Aussie bull rider seeking to win money, set record

WEST JORDAN — Brendon Clark grew up playing rugby in Australia.

But eventually, he realized a different sport was his passion — and now his profession — bull riding.

"From the first time I tried it, I got hooked on it," said Clark, who will compete today at the West Jordan Arena in the Touring Pro Division of the Professional Bull Riders Association. "I gave up a career in rugby. I played it all the way through school, but I just decided I had to make a decision, and bull riding was it."

Clark, known in the PBR as the Australian Sensation, has the chance to do something no other bull rider has done on the PBR circuit. If he wins Saturday night, he will earn his fourth straight victory on the tour, and that could help him earn a spot on the PBR Finals.

Clark said it's fun to do what no one else has done on the PBR, but he really feels no differently about the event in Utah than he does any other.

"You show up to win every time," he said. "If it happens, it happens. I would like to win four in a row, not because of the record but because of the money. ... Right now, I'm probably $5,000 or $6,000 away from making the PBR Finals."

And that is what every cowboy riding in PBR events wants — a chance at a world championship.

Clark said he only competes in PBR events because it offers him the chance to constantly improve.

"They have the very best bull riders and the very best bulls," he said.

The PBR also launched the Brendon Clark Invitational in Australia in 2008.

"To put on that event in my hometown, and it turning out to be such a success, is one of the biggest accomplishments of my entire life," he said.

He suffered an injury that sidelined him for four months in 2009, but he's making up for lost time in 2010.

Clark won three events in nine days, with victories at Greeley, Colo., on June 26 and St. Paul, Ore., on June 30. Clark is scheduled to return to the elite Built Ford Tough Series beginning in Tulsa, Okla., from July 16 to 18.