Florida Freedom Professional Bull Riders ready for first season at Sunrise

Marc Berman
| Special at the post office

HOLLYWOOD — John Crimber, the 18-year-old bull rider for Florida Freedom, sat in the dirt near the bull pen and read a Bible.

The Florida Freedom, who will be competing in their first season in the Professional Bull Riders League, was set to perform a rodeo demonstration Saturday on the Seminole Tribe’s reservation. It was the conclusion of their first training camp in Broward County.

On scene were members of the Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Unit with their red truck 10 yards away. Before the first bull riding, the event’s public announcer led fans in prayer.

Bull riding has its occupational hazards, but it also has its rabid fans. One of Oklahoma City’s two franchises has moved to South Florida and the Freedom will host their PBR league games at Amerant Bank Arena, home of the newly crowned Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Perhaps this is a good omen.

Florida’s first home game will be Aug. 2-4 in Sunrise. The Freedom will host the New York Mavericks (Aug. 2), whose stadium is Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the Oklahoma Wildcatters (Aug. 3) and the Missouri Thunder (Aug. 4).

“Danger is everywhere,” Florida head coach Paulo Crimber said. “You can come out of a street and get hit by a truck. Danger is part of what we do. But we do it out of love. I’m afraid of heights. But I can jump on a million bulls. »

Crimber, a 44-year-old Brazilian who moved to Texas, retired from riding in 2012 after making a comeback from a broken neck – an injury that kept him out of bull riding for three years.

The sport is menacing but perfect in its simplicity. A rider must stay on top of the bull for 8 seconds to score. Then he is judged on the ride.

“I was trying to prove the doctors wrong, that I was capable of riding again,” Crimber said. “I did it a little bit so my son could watch me ride. I wasn’t as good anymore because my body was limited, but I managed to come back for a year. »

Paulo has earned $3 million during his career. His son, John, is now Florida’s top rider, ranked second in the nation with earnings of $800,000 this year during the individual portion of the rodeo season.

“In one season he earned a quarter of what I earned in my entire career,” Paulo said. “It drives very well. It’s a phenomenon. He’s the LeBron James of horseback riding.

In fact, John Crimber was also the No. 1 pick in the PBR draft. Crimber rode his first mini bull at age 6 and a big bull at age 9.

“He has more natural talent than me, but it’s a matter of blood,” Paulo Crimber said. “I had no one to teach me and I learned on my own. I helped him since he was a baby, showing him the tactics.

Another young Florida star is Conner Halverson, 22, who grew up around rodeo in a town of 1,500 in Gordon, Nebraska.

“The rodeo comes to my town every year and it’s something I’ve always loved,” Halverson said. “It’s dangerous, but I fell in love with it. You don’t think too much about the dangers. You just focus on your job and what you love. But you know the possibilities.”

In South Dakota in 2019, Halverson lacerated his liver. Injuries from bull riding do not usually occur due to a fall. The danger is after landing on earth. On an unlucky day, the bull is likely to step on a rider, most of the time unintentionally.

“We get hurt because we fall in a bad spot that happens to be where their legs are going next,” Halverson said. “A lot of times it’s not intentional. Wrong place. Wrong time. Nothing we can control. But there are some bulls that have a temper that might take an extra effort to chase you.”

Florida has the youngest team in the PBR league, with a handful of 18-year-olds and cowboys in their early 20s. Their oldest rider is 32; Trent Bennett III has suffered a litany of serious injuries but refuses to retire.

Bennett broke both sides of his face, his femur and underwent ACL surgeries on each knee. His last injury was two years ago, when he broke his arm so badly he had to have a plate put in.

Bennett, who lives in Houston, doesn’t blame the bull. “They’re harder to ride now, but not as mean as they were a few years ago,” said Bennett, who rode his first adult bull at age 14.

Bennett signed as a free agent, this was his first season in the PBR league. The big question is why continue after all these injuries. He points to his career earnings of $1.5 million.

“I’ve been very successful and I have to support a family,” said Bennett, who has three sons. “Some people retire at 35. Others, the flame goes out sooner. But I’m fine. I’ve had one of my best years yet and this new opportunity is like a new job. It refreshes me. And my wife doesn’t care, as long as I’m good at what I do and make a living. »

On Saturday at the Hollywood Rodeo Arena, Florida riders were all decked out in their cowboy hats, black Florida Freedom shirts and mirrored sunglasses. But when it was time to mount the bull, the cowboy hats and open air were traded for a protective black helmet and a burst of tension. There were a few falls but no injuries that night.

“It’s all about finding the right path to take,” Halverson said of what makes a rodeo successful. “There’s a lot of rodeo people out there, but not many are willing to take the path that it takes to become a professional and succeed in this industry. Some of them are just there to say they’re rodeo people and they’re not serious about it, about making a living from it, about learning the right fundamentals. That’s super important.”

Learning a bull’s scouting report is only part of the game.

“Some bulls have a certain behavior,” Halverson said. “Some of them, you know what they’re going to do. Some of them you don’t. They’re like humans. They have a mind of their own.”

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Bennett says anticipating a bull’s action is overrated. “Usually they’re going to go right or left, but you try not to think about what they’re doing,” Bennett said. “You don’t have time to think about anything. It’s only 8 seconds and a lot happens in 8 seconds. It’s a reaction.”

And it is also a thrill that cannot be understood. Halverson laughed when asked if it was like riding the most perilous roller coaster.

“It’s pretty hard to describe,” Halverson said. “Everything happens so quickly. Your adrenaline is pumping so much. There is nothing else like it. I don’t know what to compare it to. If there’s anything to compare it to, I haven’t done it yet. It’s a once in a lifetime feeling for the person who doesn’t know what it feels like.

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During training camp, the team took part in a deep-sea fishing expedition off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. It was the idea of the head coach, who has 12 riders on his roster.

“I love Florida,” said Paulo Crimber, a native of Sao Paulo. “It’s a beautiful place. The ocean is beautiful. We couldn’t be happier to be here. The weather reminds me of Brazil with the coconut trees and mango trees.”

And Crimber hopes the Florida Freedom will remind everyone of the champions. CBS Networks holds the television rights for the season, which runs from mid-July to mid-October.

“We went to the Panthers arena (Friday),” Crimber said. “Our goal is to bring another Cup to the arena to match their Cup.”