Post by jwrox on Oct 3, 2007 19:49:35 GMT -5
From the PBR website
Are PBR Bull Rider J.W. Hart's Days Numbered?
PUEBLO, Colo. (October 3, 2007) - Should J.W. Hart hang it up?
Some are starting to think so. Internet blogs hint at it. Even the most hardcore fans of the 31-year-old bull rider from Overbrook, Okla., are beginning to feel a tingle of doubt.
Hart has covered exactly five bulls in his past 34 outs. That’s one out of seven.
He lost his spot as the PBR’s "Ironman" last week, when Luke Snyder broke his record for consecutive BFTS events with 198. And if he keeps riding like he is, he won’t make the World Finals, snapping his record streak of 13 straight.
Hart could walk away tomorrow and no one would think less of him. His list of accomplishments is extraordinary: Thirty 90-point rides. Six event wins. 1994 Rookie of the Year. 2002 World Finals winner. 2004 U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. Challenger Finals event winner. A term on the PBR Board of Directors. A lovely wife, beautiful home and a burgeoning career as a stock contractor.
But a man who’s gone to 255 elite BFTS events and faced 604 bulls isn’t likely to call it quits just because some couch-jockeys are second-guessing him.
“It’s been day-to-day for five years,” said Hart. “I’m not worried about it, so nobody else should be.”
No one questions Hart’s love for the sport. But getting to Finals is not about love, or serving on the board, or even a lot of points. It’s about money. Hart’s at $41,766 on the year. To make Finals, he’ll probably need somewhere above $50,000. That’s a reach, right?
Wrong. Hart’s got a minimum of four bulls left – two in Salt Lake, two in Columbus. If he covers both at either event, he’ll probably make the championship round. If he covers a third in the short-go, he’ll probably place in the top 3. Placing in the top 3 is usually worth a minimum of 10 grand. Hart gets 10 grand, he goes to Vegas.
2007 PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) — a man who almost quit himself three years before his third PBR World Title — once said: “If you ride all your bulls and don’t win, it’s the bulls’ fault.” So that’s all Hart has to do. Cover those bulls.
He’s got two shots to cover three bulls to show the world he still belongs in the arena.
"I ain’t giving up ‘til it’s over,” he said.
On Friday night in Salt Lake City, when he nods his head and that gate opens, he can make his case.
Fans can witness J.W. Hart do just that at the Express PBR Classic this weekend, Oct. 5 and 6 at the E Center in Salt Lake City. Tickets for the event are available via smithstix.com or call 801 467 8499 to charge by phone.
VERSUS will air the event on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
For more information about the Express PBR Classic, J.W. Hart or the PBR, please visit www.pbrnow.com or contact Denise M. Abbott at 719 242 2800.
To express your thoughts on this topic, please visit www.pbrnow.com/hartcomments.
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So what does everyone think about this and will JW make it to the finals?
Are PBR Bull Rider J.W. Hart's Days Numbered?
PUEBLO, Colo. (October 3, 2007) - Should J.W. Hart hang it up?
Some are starting to think so. Internet blogs hint at it. Even the most hardcore fans of the 31-year-old bull rider from Overbrook, Okla., are beginning to feel a tingle of doubt.
Hart has covered exactly five bulls in his past 34 outs. That’s one out of seven.
He lost his spot as the PBR’s "Ironman" last week, when Luke Snyder broke his record for consecutive BFTS events with 198. And if he keeps riding like he is, he won’t make the World Finals, snapping his record streak of 13 straight.
Hart could walk away tomorrow and no one would think less of him. His list of accomplishments is extraordinary: Thirty 90-point rides. Six event wins. 1994 Rookie of the Year. 2002 World Finals winner. 2004 U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. Challenger Finals event winner. A term on the PBR Board of Directors. A lovely wife, beautiful home and a burgeoning career as a stock contractor.
But a man who’s gone to 255 elite BFTS events and faced 604 bulls isn’t likely to call it quits just because some couch-jockeys are second-guessing him.
“It’s been day-to-day for five years,” said Hart. “I’m not worried about it, so nobody else should be.”
No one questions Hart’s love for the sport. But getting to Finals is not about love, or serving on the board, or even a lot of points. It’s about money. Hart’s at $41,766 on the year. To make Finals, he’ll probably need somewhere above $50,000. That’s a reach, right?
Wrong. Hart’s got a minimum of four bulls left – two in Salt Lake, two in Columbus. If he covers both at either event, he’ll probably make the championship round. If he covers a third in the short-go, he’ll probably place in the top 3. Placing in the top 3 is usually worth a minimum of 10 grand. Hart gets 10 grand, he goes to Vegas.
2007 PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) — a man who almost quit himself three years before his third PBR World Title — once said: “If you ride all your bulls and don’t win, it’s the bulls’ fault.” So that’s all Hart has to do. Cover those bulls.
He’s got two shots to cover three bulls to show the world he still belongs in the arena.
"I ain’t giving up ‘til it’s over,” he said.
On Friday night in Salt Lake City, when he nods his head and that gate opens, he can make his case.
Fans can witness J.W. Hart do just that at the Express PBR Classic this weekend, Oct. 5 and 6 at the E Center in Salt Lake City. Tickets for the event are available via smithstix.com or call 801 467 8499 to charge by phone.
VERSUS will air the event on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
For more information about the Express PBR Classic, J.W. Hart or the PBR, please visit www.pbrnow.com or contact Denise M. Abbott at 719 242 2800.
To express your thoughts on this topic, please visit www.pbrnow.com/hartcomments.
###
So what does everyone think about this and will JW make it to the finals?
