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Professional Bullfight= ers Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour

pbftour.com=

For information = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = (660) 254-1900

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Graham bullfight= er honored by Texas<= /st1:State> legislators

GRAHAM, Texas – Legend has it that Texan= s are a tough lot who fight through adversity.

You can count Jay Brewer am= ong the Texas legends. <= /p>

Brewer, a bullfighter from Graham, battled a torn knee ligament and the odds when he continued to compete at t= he Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection Bullfight World Championships earlier this year in Odessa, Texas. In fact, he was sele= cted by his fellow competitors as the Daisy “Take Aim at Safety” Most Valuable Player for the event, which took place in conjunction with the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo.

And for t= hat, the Texas House of Representatives honored the cowboy with a resolution tribute, HR-911, sponsored by Rep. Rick Hardcastle, R-Ve= rnon, and presented to Brewer on March 26 at the capitol in Austin.

“I = was really surprised,” said Brewer, 31, one of 10 of the best bullfighter= s in the world who were part of the championships in Odessa. “It was just cool to be recognized at that level.”

In the resolution, Hardcastle wrote that Brewer demons= trated “an extraordinary determination when he persevered to finish the competition despite serious injuries.” Brewer, who had torn the anter= ior cruciate ligament about a month before the finals, reinjured the knee in his first fight of the competit= ion.

He and pa= rtner Steve Wangler of Plainview, Neb.<= /st1:place>, went into the championship with the lead in the standings after putting together a stellar 2008 campaign. But Brewer’s injury opened the door= for eventual champions, Dusty Tuckness and Andy Burelle.

“&#= 8230; With his performance at the world championships, Jay Brewer has proven hims= elf to have the heart of a champion and the grit of a cowboy in the finest Texas tradition,= ” the resolution states.

And the best part? It was all a surprise to Brewer up = until the resolution was read before the entire House.

“Re= presentative Hardcastle is our representative for our distri= ct, and he apparently read an article about it in the Graham paper,” said Brewer, who also works at the Wildcatter Ranch near Graham. “His assistant went through the Wildcatter here, and they told me I was going do= wn to Austin for a hotel convention.

“I = was actually trying to get out of it, but nobody wanted to go in my place. Of course, they all knew what was going on.”

So did his family, who were on hand to witness the ceremony.

“You don’t expect the House of Representatives to know anything about the sport of bull riding, especially bullfighting,” said Brewer, who had surgery to repair the injury Jan. 27 in Dallas. “Winning the MVP at our world championships was just an honor, for my fellow bullfighters to honor me that way. The resolution says something abo= ut grit and determination … I guess that’s why I was voted the MVP, because I obviously didn’t win it the way I fought bulls.”

But that&= #8217;s not how everyone else in the arena saw it.

“It= makes me proud that one of the athletes of the Professional Bullfighters is recognized by the great state of Texas as not only being a great athlete but also being a great person,” said Jim McLain, president of the PBF. “Jay is a truly great individual in every sense of the word.”

-RESOLUTION= TO FOLLOW-

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; H.R. No. 911

= R E S O L U T I O N

= WHEREAS, Jay Brewer of Graham was voted the Daisy "Take Aim at Safety" Most Valuable Player at the 2008 Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection Bullfight World Championships; and

= WHEREAS, A member of Team Mann Creek Buck-N-Bulls, Mr. Brewer demonstrated an extraordinary determination to succeed when he persevered to finish the competition despite serious injuries; and

= WHEREAS, Though he tweaked a hurt knee in the first round of the event, Mr. Brewer continued on through five additional rounds; he bested many of his competit= ors, earning second place in the final standings, and won the respect and admira= tion of his peers along the way; and

= WHEREAS, With his performance at the world championships,= Jay Brewer has proven himself to have the heart of a champion and the grit of a cowboy in the finest Texas tradition; now, therefore, be it=

= RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Jay Brewer on earning the Daisy "Take Aim at Safety" Most Valuable Player award and extend to him sincere best wishes for a swift and full recovery; and, be it further

= RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Brewer as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.=

= Hardcastle=

______________________________

= Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 911 was adopted by the House on March 26, 2009, by a non-record vote.

= ______________________________

= Chief Clerk of the House