Bewerbungen » ristian, Jr.OL -- Terrance Boyd

They get tossed. They get bashed. They get chased by the most formidable of beasts. Danger from every angle. And they keep coming back for more. Such is the precarious, daring, thrill-seeking life of a bull rider.On Saturday night, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit came to Sydney, with Qudos Bank Arena -- usually the domain of concerts, functions and feet-on-the-ground sporting events -- transformed into a state-of-the-art rodeo ring for the Australian national finals.Cowboy hats -- the bigger the better -- were all the fashion. As were glistening belt buckles. Country and Western music had them dancing in the stands.The on-screen advertisements focused on welders and machine oil. And the smell of bulls hung in the air.Twenty-two riders from Australia, the United States and Brazil were also in the house with the aim to somehow stay on top of an assortment of bulls -- all with their own special names such as Red Rat, Rude Manners, Pistol Whip, Fox in Socks, Freak Show, Storm Boy, Hillbilly Deluxe and Devils Dance.As you watched over the next three hours -- arms and legs, hoofs and horns going in all directions -- you admired the competitors courage but kept wondering ... Why?What is the attraction of being relentlessly knocked about when on top of a wild, bucking bull, and then after falling or leaping off its back often having to confront a charging beast?The bull riders say its about adrenaline, the challenge, the excitement of trying to conquer the toughest of beasts. They revel in what appears to be a dangerous and lopsided contest.Among the competitors was 24-year-old Justin Paton, who hails from the small one pub, general store and two service stations Queensland country town of Nebo.?His intense passion for bull-riding, which has seen him the past two years be part of the PBR circuit in the United States, has led to a broken leg, a knee reconstruction, muscle tears, cartilage damage and a concussion.But Ive been lucky compared to a lot of people I know, Paton said. This is still something that I always wanted to do. I dreamed about it, but never really had the heart when I was a kid to give it a try. It used to scare me a bit first up, but I built up my courage.I got on my first poddy calf at a rodeo close to home when I was about 8. I hopped on my first bull when 15 or 16, and havent really looked back.Now it all revolves around staying on the bull for eight seconds so they register a score from the four judges.The rider receives a score out of 100, of which 50 of the points are allocated to how the bull performed and whether it provided a difficult or easy ride.Asked what he had to do to impress the judges, Paton said: Well, we have to stay on our bull to begin with.The judges normally start at looking at the bull, how much kick it has, what it does when it turns back, if it spins, how fast it is and so forth. It really depends on what the bull is doing. It also revolves around whether the bull rider is in control or not.Does that eight seconds feel like an eternity?It depends on how youre going with the bull, I guess. You might be having a pretty rough time, and youre thinking When is that buzzer going to go? Then there are other bulls you ride; you hear the buzzer go and you say to yourself: Im having too much fun. I dont want to get off.On Saturday night, Paton was among the leaders after two successful round rides.However, in the championship round, Enemies Everywhere flung him off early, enabling Brazilian Robinson Guedes to push ahead and win the title by virtue of being the only rider to successfully complete his ride three times.Guedes from Sao Paolo has been to Australian twice -- and won two national titles.An interpreter explained: Robinson likes Australia. He says: It is my type of herd.Then there is the fearless team of protection athletes, otherwise known as bull fighters or rodeo clowns.They have the toughest job of all, protecting the rider after they have finished their ride, and come to their rescue if they are hurt or in danger of being charged at.The bull will often go after the rider. The threat of serious injury is overwhelming. Even more so for anyone who is crazy enough to stand in the bulls way.The three-man protection team on Saturday night included Clint Kelly, an underground coal miner from central Queensland.He has had his fair share of injuries during his seven years bobbing and weaving in front of bulls, including a broken collarbone, and I was recently out of action for six weeks after breaking my jaw and some teeth.But I love it. Its good fun.You would think otherwise when watching graphic YouTube footage of Kelly at one PBR event where he was picked up and flung by a bull, and then charged at.Kelly survived that and many other testing moments.Yeah, you need a bit of heart to keep doing it, and also good cattle sense. We are there to distract the bull, which means getting in between the rider and the bull, and making ourselves an easier target.We have to make certain we get out safely as well, but that doesnt always happen. The plan is if anyone is going to be hit, its us.Kelly, a former rider, became a bull fighter by accident, taking up the role when several failed to turn up at a local Queensland bush rodeo.I was asked to give a hand, had a bit of a go at it, and liked it. I did it a few more times, and got hooked.On the circuit, you get to know a lot of the bulls, and they are not all the same. Some will go and look for the bull rider and try to hit him, or one of us, while others dont really want to be part of it, and instead look for the out gate.?You have to be prepared for anything.Their biggest fans are, not surprisingly, the bull riders.In my honest opinion, they dont get paid enough, Paton said. Theyve saved my hide plenty of times. Theyre essentially bodyguards and are jumping in front of bullets. The only thing is a bullet wont come back and get you again. A bull can.In the background are also compelling characters, including those who breed and supply the bulls to the PBR events, such as Jody Ruhland, who went to her first rodeo when just two weeks old.Her father, Darryl Doyle, was a rodeo rider, as was her husband Rick, until focusing on breeding commercial beef cattle and bucking bulls on the side on a 1200-hectare property at Mount Walker, west of Brisbane.The bulls become like your children. You dont like to let them out of your sight, or hand them over to someone else, Ruhland said.?The bulls have to qualify for an event the same way the riders do. There is a selection criteria. You cant just bring any bulls. They have to be bulls who are performing at their best.What they look for is a bull that kicks really well when it comes out of the chute, and also kicks high. Mostly they like bulls who turn back either way. They are looking for agility, speed, strength, all those things you look for in an athlete, I suppose.Jody, who provided five bulls for the Brisbane Last Cowboy Standing event the previous weekend, opted against bringing them to Sydney due to the long transport haul, but also because her focus was on getting the stadium ready for the event.As a member of the PBR production crew, Jody is involved in transforming an all-purpose arena into something resembling a country rodeo. It is an elaborate process.Around 250 tons of dirt, clay and sand is trucked in to provide the required surface. Bull pens, chutes and protection fences have also to be erected.And as soon as the last bull is out of there, we start pulling it all down. The crew usually finish up 9.30-10 a.m. the next morning. They go right through the night.Time was tight as the stadium less than 48 hours later had to be ready for something completely different -- a concert by The Cure.By that stage the riders were also well on their way to their next encounter with a raging bull.In Patons case, it is flying back to the United States for the PBR circuit.Ill be riding all over the place. The first couple of weeks Ill be up in the northern states, then traveling everywhere from Texas to Canada, California to New York City, Paton said.Endlessly pushing his body to the extreme. Yeah, but where else do you get paid to travel the world, and do what you like doing?Definitely a special breed.Thilo Kehrer Jersey . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Azzeddine Toufiqui Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . 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Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.(STATS) -- Being out of the spotlight isnt a negative for Southeastern Louisianas program as it heads toward the Southland Conference season.Its worked before.The Lions had a quick rise a few years ago, so last years stunning drop-off has refocused them even if they arent being counted on to join the conference title race.The 2013 and 14 Southland champs -- a mere 4-7 last season, including 3-6 in the conference, tying for eighth place -- were picked to finish sixth in the head coaches poll and seventh in the sports information directors poll Wednesday at Southland media day in Lake Charles, Louisiana.Sam Houston State, which has been at least a national semifinalist in four of the past five seasons, was picked first in the two polls followed by defending champion McNeese State. In last years playoffs, Sam Houston eliminated McNeese in the second round.In last years preseason polls, Southeastern Louisiana was picked second by the coaches and third by the SIDs. The Lions got off to a 3-1 start, but they collapsed from there, set back by injuries, a struggling offense, turnovers and an inability to win close games.With an 11-team race, there is less room for error, Southeastern coach Ron Roberts said of the Southland, now in its third season since expanding from eight teams. If you want to win it, you have to play your best football every Saturday.Southeastern has gone heavier on transfers than any other FCS program since Roberts first season in 2012. This year is no different with over 20 in the recruiting class, mostly from junior colleges.The Lions return only seven starters -- five offensive and two defensive -- so they need a quick fix. But they also seek improvement from quarterbacks Donovan Isom and DShaie Landor, and hope returning linebacker Tre Bennett will galvanize a mostly new defensive unit. He was named to the Southland preseason first team.Running back Rasheed Harrell and fullback Juwaan Rogers return as seniors after missing last season with injuries.I want us to have a working mans mentality -- put on the hard hat and find out how good we can be, said Roberts, who is 29-20 through four seasons at Southeastern. The Lions were 5-17 in the two seasons prior to his arrival.We want to be known as a physically and mentally tough football team.Everybody is looking up to Sam Houston in the polls as the Bearkats (11-4, 7-2) seek their seventh Southland title. They led the way with eight first-team selections and 14 overall on the Southland preseason team.This is a great time of the year. Everyone, coaches and players alike, are ready to get started, Sam Houston third-year coach K.C. Keeler said. Were pleased with our talent level, our strength and conditioning efforts and the commitment of our players to another outstanding season.Central Arkansas collected the second-most selections with 10 and McNeese had nine.---=SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLLS=Head Coaches Poll=(Head coaches couldnt vote for own team)1. Sam Houston State (9 first-place votes), 99 points2. McNeese State (2), 923. Central Arkansas, 794. Lamar, 675. Stephen F.dddddddddddd. Austin, 606. Southeastern Louisiana, 577. Northwestern State, 458. Abilene Christian, 409. Incarnate Word, 2910. Nicholls, 2611. Houston Baptist, 11---=Sports Information Directors Poll=(Sports information directors couldnt vote for own team)1. Sam Houston State (10), 1002. McNeese State (1), 863. Central Arkansas, 844. Lamar, 675. Stephen F. Austin, 666. Northwestern State, 487. Southeastern Louisiana, 428. Incarnate Word, 399. Abilene Christian, 3710. Nicholls, 2611. Houston Baptist, 11---=SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON TEAM=First Team Offense=QB -- Zach Conque, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.RB -- Kade Harrington, Lamar, Sr.RB -- Corey Avery, Sam Houston State, Jr.TE/HB -- Zach Hetrick, McNeese State, Sr.WR -- Desmond Smith, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Kent Shelby, McNeese State, Jr.WR -- Yedidiah Louis, Sam Houston State, Jr.OL -- Bret Treadway, Lamar, Sr.OL -- Stockton Mallet, Central Arkansas, Jr.OL -- Mason Martin, McNeese State, Sr.OL -- Bridge Blount, Sam Houston State, Sr.OL -- Curtis Riser, Sam Houston State, Sr.AP -- Yedidiah Louis, Sam Houston State, Jr.PK -- Luc Swimberghe, Sam Houston State, Sr.---=First Team Defense=DL -- P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, Jr.DL -- Isaiah Golden, McNeese State, Jr.DL -- Larance Hale, Lamar, Sr.DL -- John Franklin, Stephen F. Austin, Jr.LB -- Sam Denmark, Abilene Christian, Jr.LB -- Ashari Goins, McNeese State, Jr.LB -- Tre Bennett, Southeastern Louisiana, Sr.DB -- Tremon Smith, Central Arkansas, Jr.DB -- Jabari Butler, Abilene Christian, So.DB -- Dominique Hill, McNeese State, Jr.DB -- B.T. Sanders, Nicholls, Sr.DB -- Darian Flowers, Sam Houston State, Sr.P -- Christian Guzman, Houston Baptist, Jr.KR -- Rodney Randle, Lamar, So.PR -- Brandon Cox, Central Arkansas, Jr.---=Second Team Offense=QB -- Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State, Jr.RB -- Ryan Ross, McNeese State, Jr.RB -- DeMard Llorens, Northwestern State, Sr.TE/HB -- Cody Dauksch, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Davion Davis, Sam Houston State, So.WR -- Shakeir Ryan, Northwestern State, Sr.OL -- Riley Mayfield, Abilene Christian, Jr.OL -- Terrance Boyd, Northwestern State, Sr.OL -- Dakota Laws, Abilene Christian, So.OL -- Sam Hardy, Sam Houston State, Sr.OL -- Travis Romero, Southeastern Louisiana, Jr.AP -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.PK -- None---=Second Team Defense=DL -- Luis Carreno, Sam Houston State, Sr.DL -- Jammerio Gross, McNeese State, Jr.DL -- Terrence Partee, Central Arkansas, Sr.DL -- Sione Latu, Sam Houston State, Sr.LB -- Josh Zellars, Incarnate Word, Sr.LB -- Collins Okotcha, Sam Houston State, So.LB -- Garrett Dolan, Houston BaptistDB -- Jermaine Antoine, McNeese State, Jr.DB -- George Odum, Central Arkansas, Jr.DB -- Brendan Langley, Lamar, Sr.DB -- Adrian Norwood, Incarnate Word, Sr.DB -- Patrick Martin, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.P -- NoneKR -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.PR -- Jordan Hicks, Incarnate Word, Sr. ' ' '