Riding peewee bulls with Ozark Family Rodeo, a local cowboy, Eli Brawley, qualified for the recent WCMB (World Championship Mini Buckers) World Finals in Tyler, Texas.
Brawley is a 9-year-old from Summersville who enjoys riding bulls and going to rodeos to cheer on his friends. He is the son of Nathan and Nicole Brawley and is the brother to Maverick Brawley.
On the way to the WCMB finals, which took place Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, Brawley and his family stopped at Fort Worth, Texas Stockyards, and got to meet the Texas Rattlers, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team. The team gave Eli some great advice and pointers to take with him to the WCMB Finals and future bull rides.
At the finals competition, Brawley drew the bull, Way Lo, in the first round and scored a 73-point ride. In the second round, he drew the little bull, Hippy Shake, but came off too early. With these two rides, his overall average score set him in sixth place for his age division.
In round three, Brawley drew Cool Cat and got a no score. His overall average score dropped to 10th place but was good enough because the top-10 riders moved on to the fourth and final round.
In the final round, he drew Black Tornado and scored a 74.5-point ride, which gave him second place for the round and moved him up to third place in the overall average standings out of 22 kids from all over the world for his age division.
Brawley said this was an amazing experience and he would like to thank everyone who has helped make his dreams come true whether it was buying raffle tickets, donating or sponsoring him to go to the world finals.
“Without all of you, I would not have been able to get to where I am,” he said.
Brawley would also like to thank Mr. Ronnie and Ms. Ruby for this awesome experience with Ozark Family Rodeo. He would also like to thank everyone who has helped him behind the chutes, in practice pens and provided advice along the way to help him to become a better bull rider.