NFR: Lowe ready to take center stage

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 1:51 a.m.

Bareback riders hang onto their broncs with a tight clench of a leather rigging, some nifty rear-end leverage and vise-like legs that must loosen on demand.

A spine made of rubber helps.

The rider's spurs must touch the horse's shoulders until the animal's feet hit the ground after the initial move from the chute, a move called "marking out." Failing to do so results in disqualification.

As the bronc bucks, the rider pulls his knees up, rolling his spurs up the horse's shoulders. Upon descension, the spurs return to their original position.

That spurring technique, the degree to which the rider keeps his toes pointed out during that spurring and the punishment factor all weight into scoring in which the ceiling is 100.

A year ago, only six of the 15 competitors completed eight-second rides in all 10 of the go-rounds.

While veterans Jason Jeter, Cody Jessee and Bobby Mote each added to impressive world earnings with at least $63,000 in NFR winnings, a new star was born when Will Lowe capped a scintillating rookie season in style.

Loew stands 5 feet, 3 inches and weighs 130 pounds, but nobody should overlook him. He rode all 10 of his draws, averaging 83 points a ride. That was the third-best NFR average, and he bagged nearly half ($72,802) of his freshman earnings of $149,690 in Las Vegas.

A native of Gardner, Kan., who lives in Texas, Lowe married his girlfriend, Tiffani, during the 2003 NFR, and he will not turn 21 until Dec. 24. His style is Gumby-like, full of excitement and adventure, and his success has carried into his sophomore season.