MLK Day brought food for thought
January 19, 2018
PREP SPORTS
January 19, 2018
One Chauvin man’s life is full of bull and he’s finally getting recognition for it.
Sheldon Price, a carpenter superintendent of Chauvin, has won the Premier Bull Riding Tour Association’s “2017 Stock Contractor of the Year” award.
Price began riding bulls at 15, but when he turned 28, and had a son on the way, he hung up his spurs, but he couldn’t give up rodeo life. He purchased himself a herd of bucking bulls, and for the past 10 years, began raising and bringing them to rodeos.
“I didn’t want to ride anymore once I had him,” Price said, “After a certain age, when you hit the ground, you don’t get up as fast.”
His daily routine is a testament to his love of the cowboy lifestyle. Imagine, if you will, waking at 4:30 a.m. in the morning, working carpentry until 5pm after which Price picks up his two children from school. Once home its out to the fields to feed his 30 bucking bulls, 40 mama cows (also of the bucking breed), and 8 bucking horses.
The family is steeped in the cowboy lifestyle as well. Price’s wife Jessica just finished veterinarian school at LSU and together with their 8-year-old daughter, Laney, does barrel racing on the horses. His 10-year-old son, Carson, wants to help with the bulls, but he has to get a little older first.
As one could imagine, toting this amount of cattle around takes serious equipment. Price hauls the 10 bulls and 8 horses into two 32-foot trailers that are each 7 feet wide.
Contractors bring 10 bulls to each bull riding event, and this award represents the collective performance of Price’s bulls throughout these events, said Steven Campbell president of the Premier Bull Riding Tour Association.
“Riders liked his bulls as a whole,” Campbell said, “because the riders had a shot to win on each and every one.”
The riders vote on their favorite contractor through a ballot they receive in the mail at the end of the year, which has all the contractors’ names on it. Price was chosen out of a total of four, said Campbell
“It’s pretty cool because all the guys liked the bulls I had.” Said Price, “It confirms that I did a good job.”
At events, 2 judges score each ride. The rider and bull each have an opportunity to score 25 points from a single judge – for a possibility of 100 points total.
The bulls are scored on the intensity of their kick, jump, spin, and the difficulty for the rider to stay on. If the rider falls off, or the bull doesn’t maintain these criteria for a full 8 seconds, both are disqualified from their attempt.
This is no small feat for the riders. There is no saddle, and riders may not touch the bull with one of their hands. Only two ropes are employed by the rider: one around the bull’s chest, while another is loose around its flank. The first rope allows the rider to hang on, while the second tricks the bull into thinking it can kick the ropes off.
There is a “long” round in which every participant competes, after which the top 8 scoring riders return for a second “short” round. The rounds are named long and short referring to the number of participants. During the short round, the finalists compete on more difficult bulls.
Rider and bull both have an opportunity to place at each event, but also both riders and bulls have a chance to be the best of the year. While two of Price’s bulls were nominated, the Bull of the Year award went to a bull owned by Bo Smith of Florida.
The Premier Bull Riding Tour started last January, and their first event was held in March, “the guy that won that event won it on Sheldon’s bull Shorty,” Campbell said.
The “2017 Stock Contractor of the Year” award will be bestowed upon Price next weekend, January 26-27, at the “Conley Invitational Premier Bull Riding Tour Finale: presented by Arctic Air Services” in Palmetto Florida, said Campbell.
The Premier Bull Riding Tour currently holds events in the southeastern portion of the United States, with aspirations to become national.
The finale will bring an end to the Premier Bull Riding Tour’s first year, and riders will be competing for a total of $20,000 in cash and prizes. For more information about the upcoming finale, or Premier Bull Riding Tour visit their website at: http://premierbullridingtour.com/
Sheldon Price, a carpenter superintendent, from Chauvin, has won the Premier Bull Riding Tour Association’s 2017 Stock Contractor of the Year Award. He said winning the award is a great honor.
