Injuries won’t stop cowboys from competing

Bill Bowman

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998 | 5:52 a.m.

For cowboys at the National Finals Rodeo, it's 10 days of hard work.

Never mind that it's only eight seconds or so at a time. It's still tough work and it's dangerous.

So when you see a cowboy or two limping out of the arena and down the hall, rest assured they probably will be back.

The Justin Sports Medicine people will see to that.

You see, there is no injured reserve at the NFR.

Guaranteed contracts? Not for these athletes.

It's simple: You perform well, you get paid. If you don't perform, you don't.

And it's guys like Don Andrews, executive director of Justin Sports Medicine, who help get these cowboys back in action.

Andrews and his team of 11 -- four physicians and seven physical therapists -- spend countless hours dealing with sprains, strains, fractures and contusions.

"We see about everything," Andrews said. "Our treatment sessions at 1 p.m. every day start out light but they get real busy."

One of those guys who is thankful for the sports medicine team is bareback rider James Boudreaux.

Boudreaux has earned $1,576.32 at this year's NFR. That may not sound like much, until you learn that he broke a bone in his left leg just three weeks ago.

"If it wasn't for Tandy Freeman (of the Justin team), I wouldn't be here ... no chance," Boudreaux said. "I'd be back home watching this."

Boudreaux is competing with more than just the broken bone. He also has a screw holding together a dislocated ankle. Yet, he's still competing.

"It's sore," he said. "But I didn't want to miss this. There are a lot of people saying I shouldn't be here. But I just thank the miracle man -- Tandy. He's given me the opportunity to come here and compete. I'm thankful for that. Whatever I win here is a plus."

Justin's Andrews said it's guys like Boudreaux who make their job worthwhile.

"These are the toughest athletes in the world," Andrews said. "And the nicest. They appreciate all the work we do."

And it's a lot of work.

During the NFR, Andrews and his crew will go through 20 cases of tape. Each case contains 48 rolls of tape and each role has 45 feet of tape.

Doing the math, that's 43,200 feet of tape -- about eight miles.

"And," Andrews added. "We have our own ice machine, which is a big help."

That's just where Boudreaux was heading.

"I've got a boot that's about three sizes too big because of the swelling," he said. "But, at least I'm competing. That's what it's all about."

That was good news to Andrews.

"It's just great to be able to help," he said. "We're out here to get these guys ready to go. After a performance, we have 23 hours to get the cowboys ready to go again."

Tuesday's winners

* Bareback: There was a three-way tie for the top spot with a score of 85. Deb Greenough, Mark Gomes and Pete Hawkins shared the top ride.

* Steer wrestling: Brad Gleason won the go-round with a time of 3.6 seconds.

* Team roping: The duo of Speed Williams and Rich Skelton came in with a time of 3.9 seconds.

* Saddle bronc: Dan Mortensen's score of 84 was good enough for the victory.

* Calf roping: Ricky Hyde and Jeff Chapman tied for the top spot with a time of 7.5 seconds.

* Barrel racing: Sherri Cervi's time of 14.01 seconds was good enough to edge Charmayne James, who came in at 14.03.

* Bull riding: Chad Brennan posted an 87 that held up for the win.