Mossman cowboy beats the odds
Mossman man does us proud
20-year-old Leith Malone of Mossman has come back from adversity to snare a prize that’s a first step to his eventual aim of being a professional rodeo rider. At the recent Laura Rodeo, Leith took out the coveted Rookie/Novice Bullride which is a stepping stone to much bigger things.
After making his debut at 5 years of age, riding small calves (they call them Podys) at Laura, he’s gone on to win over 40 events at different rodeos around the state, steer rides, junior and novice rides, bull rides, you name it and Leith’s tackled it.
But then tragedy struck when he suffered two compressed fractures in his back last year in a practise pen riding bulls “It was very disappointing, but these things happen” says Leith.
The gloves went on
But the young fella figured when you’re served up lemons you make lemonade, so the forced break saw him head over to Buzza's Boxing Gym at Cooya Beach to put on the gloves. “It not only kept my fitness up” says Leith “but I ended up winning two fights in the bantam weight division”.
His comeback
Leith wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make a successful return to rodeo when he entered the Shute at Laura, but that natural ability kicked in and he was once again beating the clock. “Winning the novice at Laura has given me so much confidence, not only in my body, but confidence in my future in the sport” he said. Parents Todd and Belinda support their son 100% and travel the circuit with him. “We're extremely proud of him as he's worked hard to get his body back to the condition it needs to be in order to ride again,” said Belinda. But do they worry when he hops on board a snorting angry animal that could weigh up to 900 kilos? “It’s very nerve racking especially from a mum's point of view, but when he prepares himself properly, he gets in and does his job well and with Leith’s dedication and determination, the sky’s the limit” said Belinda. Meanwhile Leith’s dad Todd has a saying he’s always drumming into the fierce competitor “Practice like you've never won, compete like you've never lost".
For Leith competing at Laura felt like he was coming out of retirement. “It sure did but all I want to do now is get on every bull I can, get good scores and aim for the top and ride in the Professional Bull Riders circuit (PBR Australia)” he said.
Bucks for bucks
If Leith does manage to grab that brass ring, he’s in line for a stack of cash. The Professional Bull Riders Inc is an international bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. It’s made up of cowboys from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia. Several events are held globally, offering riders the opportunity to compete for large pay days, including the $1 million World Champion bonus and $300,000 World Finals event winner prize. In recent years riders at all levels of PBR competition earned close to $9 million in prize money. Leith is certainly taking the bull by the horns in his chosen profession, and we wish him well.