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Lane Frost Invitational

by Amanda McMillan
Female Bull Riders We left for Utah Friday morning, June 18th for the Lane Frost Invitational Bullriding. We got there at 2:00. We checked into our rooms where they accidentally had other woman bullriders already in there. Thats when I first got to meet other females who love the sport like I do.

I then received my Lane Frost Challenge Shirt and got ready and headed to the Event Center. Once there I then met all the other gals. They were friendly and had alot of information to share with me. We all received a Lane Frost Vest. We all walked around and talked to people.At 5:00 we had dinner together. Everyone sharing stories about bullrides, injuries, and favorite rodeos. I, being the youngest at 16, learned alot about how these athletes got to be where they are today. Sitting by a four time world champion bullrider in the WPRA, was exciting since I plan on being a world champ someday.9:00 pm are bulls were loaded in the chute. My bull was named Bernard. I was a little nervous with television cameras down in the chute and at the the sides of the arena, I rode my bull for 5.6 seconds. In woman’s bullriding its a six second ride. I am use to riding in Jr Bullriding against males so we have to ride eight seconds.It was the longest ride in the woman’s division that night. But its still not scored because it wasn’t long enough. Close”” After talking to the other gals I went to my hotel room and went swimming.Saturday at noon went to the Event Center and helped with the Mutton Buston. There were alot of kids there. I did a television interview with Bullriding TV. All the girls and I had lunch together.Saturday evening we got ready again to ride. The pressure was on all of us to make a ride. We all agreed we wanted people to see that a woman could ride bulls. Unfortunately none of us made the whistle. We all gave it one heck of a try. There was a bullrding the next day in Las Vegas that some of the gals were going to try to get it.Being invited to ride at this event was a great opportunity for me to meet other woman bullriders. I have never met any so this was a time to gather alot of information. It takes a whole lot of try, and ability to get through the injuries that this sport includes.Currently I have a Celebrity Rodeo in Penrose and a Bad Boys of Bullriding June 9th. Also a am going to Jed Moore’s Bullrding School June 16th and 17th. Now I will have to toughen up because I am going to ride with fractured ribs. Oh well! Its part of this sport.

Lane Frost Challenge Bull Riding Event to Feature a Special Women’s Division

Vernal, UT, April 8, 2007 —– On May 18 and 19 many of the nation’s top men bull riders will be in Vernal, Utah for the 7th annual Lane Frost Challenge a bull riding event produced in honor of legendary professional bull rider Lane Frost about whom the movie 8 Seconds was made.At this year’s event, fans will also be able to see the top women bull riders compete as well. But, they will not be competing against the men. They are being invited to appear in a special presentation during which they will compete against each other for their own prize money.”This year, we made the Lane Frost an invitational event and invited the nation’s top men bull riders to compete in our two day event here in Vernal, Historically this has been very popular within the bull riding world because of the lasting impact that Lane Frost made on the sport” said Eldon Munson, owner of EMJ Productions which is producing the event. “We also have many of the top bulls in the sport so our fans will see some exceptional bull rides.” A portion of the proceeds from the event will be used to fund charitable programs including the Lane Frost College Fund which provides college scholarships through the nation’s high school rodeo program.Munson added that his company decided include a new feature in the event by inviting the women bull riders. “Most people have not had an opportunity to see these unique athletes perform and we believe they will enjoy it.”The women’s appearance in Vernal is being sponsored by California clothing company, Cowgirl Attitude. Mike Donnell, head of Donnell Rodeo Promotions which is helping produce the special feature said, many people do not realize that there are women who ride bulls competitively. “The contestants coming to Vernal are from throughout the country and are some of the top bull riders on the Women’s Professional Rodeo Circuit and compete regularly at local rodeos and bull riding events.”Televised coverage of the Lane Frost Invitational is being provided by Bullriding TV www.bullridingtv.comFor Additional InformationMike DonnellDonnell Rodeo Promotionsmdonnell@interaccess.com719-543-6458BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON WOMEN BULL RIDERS APPEARING AT THE LANE FROST INVITATIONAL BULL RIDING EVENT IN VERNAL, UTAH MAY 18-19 20071. Vanessa Hodgson. ….. Twenty three year old Vanessa Hodgson hails from Niles Michigan. She rides bulls and bareback bucking horses and was the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Rookie of The Year in 2003. events and independent rodeos. Vanessa, was a standout high school athlete who was a state wrestling champion and also played softball. She was recently featured in a fashion story in Marie Claire magazine and in the Detroit Free Press. More information at www.rodeopromotions.com.2. Mandy Shipsky …. Mandy, who is 27 years old hails from Joshua Texas. This wife and mother has been riding bulls for 11 years and is a two time WPRA bull riding champion. She also raises bucking bulls.3. Kelly Gilbert ….. Kelly, a 23 year old from California, started her rodeo career at age 12 and was the first girl to qualify for the Junior Bull Riders national finals. She also competes in WPRA events. When not riding bulls, she surfs, snowboards, wakeboards and rides mountain bikes. She has also been a sky diver and spent a year training as a woman boxer.4. Dee Dee Crawford …. A horse trainer from Ben Wheeler, Texas, 25 year old Dee Dee is a six time WPRA Finals qualifier in both bull riding and the bareback events and was the bull riding champion in both 2005 and 2006.5. Melissa Glass …. Twenty seven year old Melissa was the WPRAs 2004 Rookie of The Year in both bull riding and bareback riding. She works for a veterinarian and breaks horses6. Jamie Walker …. When not riding bulls competitively, Californian Jamie Walker is a college student about to earn a degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. . She works full time as a custody officer for her local police department and also coaches high school softball, a sport she played competitively in high school until bull riding injuries cut her career short.7. Lorette Guzman Mills …. Lorette, a resident of Las Vegas grew up in a circus family and was a trapeze artist at one time. Later she learned to ride bulls while working as a stunt woman in the film industry and has continued with the sport, riding in WPRA and local events.