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Sports Over the hill? Not for 40-year-old Dubray
Over the hill? Not for 40-year-old Dubray
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 SLICK VIC: La Grande native Vic Dubray will compete in the Mark Nichols Memorial Bullriding event at 7 p.m. Friday. - Observer file photo This indented hat? Maybe it was from the bull grazing his head. He assumed it was. After all, that happened twice last year, so maybe it did again.
Vic Dubray was headed back from Mountain Home, Idaho, driving his Toyota Camry, feeling these cobwebs from yet another bull riding injury. Retirement? It looks even better, he thought. And that’s why, after 28 years of bucking on saddles, the Mark Nichols Memorial Friday could be the last time he competes in this annual event. Could be? Could be. He wanted to emphasize possibility, not certainty. After all, it’s not easy to hop off the saddle, to walk toward the fence, to close the gate, to leave the dirt track behind you, to mutter that dreaded “R Word” — retirement — and mean it. “A lot of people don’t understand,” Dubray said. “That gives me the greatest joy: to be able to ride bulls. It’s like eating and breathing to me. “That’s what’s making it so hard to retire.” The rush. The adrenaline. The thrill of victory. The love. It has all kept Dubray in that leather saddle since age 12, and it’s why retirement is currently a thought, not an action. Then there’s “The Crew.” That keeps him around, too. The guys he sees every week, who tell the jokes, who share the laughs, who exchange the stories, who will make retiring difficult for this professional bull rider. Someday, though, they will fade away, along with this profession. “Maybe within the next couple of years,” he says. After all, 40 years old is not 21 years old. Healing is slower. Feeling “right” takes longer. But Dubray thought like this last year, too, and here he is, still riding. Nothing has stopped him yet. Not broken ribs. Not an eye injury. Not a broken sternum that pushed into his heart, nearly taking his life. Injuries? They come with the territory, he says. You’re going to get hurt. So it makes sense that the cobwebs from the Mountain Home concussion have cleared, and he’s riding yet again. His toughness, love and passsion for the saddle makes you wonder: Is “within the next couple of years,” too short of a time table for calling it quits? “I’m going to go year-to-year to see how I feel,” Dubray said. “If I’m healthy at the start of the new year, and I feel I can be competitive, there’s no reason for me to quit.”
Mark Nichols Memorial Bullriding2007 results
Tylee Lanham, 82, $1,221; Dally Mason, 79, $925; Brian Sanders, 78, $666; Cody Campbell, 74, $444; Paul Coppini, 73, $259; Klay Lanham, 72, $185. Average Cody Campbell, 154, $1,480; Tylee Lanham, 82, $1,110; Dally Mason, 79, $740; Brian Sanders, 78, $370. Barrel Racing Judi MacDonald, 17.72, $435; Candice Slagel, 18.01, $360; Alyson Patnode, 18.15, $285; Italy Spratt, 18.16, $210; Debbie Stahl, 18.25, $135; Sandee Foster, 18.44, $75. Bareback Riding Ben Londo, 77, $1,003; Dustin Malrony, 75, $760; George Gillespie IV, 74, $547; Brandon Martin, 73, $288; Lee Lantz, 73, $288; Eric Mader, 72, $152. Saddle Bronc Ridiing Ivan Tibbs, 82, $1,112; Ty Sumner, 79, $843; Ben Londo, 76, $607; Shawn Moorehead, 74, $320; Ryan McKenzie, 74, $320; J.R. Berg, 73, $168. Steer Wrestling Chance Gartner, 4.9, $1,198; B.J. Taurscio, 5.0, $991; Carl Seiders, 5.2, $785; Matt Cupp, 5.6, $578; Tony Currin, 5.7, $371; Dave Maddux, 6.0, $206. Team Roping Matt Funk/Bucky Campbell, 5.1, $871; Dustin Bird/B.J. Campbell, 5.6, $721; Justin Pearson/Jstin Davis, 6.8, $571; Mel Comleman/Brian West, 6.8, $420; Ty Thomas/Patrick Woodcock, 7.3, $270; Tom Roberts/B.J. Roberts, 7.9, $150. Tie down Roping Brad Goodrich, 8.6, $1,239; Joey Bergevin, 9.0, $1,026. Sterling Jo Lambert, 9.2, $812; Joel Jeffries, 9.5, $598; Joe Hoffman, 9.6, 384; Kass Kayser, 9.8. $213. Barrel Racing Judi MacDonald, 17.48, $882; Gilla Lieuallen, 17.52, $756; Kelli Kamm, 17.64; $630; Gretchen Shultz, 17.68, $546; Kelli Currin, 17.72, $420; Debbie Stahl, 17.75, $336; Jayna Kent-Issac, 17.78, $252; Tami Semas, 17.82, $168; Mary Moe, 17.86; $126; Chris Powers, 17.90, $84. Bullriding Mason Michaelis, 73, 3,290. |
