Jones overcomes injuries for bull-riding championship

Sixteen bull riders gathered behind the chutes in preparation for their final rides in the 5th Annual International Indian Finals Rodeo last weekend.

Some were stretching, others were saying their prayers and a few were standing around talking about anything other than bull riding.

One of them was Spud Jones.

Jones, a popular bull rider and a household name, made it back to the IIFR after winning the world title in 2007 and fulfilling other obligations last year.

He talked about his injuries, teased old friends and said how good it felt to be back home.

And after he won the IIFR world title again on Sunday, he had no trouble sharing his success with fellow riders and fans.

"I'm happy," he said. "It feels good. I'm two-time IIFR bull-riding champion.

"I just look back to my roots where I came from," he said. "It feels good to be home and ride with my friends, everybody."

Jones bucked off in the first round, placed second in the second round with a 77, took first in the third with an 86 and on Sunday scored a 66 with an option for a re-ride.

He needed 63 points and decided to keep his score making him the 2009 IIFR world bull-riding champion.

Jones said he suffered a couple of injuries in the last couple of months and has spent some time recovering in Montana and Twin Lakes, N.M.

He said he has spent much time traveling to Professional Bull Riding events and taking part in the Built Ford Tough Series and the recent injuries were hard to recover from.

"It really sucks being hurt," he said, "only thing to do is just heal up and take care of yourself."

Finally well enough to ride in the IIFR reminded him of how good if feels to ride especially close to home.

"I always dreamed of it when I was small," he said. "I just always wanted to be giving out autographs since I was little. Now I'm just feeling it and living it."

Guytin Tsosie, 17, from Burnham, N.M., the year-end champion for the All Indian Rodeo Association, said, "I was just trying to ride, take every bull I rode, see how I end up. I feel pretty good about it maybe I could have done better."

Tsosie took second in the first round with a 72, was first in the second round with an 81, was bucked off in the third and took second in the fourth round with a 72.

"It was pretty good competition," he said. "I'd just like to thank my mom and dad for supporting me, and my family."

Joshua Snyder, 19, from Church Rock, N.M., qualified for the for the IIFR for the first time ever.

"I was just excited to go but I just treated it like it was another rodeo," he said. "I came to learn that the IIFR is just fun, you just got to try harder the next time."

Snyder didn't make any of his rides.

"The bulls I got on were pretty good," he said. "All of them were rank but I got them started. I didn't expect nothing, just treated it as another rodeo, overall it was a fair amount of people at the rodeo."

Robin Showa, from Ganado, Ariz., scored a 65 in the first round, was bucked off in the second and third rounds and rode to an 80 in the last round.

"I was really surprised because I really didn't have the chance, because I didn't go to my (AIRCA) finals," the 23-year-old said. "It was great, there was a lot the competition, there was a lot of good bulls, I just had fun."

Showa said he has many people to thank for making it to the IIFR for the first time.

"I just want to thank my uncle Sam Silver, Nate Blackrock and family, Tommy Jackson, and Jerry Chee and family," he said.

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