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Veteran rodeo journalist Neal Reid is sharing his observations through the National Finals Rodeo on his "NFR Insider" blog at NFRexperience.com.

Here are some excerpts:

A pink paradise

Jhett Johnson, the heeling half of the team that won the team roping in (Monday's) Round 5, is a testicular cancer survivor, so he can relate to breast cancer survivors. He and partner Turtle Powell won the round in 3.8 seconds and stand second in the average heading into the second half of the rodeo.

"To win on pink night is special, and it hits home with me," said Johnson, who was declared cancer-free in 2006 and underwent surgeries in 1995 and 1996. "My wife said, 'I would really like you to win this night one time.' I've been 3.8 and 3.9 on pink night here in the past and had broken barriers, but to win it tonight is special."

True grit

By the way, bull rider J.W. Harris is competing with a broken boot and sprained lower back -- a wicked injury for a bull rider who must keep his core upright during a ride -- and a sprained left knee. He talked to the media about overcoming the injuries and the pain to excel.

"It's just part of riding bulls," Harris said. "You're going to get hurt. If everybody could do it, everybody would. I just have to grit through it for eight seconds. It's pretty easy to forget the pain for eight seconds, and if you want it bad enough, you can grit through anything."

From Twitter.com (search for Las Vegas NFR):

TedStovin: is in Las Vegas ready for the last 5 performances of the 2011 #NFR. Lots of great content coming your way the starting tonight!

britsinlasvegas: NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift Show at Las vegas convention center all this week

busterratliff: Heading to Las Vegas for the NFR with @rpratliff @lkratliff & @AKAheyU