The New York Mavericks, Brooklyn’s first pro bull-riding team, spent their summer preparing to mount bucking bulls and run the clock. Now they’re headed to Brooklyn for Maverick Days, a two-day high-energy competition at Barclays Center starting on Aug. 9.
How the game is played
Brooklyn may not be familiar with bull riding but the adrenaline-rushing sport is sure to bring out crowds.
In traditional bull riding, four judges score both the riders and the bull from 0-25. Then, the judged scores are added together and divided for a max of 100 points.
But the New York Mavericks will play with a twist. Instead of it being rider versus bull, ten cowboys split between two teams will take turns riding to see which team can stay on the longest and score the most points.
As Brooklyn gets ready to head to the rodeo, let’s meet the team of riders who are leaving the ranch to head to the Big Apple.
Coaches Kody Lostroh and Ednei Caminhas
Leading the pack is Kody Lostroh, a former professional rider and member of the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.
This certainly ain’t his first rodeo. His years of riding experience led the boys through a tough training camp where he challenged them both mentally and physically to get ready for the season. The cowboys ran drills in their familiar jeans-and-Stetson getups in the Texan heat.
Lostroh has brought together a group of fresh riders from all corners of the globe, including Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, and Brazil. While it’s not unusual for riders to come from afar to compete in this sport, Lostroh noted that his team has already quickly adapted to the intense competitive atmosphere fostered by New York fans.
“We’ve talked a lot about just what good fans New York has,” Lostroh said. “New Yorkers are passionate about their city and they’re passionate about winning and that is exactly how we are as a team.”
Ednei Caminhas will take the reins as assistant coach. Caminhas is the 2002 PRB World Champion. In the 2023 season, he won a skills showcase in Texas.
Romario Leite
Leite is an experienced rider coming from Brotas, Brazil. No stranger to the rodeo, he holds an impressive record as a 4-time PBR Brazil finalist and 1-time PBR Australia finalist.
He’s got two event wins under his belt and celebrates a 90-point ride.
Leite is ready to bring his expertise to the Brooklyn fandom.
Vitor Losnake
Another rider headed to Barclays Center is Vitor Losnake, a 20-year-old from Piratininga, Brazil. He’s making waves in the game as a World Finals qualifier.
Losnake is a family man who’s been spotted riding while wearing lucky charms from his younger sister.
Now, he’s ready to bring his big heart and big game to the Empire State.
Marco Rizzo
Marco Rizzo, the unofficial, high-energy spokesman of the team, joins the team from Georgia.
The 19-year-old expressed his excitement about introducing the sport to new fans in New York City.
“It’s kind of like the start of something fresh, something new,” he told Brooklyn Paper.
He has one of the riskiest jobs in the world yet he said he’s nervous to see what New York will think of their home team.
“I want to do my best for them,” he said. “I believe we can bring something good to the table and we offer something pretty exciting.”
Braidy Randolph
Coming from Stephenville in Texas, Braidy Randolph is ready to take over the competition at just 23 years old. He earned 58.5 challenger points at the PBR Stockyards Showcase, a league event that allows growing riders to test their skills and bravery.
He’s heading to New York after securing six event wins and two 90-point rides.
Leonardo Castro Ferreira
He may be a rookie but he’s already taken over the sport one ride at a time.
Leonardo Castro Ferreira is a 20-year-old from Cassilândia, Brazil who wowed a crowd with an 87-point ride at the PBR Unleash The Beast Tour, a series of competitions hosted by the league throughout the year. He ranks 17 in the league with a total of 422.5 career points.
The Brazilian-bred rider told Brooklyn Paper he’s anxious to see how the team will compete but is ready to give New Yorkers a great season.
“I don’t know how to feel. It hasn’t clicked yet that I’m representing such a big city,” Ferreira said through a translator.
On coming to the big city, he said he’s most excited to eat a New York slice and leave Barclays Center as a champion.
Ederson Santos
Another Maverick player is making the trip from Brazil to Brooklyn. Ederson Santos from Ilha Solteira joined the team after he secured his first PBR event win earlier this year at a tour event in Laredo, Texas.
The 36-year-old put points on the board early on in the match, and he’s amassed 133 Velocity Global points, a league scoring method that determines which athletes can get a spot in at highly sought after competition.
Leandro Zampollo
Leandro Zampollo, from Pirassununga, Brazil, has proven himself as a strong competitor. In the 2022-2023 season, he earned a finalist status in the PBR Brazil bracket.
He ranked in the Top 10 in the touring division earlier this month.
Hudson Bolton
The youngest and perhaps bravest Maverick is only 18 years old but already making a name for himself.
Hudson Bolton from Milan, Tennessee, stepped into the bull riding scene as a high school standout after dominating the High School Association, a national high school partner with PBR.
Bolton is new to the league and will be new to the city. He reportedly said he’s excited to head to New York and try some of the area’s famed eats.
Eikson Pereira
Eikson Pereira, from Minaçu, Brazil, is a name to watch in the PBR scene, representing the next generation of talented riders.
Maverick Smith
Another young rider is entering the game, eager to prove himself as a Maverick, despite having the name already.
Maverick Smith, a 20-year-old from Mt. Grove, Missouri, shares the title of co-champion from the Xtreme Bull Bash, a competition held in Lufkin, Texas. He also won the Reno Rodeo Xtreme Bulls, a challenge with 40 of the best bulls and riders in the country.
Both wins solidified his status as a rising star.
He said he’s eager to ride in front of New York fans for the first time next month.
“The fan energy gets you going,” he said. “Hearing those fans as you get ready to go out is a game changer.”
Mauricio Moreira
Mauricio Moreira, 25, from Gavião Peixoto, Brazil. In the PBR Unleash The Beast individual competition series, Moreira finished inside the Top 10 in 2021 and 2022.
At the 2022 PBR World Finals, he registered the high-marked ride of the event, scoring 94.25 points.
He was previously a second-round pick in the inaugural PBR Team Series Draft, selected by the Arizona Ridge Riders in 2022.
The history of the game
The PBR league was founded in 1992 by a group of riders who wanted to make the sport more mainstream. In this revised edition, fans could connect to the game whether they’d been to a competition before or not.
There are currently over 800 riders registered with the league, competing in 200 riding events throughout the season.
Riders are competing not only for points but for cash prizes. The ultimate goal is to make it to the PBR World Finals, the richest bull riding event on the planet, with the season champion receiving the golden World Championship buckle and $1 million bonus.
In 2022, they launched the PBR Team series, the sector the New York Mavericks will compete in against nine other teams. Each team will host a competition, with the Mavericks taking their turn on Aug. 9 and 10.
