CLEARLAKE – Ray Mayo, 9, bettered his showing in Texas this year competing in the Youth Bull Riders 2009 World Finals. The public first learned of Ray”s talent when he brought home a ninth place belt buckle last summer. This year he earned a fourth place title and bigger, brighter shinier championship belt buckle.
Ray competed among a field of 48 youth bull riders accumulating 267 points to take the fourth place title. The competition was held at Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, TX.
Ray is a member of the Western Regional Bull Rider”s Association (WRBRA), which covers the California/Nevada area. Each association invited to the world finals competition is typically allowed to send its top two riders.
“We actually had four calf riders in the calf division. Tate Borba, of Oakdale, finished third right above Ray. Cody Alexander, of Lower Lake finished 11th. Kyle Romine, of Lower Lake, didn”t finish in the top 15 but he tried his best and he had good time,” Ray”s father Pat Mayo said. “Competition was really tight. Fourteen of the 48 riders qualified in the first three days and the top ten went to the short round.”
Last year Ray attended the event on a wild card draw. This year his invitation was secured with his current second-place standing within his local association.
Ray brought back some more great memories. “I rode the new robo-bull. It was more life-like than the mechanical bulls I”ve rode in the past,” he said. “We went to the historic stock yards in Fort Worth. It”s where they keep longhorn bulls. We got to watch a cattle drive down the middle of the street.”
Another memory that Ray is especially fond of is the opportunity he had to meet a person in the industry that shares his name. “I got to meet and visit with Professional Bull Rider Stock Contractor Ray Mayo. That was neat because we have the same name and it was at the Mayo ranch where he keeps all his bulls,” Ray said.
Prior to his trip to Texas, Ray honed his skills at a California bull riding school. “I got to go to the Lyle Sankey Bull Riding School in Bishop California before we went to Texas. It helped a lot because it taught me how to ride better and improve my balance.”
Mr. Mayo added, “Lyle Sankey gave him a nickname while he was there. He was calling him Stingray. The special attention he gave my son really helped him improve his technique. He also learned how to better control his emotions while in the shoot with the animal.”
Mr. Mayo said his son”s hard work and dedication is apparent within his academics as well has his hobby. “We are really proud of him. Not only is he excelling in his hobby but he”s keeping up on his school work and grades,” he said. “He accomplished proficiency in language arts and advance in math. Keeping his grades up is part of the deal. WRBRA philosophy is family first, school second and bull riding third.”
Mr. Mayo said support of Ray”s sponsors enable his trip to Texas. “Given the economy, getting to Texas was a real challenge this year,” he said. “Ray would not have been able to participate in this competition without the support of Shannon Ridge Winery, Dave”s Hay Barn, Airport Auto Brokers and Sears of Clearlake. We really appreciate their generosity.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
