BULL RIDER SMART INJURED

BULL RIDER SMART INJURED

Chance Smart, the reigning PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour champion, was listed in stable condition Monday at Rapid City (S.D.) Regional Hospital with a severe concussion and fractured right cheekbone suffered Saturday night in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Doctors are estimating the Philadelphia, Miss., cowboy won't return to competition for at least two months.

Smart was injured at the season-opening Xtreme event when he was struck in the head by a horn while riding Burns Rodeo Company's Skunk Works.

He was knocked unconscious and fell under the bull, after which he was stepped on in the abdominal area. He remained unconscious until he arrived at the hospital.

Smart is suffering from swelling of the brain and a subdural hematoma (bleeding on the brain), according to hospital officials. The fractured cheekbone has resulted in his right eye being swollen shut. Further tests are planned to determine whether he has suffered damage to his vision.

Further updates will be posted at ProRodeo.com.

WELSH RALLIES

Bobby Welsh seems to have been stuck on second-place finishes, but he stopped the trend by winning the Xtreme event in Rapid City.

Welsh rode his final-round bull, After Shock from the Burns Rodeo string, for 90 points to clinch the average title and push his earnings for the weekend to $11,311.

"I saw that bull at our (Mountain States) circuit finals in November, and he was a lot nicer than he was tonight," he said. "He had a lot of kick and bucked hard. That's the kind of bull I like, those hard-kicking ones, so I can stick my chest out and feel good about it."

Jones, however, bested the mark with a 91 aboard Burch Rodeo's Magic Man and won the round. On Jones' dismount, however, Magic Man stepped on him, and he sustained a contusion of the right knee and lower leg.

"Me and Chance are running mates and we're believers in God and we know that his word triumphs over all," said Welsh said, a close friend of Smart's. "Being behind him and being a believer, I'm not worried about it because the best care he can be in is God's, and that's the care he's in. He's going to be just fine."

PBR'S MAUNEY THRILLS HOMETOWN FANS

J.B. Mauney of Mooresville, N.C., left his home state victorious Saturday after totaling 267 points to win the Copenhagen Bull Riding Invitational in Winston-Salem.

He won $29,812 to extend his lead in the PBR Built Ford Tough world standings.

"It's great to win in front of my home state crowd," Mauney said. "They are the best fans in the world, and to win in front of all my friends and family — I couldn't have asked for anything else."

In round one, Mauney took second place after scoring 89.75 points on Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls' Big Coyote. He followed that up with an 86.25-point ride on Frontier Rodeo's Cloud 9 before covering Deja Blu, owned by Teague Bucking Bulls, for 91 points.

OVERALL EVENT STANDINGS: 1) Mauney, 267 points, $29,812; 2) Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) 266.75 points, $17,702; 3) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 266.25 points, $11,642; 4) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 262.5 points, $6,826; 5) Ryan McConnel (Farmington, N.M.) 262.25 points, $5,074.

WORLD STANDINGS: 1) Mauney, 2,892.25 points, $90,967; 2) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 2,280.5 points, $39,860; 3) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 1,942 points, $105,727; 4) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 1,938.75 points, $17,294; 5) Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) 1,692.25 points, $68,903; 6) Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) 1,637.25 points, $36,760; 7) Ryan McConnel (Farmington, N.M.) 1,563 points, $14,861; 8) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 1,554.25 points, $15,852; 9) Shane Proctor (Grand Coulee, Wash.) 1,448.5 points, $21,539; 10) Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) 1,429.5 points, $26,246.

(The PBR World Champion is based on total Built Ford Tough Series points earned through the season.)

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