No bull, Kennedy making his mark
- Adam Hicks
- 8th August 2008
Grevillea's David Kennedy says that it doesn't pay to be scared when you ride a bull in a rodeo.
FIREMAN has horns and Grevillea's David Kennedy isn't scared. You could say they're both young bulls.
The pair were unknown around Sarina, but combined to produce the surprise ride of the Professional Bull Riders Challenger Series rodeo at the weekend.
In his first PBR event, Kennedy won the long round with an 87.5-point ride on rookie bull Fireman.
“I was nervous, but never scared,” the 24-year-old said.
“If you're scared you can't do. It just won't work.”
After 12 years of bare-backed bucking, Kennedy has learned to control his emotions.
“I didn't know the bull,” Kennedy said. “No one knew it so that was a bit of a worry.
“He was a younger bull that hadn't been bucking in the PBR before.
“But he bucked good. He was a little bit tough.”
A veteran of local rodeos and the 2007 Australian Professional Rodeo Association rookie of the year, Kennedy travelled north with confidence.
He backed up his long round form, with an 85.5-point ride aboard vicious bucker, Junk Yard Dog in the final ride of the night, to give him a second place finish overall.
“I always knew I was in with a chance,” he said.
“I'd never ridden in the PBR, but I'd done all right in the APRA.”
Kennedy estimates he travels to about 60 rodeos a year.
This weekend he is off to the Mt Isa rodeo where he will ride among the country's best cowboys for a share of $20,000.
“There's a fair few (rodeos) around our area but they're not as big as these ones,” he said.
“That's why we come up here. There's a much better quality of riding, so there's no use coming up here if you can't ride.
“It's just a waste of money.”
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