April 4, 2009

ToughestCowboy.com Q&A with Champion Bandy Murphy

TC.com: After winning the 2007 title, and missing the championship in 2008, how important was it for you to win in 2009?

Bandy: Winning the 2009 title was just as important to me as winning it in 2007. It lifted a weight off my shoulder to win it again and prove to everyone that it wasn’t a fluke in 2007. I wish the format in 2008 hadn’t cost me a chance at the title but the past is the past and I am happy to have won this prestigious title again.


TC.com: Now that you have won the 2009 title and the ranch, what does it feel like?

Murphy: It feels great. The Toughest Cowboy title is a very prestigious title and means that you were the best three-event cowboy on Tour. We had some great competitors this year with several being really good two-event guys, so to win this year meant a lot to me. I felt like I was challenged more this year and in the end I stepped up to the plate and prevailed.

I enjoyed watching many of the other guys this year, who are the best in their discipline like Steven Dent in the bareback riding and Steve Woolsey in the bull riding. To see them ride in their main events each week and learn from them was a great opportunity for me.


TC.com: You didn’t have good things to say about some of the stock you drew throughout the season. Did it seem like you were getting the short end of the stick compared to other competitors?

Murphy: It was just the luck of the draw and I didn’t feel like I had as good of animals as some of the other guys at a couple of events. I felt there were some animals that shouldn’t have been in the same group as the others and it seemed like at a couple of the events this season, I drew at the bottom of the herd. I don’t agree with Tommy Joe saying I only use that as an excuse when I am not winning. Give me some of those animals that those other guys had and I will prove it is the animals that make the difference. That’s just rodeo though and part of the sport, which I have to take in stride and do what I can with the hand that I am dealt.


TC.com: Was there a point in the season where you thought you might not have a shot at the title?

Murphy: No. As long as I advanced to the next rodeo, I always felt like I had a chance to win that event and ultimately the championship title.


TC.com: You seem to have a very business-like approach to riding. Is this true? And how do you maintain that focus throughout the competition?

Murphy: I would say that is true. I have been riding since I was real young and that is how I have always approached it. This is my profession and therefore my business, so to be successful you have to treat it that way. You have to know when to take risks and when not to.


TC.com: You mange to avoid injury in a sport that is identified with danger. What do you attribute this to?

Murphy: I have stayed healthy by being smart and knowing when to take a risk and when not to. I think a rider needs to know his limits and stay within those boundaries. When you go outside of your limits that is when you can get in trouble. Also I try to stay fit and eat healthy, so I can perform at 100-percent each time I nod my head.


TC.com: What is you training program?

Murphy: I do some weight training, run outside or on the treadmill and do some bike riding. I try to say active and treat it like an 8 to 5 job. I work construction (on houses) when I am home so that keeps me in shape and I try to eat right and get enough sleep. With this particular profession, your window of opportunity is pretty short, so you have to make each and every animal count. Take advantage of every opportunity you are given and make the most of it.


TC.com: You won the title on your birthday. Did you feel there was any fate in having the Finals on our birthday?
 
Murphy: By the time I rode that night, I had forgotten that it was my birthday. I have been at a rodeo for all of my birthdays since I was eight or nine, so to me it was just another day. I guess winning the Toughest Cowboy title on my birthday was sweet icing on the cake.


TC.com: Do you think this competition sets you apart as one of the best (if not the best) three-event cowboy?

Murphy: I don’t know about that as Trevor Brazile is a pretty good three-event cowboy and no one is better than Ty Murray, who rode all three roughstock events. He was amazing, however, I might be able to out dance him on the dance floor, (in regards to Ty Murray currently competing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.) but he still has me beat in the arena.


TC.com: What does it feel like to see yourself on TV each week?

Murphy: It really didn’t feel that much different. I am still the same person, but a few more people might know who I am now.


TC.com: Pete Hawkins calls you “BAM” during the TV show. Where did this nickname come from?

Murphy: Those are my initials and it just stuck with him.


TC.com: Will you come back to defend your title in 2010?

Murphy: I look forward to returning in 2010 to defend my title.

To track Murphy's progress throughout the year visit www.BandyMurphy.com