Luke Snyder Win’s PBR’s Last Cowboy Standing

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The Professional Bull Rider’s Last Cowboy Standing was a special event at the Mandalay Bay on April 16, 2011. This was not the event to miss, and even if you couldn’t make it to Las Vegas, you could have watched on pay-per-view. If you were a true PBR fan this was a great way to see the best bulls and the best bull riders go head to head before the World Finals in October.

Ty Murray said it best ‘That’s why they play the game.’ This event was the first of its kind for the PBR, and it highlighted the qualities of a good bull rider – ride for the love of the game, grit, determination, try, drive, and the heart it takes to ride the best bulls and walk away with the knowledge that they are the best of the best. There was no room for mistakes; if a bull rider was not top of his game, he wouldn’t move on to another bull. Go big or go home… there would be no second chances.

This was a very intimate event for the 6,011 people in attendance for this history making, sold out event. Arena side seating closer than the World Finals, but, the crowd was not anything like a World Finals crowd. I am not sure where the true die hard PBR fans were, but they were not at The Last Cowboy Standing. There may have been a few, but they were lost in the crowd. The crowd was not enthusiastic about the bulls or the bull riding, a ninety point ride, or a great save by the bull fighters didn’t attract any interest or cause of concern.

It was so sad to see ‘Make Some Noise,’ appear on the screen after a ninety point ride. You call yourself a bull riding fan??? I don’t think so; a true fan would be out of their seat cheering the bull rider for a great ride and or the bull for a great effort. Sadly the World Finals fans were missing on a Saturday night in Vegas. What was even sadder was to watch the people rush out after, if not before the last ride, not many people stayed to watch the crowing of a champion. I can only hope the fact that it was a one night only event, was what kept the true PBR fan away from their favorite bulls and bull riders. I expect to see you all in Vegas, join me on the red carpet in October.

Luke Snyder is the Last Cowboy Standing. Luke won Round 1 with won 88 points on Slim Chance. In the second round Luke rode Braveheart for 90.5 points. In the third round Luke rode Cooper Tires Wild & Out for 90 points, taking home the $200,000 prize for being the “Last Cowboy Standing.” Luke was the only one out of forty riders who rode all three of his bulls. Luke Snyder did what he had to do, riding all three of his bulls, with focus, determination, and the knowledge that he could be at the top of his game if he wanted it.

Ty Murry said this about Luke’s winning ride, ‘That wasn’t luck, that wasn’t because he drew just right or things just happened to fall into place. He went out there and he went at those bulls, and he was aggressive and he was expecting to ride them. He was making the moves that it takes, and it wasn’t like he just had a perfect seat the whole way… He took charge of it and he looked like a fantastic bull rider this weekend, and it paid off pretty well.’

Luke made this statement about his historic win ‘It totally felt like Vegas in ’01. I totally got in a zone, and it’s a point where you don’t have to think about it. You just slide up and you just let reactions take over. It almost means as much to me now as it did then, because I was young and I thought the world was mine. Now as I’m older – I’m one of the older guys in the locker room, I kind of solidified myself that I can still ride among my peers after tonight.’

Luke was the 2001 PBR World Champion at nineteen, and tonight’s was his three hundredth career Built Ford Tough Series event, which Luke has competed in. Congratulations to Luke on his historic event win.

I would like to thank the fans, the bull riders, the bull fighters for protecting the fallen, and the PBR for allowing me to attend this special event.

And remember two things ‘Ride 8 seconds, Move on. Come up short. GO HOME,’ and ‘PBR The Toughest Sport on Dirt.’

Camera Wench

“Have Camera… Will Travel.”