a shot in some part of their body to numb pain. This is no different than any of them.
I have no information, or reason to believe that any of the Brazilians are using steroids for injuries or for performance reasons. I think that it is probably a non-issue, long term. I do think that the negativity toward the Brazilians and the idea that they are doing something illegal to compete on the BFTS points to a bigger issue. I don't think that it is any secret that there are lots of PBR circles that aren't fans of the Brazilian riders for whatever reason. While I support the Brazilians, I do think that there are some bullriding cultural issues/norms that irritate "purists". I know there are several habits that irritate me.
Trust me, none of my reasons have anything to do with the fact that they aren't American, cause there are plenty of Americans that drive me nuts. It also doesn't have anything to do with the fact that they don't speak our language, have dark skin, etc. It does have to do with how they go about things relating to the sport, a lot of which I feel are a result of growing up in a different culture of bull riding.
I do think that some of them are starting to change their ways and are growing on me, but it is taking time. Renato and Valdiron, especially have started to do things the right way this season, but they fall back into the old Brazilian tricks from time to time.
1) Get out of the chute already!
This is something that absolutely drives me insane. Marchi is the worst, and some of the others follow his lead. Robson and Valdiron fall into the trap, although Valdiron has been much better this year. I have been happy to see Renato improving in this area, and the newcomer Silvano not falling into this act.
When Marchi is in the chute, I know that I can get a drink, grab a snack, or head to the restroom and I won't miss a thing. He soaps up his bulls and wears them out in the shoot, and it is obnoxious.
2) Take it easy on the Bull!
All of the Brazilians are guilty of this. They all cut their bulls in half.
Watch how many of their bulls lay down in the chute. This is a direct result of pulling the bull rope too tight and putting excess pressure on the bulls midsection. Bulls, horses, etc. all move toward pressure, so when the bull feels uncomfortable pressure on his stomach, his first reaction is to lay down. This is why is is so amusing to see the cowboys try to push the bulls in the chutes with their boots. The bull is naturally going to push back against the pressure, the complete opposite of the desired reaction.
There has been so much talk of Guillerme being so consistent, but in my opinion, part of the reason that he is so consistent is a result of the two items above. His bulls don't buck nearly as hard after he has been on them for twenty minutes in the chute and then cut them in half with his rope. Robson and Valdiron do the same thing when they have to get on really tough bulls that don't fit them very well.
This is probably a cultural norm in Brazil, but it is against what most would consider the "American" way of bull riding, which irritates some traditional bull riding fans.
3) Stop screaming in the camera!
This one is all for Marchi. Lots of bull riders celebrate in the arena. McConnel does his surf/dance, McKennon shadow boxes, and Ben Jones, well, I am not sure what you call it, but he celebrates. However, Marchi pointing and screaming in the camera drive me insane. This may be where the steroid argument comes from, because he seems so laid back between round, behind the chute, etc. and then he can't stop looking around for a camera and screaming when he makes a good ride.
Here's hoping that they continue to adjust to the bull riding culture in the U.S. and that we see less and less of these issues.
PBR Finals - The Las Vegas Experience VII
15 years ago
Say what you want about the Brazilians, but I seriously doubt you have ever met any one of them. They are all god fearing people that are very much thankful for the opportunity to be in this great country of ours. All of them are 100% cowboy. Back in March, 8 of them were at my house and we unexpectly had a couple of our heifers give birth that morning, one of the heifers, guess now we can call her a cow, didn't want anything to do with her baby. Those guys without a rope, without a chute, just a horse halter & leadrope were able to get this cow cornered, haltered & tied to a steel post and get the baby to nursing. Took nearly an hour, but none of them gave up and in the end the cow & calf came out unscathed and everything was right in their world.
ReplyDeleteYou want to talk about them pulling a tight rope and that causes the bulls to lay down, well, they rode my horses, and right before the horses were getting cinched up, they sucked in air, just like they always do, and yes, they pulled a pretty tight cinch, but when they were done & the horses let out some air, the cinch was just about right. The horses didn't lay down because of a tight cinch. I'll agree that MAYBE a few of the bulls might do that, but the majority don't. They get into a routine just like the horses do, they know when that rope is being pulled and they know to suck in air. I've even asked some contractors if that was the case and they agreed with me.
Now lets talk about how you think they take to long in the chutes. Guess part of what you might not know is, if the judge right over them in the chutes thinkS they took to long and were trying to "soak" the bull, they can & do get fined. We as fans don't get to hear about that. I know Renato has told me he has been fined for it once in the past. Don't think Guilherme has ever been fined for it. I'll agree that Valdiron in years past has taken longer than he should in the chutes, but he has done a considerably better job at getting out this year as you pointed out. My point is that if the judges think they are trying to soak the bulls, they will & do issue fines to the riders. I think on average the Brazilians take about the same amount of time as the rest of the riders. I'll give you when one of the new guys comes over, they seem to take a bit longer, but I'll give them that, getting used to a new way of doing things & such.
You have your right to not like the way Guilherme points at the camera & does his celebration, but their are a few "American" celebrations that I can't stand. Why on earth would you pretend that your riding a surf board in the middle of a dirt floor arena...yo hang ten dude....whatever!
I don't doubt that they are good people. That wasn't the point of my post. My point was that there is a significant difference in bullriding culture where they come from, and the sooner they adjust to our culture, the better it will be for them.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point about the bulls possibly taking a breath, but that doesn't explain the obvious extra effort that Guillerme makes when he pulls his rope. It wouldn't take so much effort if there wasn't resistance to the pull. It is for his benefit to ease off of this, as his bulls would buck better for him.
I do think that a lot of the Brazilians should be handled more strictly by the judges, but I also realize that it is not in the best interests of the PBR for the judges to be disqualifying guys, becuase it is bad for the sport and for TV if guys are getting DQ'd.
As you said, a lot of the celebrations have gotten to be too much. I am always partial to a good hat toss and fist pump.