been awhile

went to Cheyenne a few weeks back, and to San Antonio PBR this weekend.

Sighs

This cowboy fan is going to have to stop going to PBR Built Ford Tough events. With the corporate party line pushing coaches and helmets and mainstream sports figures through the mouthpieces of their blog, their announcers and their video trailers, it's just not a cowboy sport anymore.

I go for the cowboys.

So, as the year has progressed, I dropped the PBR blog from my Bloglines. I stopped going to PBRnow.com, and I have stopped spending money on merchandise.

It was a joy to see Flint looking healthy, and to see Chris Shivers and Cord McCoy.

The obvious prejudice against the Brazilians, though, and the blind efforts of the high brass to push riders like JB Mauney and Brian Canter (even when it's obvious that they didn't earn that re-ride) is enough to put me off my feed.

The Challenger events are still great, though, and there are rodeos aplenty.

I think we'll be spending our travel budget on stock shows this year

It's the end of an era, and it makes me sad. It also makes me want to say Cowboy Up, Boys, but there are so few cowboys left in the PBR that it's become meaningless.

It's a sad, sad and feeling old fan that I am tonight

Sick of the PBR

I'm a bullriding girl. I admit it. I love the bull athletes, and I love the way bullriders stand, like they own the world.

I've been a PBR girl now for years. Too bad they're losing me.

Every time I read their blog, they're tooting their own horn. "We need ESPYs, we make more money than any rodeo"

Well yay. I mean, I know it's not the riders doing this. It's the CEO, the directors, the marketing people. But it's obnoxious.

So rodeo fans aren't good enough for you?

Then I'll go back to rodeo.

I wonder how many of their riders will, too. The real cowboys will. Just wait

following along

It's almost small rodeo season, y'all! Man, I can't wait, as this year we'll mostly be home for June and July, save for Cheyenne.

Following the PBR is getting to be a little grumpy making. I'm not a fan of either of the little boys from North Carolina, mainly due to their lack of professionalism. You're still in your uniform and cussing out a waitress who has done nothing but be nice to you? Still in your uniform and spitting tobacco juice on the floor of an elevator while cussing at the middle aged fans?

Yeah. Not going to win me over.

So the fact that the organization is pushing and pushing them makes me a little grr.

Back in business and PBR Albuquerque

Hey y'all!

Yeah, we were down a while, and weren't sure how to fix it. Now we know, so the cowgirl up blog is back in business.

We headed off this past weekend to Albuquerque to see the Ty Murray invitational Built Ford Tough PBR event.

So. Here we have the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We're all about experiencing our personal joy in the CGU household, so I'll start with the good. The fan club seats were better than we expected. The boys rode pretty well, and our favorites were there in full force. We even got to see Adriano Moraes and Paulo Crimber in the crowd, and those boys were looking good. Zach Brown won the event, and Spud Jones, who was one of the New Mexico and Native American invitees did real well. The event flowed well, and James was the pick up man, which made it a good roping show.

Chris Shivers put in two qualified rides, and Guilherme made the short go on a round two win. We had a lot of fun watching the guys and chatting with them. We stayed at the Sandia in Albuquerque, which was very pleasant. The staff there rocked our socks.

We'd gone to Santa Fe for a few days before the event, and man that was cool. Cold, too, as it snowed 7 inches, and man, for Texans who had seen 90 degrees the day before we left home? Wow. Cold.

The bad? Well, the event moved from the Tingley auditorium to the Pit at UNM. The arena was way too small, and there was a real chance that both bulls and riders were gonna get hurt the way they had to set up the chutes and the one (yeah, one) back gate.

And then, there was no Flint. Y'all probably know that award winning barrelman Flint Rasmussen had a heart attack. Well, maybe y'all know, seeing as how they've taken any info on him off the PBRnow page, so aside from a blog post promising he'll be back, there's nothing to be found. But he did have a heart attack, and he was out for the Albuquerque event. While I have nothing at all against Keith Isley , who is a fine barrelman, we missed Flint a lot. We decided that the thing about Flint that sets him apart is his musicality. A lot of guys out there are funny, and physical and all that, but Flint has the musical chops that these two redneck gals crave. We miss you, Flint. Come back.

Finally, there's the ugly. We may be all about the joy, but there was no joy in this experience. A few weeks ago, the PBR fan club contacted us about volunteering at the Team PBR or Resistol Relief booth. We said sure. We were told to be there at 10:30 am on Sunday. We were early, which was no one's fault but ours, but it meant we had to sit through the church service, which was, uh, disjointed at best. When no one had showed by 11, we, and the other pair of volunteers were getting grumpy. By the time it was noon and we'd only been acknowledged by the lady who had to leave town on a family emergency and no one had apologized? We were nuclear. And when some little girl finally showed up 15 minutes before the doors opened and told us we had to climb up and down the bleachers and put flyers out? Well. Now, mind you, *they* called us. They told us we'd be working a booth, so all of us, who were not afraid of hard work by any means, had dressed nicely. We were rocking the redneck tuxedo with the bling and boots, and the New England ladies were all in white clothes and heels. If they had ever once told us we'd have to climb bleachers, we would have worn sneakers and shit. Then? They wanted us to work the booth during the show we'd paid $100.00 per ticket for.

So. We did 15 minutes and then went and sat in our seats, which were far better than listening to the show from the damned concourse, and said screw it. I'll be moved to write a letter, I promise. I might even post it here.

That was the ugly. Good thing we go for the cowboys, and not the increasingly big machine that is corporate PBR.

test

test test test

Nashville PBR

Okay, so Nashville was awesome

Justin won. Ryan Dirteater made an amazing showing. Guilherme rallied to come in third and take back his points.

I love Nashville for the music, and the quirky shops and the neat architecture. At the risk of sounding like everyone else, I wasn't fond of the hotel (we have food allergies, and there was nothing to eat on their very limited menu), though the staff were generally amazing and sweet. The main disappointment was the crowd, as they were as subdued and quiet, and I like 'em rowdy. Hats off to random fan Flint pulled to dance on Friday night, James, for singing Baby's Got Back like a pro and near scaring Flint to death.

There were some great rides, and one terrible wreck. Best wishes to Scott Schiffner for a quick recovery. He got knocked out hard.

The very best part of the event was Matt Austin. S is from east Texas, and has family from Wills Point, so it's good to see the local guy do good. Well, he didn't make the ride, but I've loved him since he was winning college championships, so it was good to see him at the big show.

The next best part was the hotel bar on Saturday night. JW, Justin, Frank, Ross Coleman, Greg Potter, the Brazilians en masse. It was a good night.

okay, y'all

the uniforms for the PBR world cup?

Asinine. Horrific. No more, please