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Post by MizzouTiger on Feb 3, 2008 12:01:12 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/473123.htmlRodeo circuit begins testing animals for steroidsL.J. Jenkins settled onto Big Bucks, wiggled his hand under the rope to get a firm grip, took a deep breath and motioned he was ready to ride the 1,350-pound bull. He wasn’t. Jenkins was soon brushing dirt from his chaps after the brute of a bull sent him sailing off last June. No one’s really ready for Big Bucks — only two riders since 2004 have stayed on his back for an entire 8 seconds. Big Bucks is one of the baddest bucking bulls around — making him the prime bovine athlete to undergo the Professional Bull Riders’ inaugural test for anabolic steroids. The PBR recently started screening its bulls to ensure their meanness comes through good genetics, not by beefing up with performance enhancers. Jerry Nelson, co-owner of Big Bucks, gladly allowed blood to be taken from his prized bull’s tail and analyzed for steroids after an event at Madison Square Garden in January. Nelson wants to make sure all the bulls are competing on a level field. “If Big Bucks shows up with anything in his bloodstream that ain’t supposed to be there, I’m suing my vet,” said Nelson, the CEO of Frontier Rodeo in Winnie, Texas. “My bulls buck because the Good Lord gave them the ability to buck.” Walter Hyde of Iowa State University’s college of veterinary medicine formulated a test to detect the use of anabolic steroids. Although the four-legged competitors are subjected to testing, the cowboys currently don’t have to submit samples.
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Post by wowposter on Nov 14, 2008 1:13:56 GMT -5
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