Jose Vitor Leme's journey from Brazil to the top of professional bull riding

There was no going back. Leme earned $417,800 in prize money for his 10 days of work. He informed his family he was staying in the United States and wouldn't return until he became the world champion.

"At that point, I didn't know anything about America," Leme said. "I don't know how to speak. I don't know anybody out there. But I have a dream. And my dream is to be a world champion. I'm not going to do that in Brazil. So I have to go. I just did it."

But setting out in an individual sport in a foreign country can be daunting, and it can be overwhelming trying to find a home base. But that's another way the Brazilians stand out. They stick together.

CRIMBER MET LEME when he first arrived in Las Vegas and invited him to his home in Decatur, Texas, a town of about 7,000 people 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

"Everybody who comes in [from Brazil], I pick them up and they come to the house for a month or two," he said.

Crimber, who grew up in Olimpia, Brazil, must be a favorite of area realtors. He and his wife Maria have been in Decatur for 20 years, with two children, John and Helen, who were born in Texas. Their hospitality has turned this small town into the home base for more than 30 Brazilian bull riders, all of whom call the town home. Crimber retired from professional bull riding in 2011, suffering the full brunt of the sport, including breaking his neck twice in a four-month span in 2008. His thick Texas drawl, picked up while learning English from other rodeo cowboys on tour, makes him the perfect guide to the town, where he serves as a father figure, translator, community touchstone and the connector who helps the surrogate family members.

"One thing we have maybe that sets us apart from everybody else, we always stay together from the beginning," Crimber said. "We don't have a second plan. This is all we got."

It's here, from this new home base, that Leme conquered the United States, too. Since arriving in Decatur, Leme finished second in the world in 2018 and 2019 and won the world title in 2020 and 2021, while also rewriting the sport's record books.

The $5.27 million he has earned in his career on the PBR tour -- already fourth-highest all-time -- allowed him to buy his own ranch that has become the center of the bull riders' social scene.

Every Monday, 30 of them play in soccer matches on Leme's field and cook churrasco, Brazilian-style steaks. The games are intense, but Leme also believes they're a secret weapon in his training.

"That's why I have my soccer field," Leme said. "Soccer helps a lot not only physically but mentally too. You have to make quick decisions playing soccer. It's the same thing in bull riding. And when I play, I feel way better and ready to go because it helps my focus and my body too."

They're all back on Wednesdays to practice riding in Leme's bucking bull arena, where they all help coach, critique and motivate each other. It's a competitive advantage that other riders don't often have. But Leme, who has a 1-year-old son named Theodoro with his wife Amanda, also credits the camaraderie for support that allowed him to adapt to the abrupt life change.

"It's our second family," Leme said. "It was hard when we came here and left our family, our friends far from us. We had to start a new family because if you don't do that, you're gonna want to move back."

Now, the extended family is producing its own stars. In 2021, Crimber's son John claimed the Texas state bull-riding title and was named the Texas High School Rodeo Association's Rookie of the Year. Crimber credits much of that to his community.

"My son loves Jose," Crimber said. "If you ask him which one is his favorite, he's gonna say him. He comes here, they play video games together, play soccer, ride bulls together. All those guys take care of him. That's what you want for your kids just to follow somebody good. I'm really blessed to have that."

There's no rivalry between the riders, Leme said, adding that they all encourage and motivate each other.

"The fight is not between you and other people," Leme said. "It's between you and the bull."

And one bull -- a world champion himself -- has played a starring role in Leme's career.

IN THE PBR, each ride is scored on a scale of 0-100, and a rider only earns a score if he hangs on for eight seconds. The bull always earns a score (the PBR said judges "look for speed, power and drop in the front end; kick in the back end, direction changes and body rolls"). There are four judges for each ride, and each gives up to 25 points for the bull and the rider. Then the scores are combined, and the total is divided in half. The highest ride score in the history of the PBR was 96.5 points, which was set and tied four times between 1997 and 2004.

In the 2020 World Finals, Leme drew a promising bull named Woopaa who had only been entered in five previous events, bucking off each rider. In Leme and Woopaa's first ride, Leme went the distance, and the two combined for a 95.75-point ride, clinching Leme's first world championship. Leme fell for this bull who, like Leme, was seen as a different type of "athlete" than his counterparts.

"This is gonna sound silly, but imagine a cat and how springy a cat can be, but at 1,500 pounds," said Woopaa's trainer, Laramie Wilson. "I mean, he's, it's really unbelievable. He bucks like an 800-900-pound young bull, and he's 6 years old and weighs 1,500 pounds. Most of the time, just like an athlete, they get older, they get bigger and slower. It's not slowed him down once."

Together, Leme thought, they could make history. He hoped to get that chance in the finals, where riders can draft bulls based on their spot in the point standings, and since Leme was dominating the rankings, he could zero in on Woopaa. They've shared four rides now.

There have been iconic bulls in the past like Red Rock, who was only ridden by Lane Frost, the legendary bull rider who died in the ring and was the subject of the 1994 movie, "8 Seconds." He said he studies other legendary bulls that were known to be nearly impossible to ride like Bodacious, Bushwacker and Little Yellow Jacket.

But what sets Woopaa apart is his showmanship, including an exceptional leaping ability and bucking power. He has earned the three highest-scored bull scores in history.

"What an athletic animal," McBride said. "Every jump is a snapshot. There have been some bulls that were tougher for guys to ride. But they didn't have that 'wow factor' to them that Woopaa's got."

And Leme, with his compact but muscular frame, seems to fit him just right.

"You couldn't have picked a better rider and a better bull from all of bull-riding history to come together and rise to the top at the same time," Wilson said. "They're making history together. They've attracted so many people. People don't come to watch the PBR, they come to watch Jose and Woopaa battle it out again."

In Fort Worth this week, they're even featured on the room key of the world finals' official hotel, every guest carrying a photo of them around in their pocket.

Together, they have shattered the all-time record for a marked ride. Twice.

In July 2021, Leme and Woopaa combined for a 97.75-point ride, breaking the record that had stood for 17 years. Then in November, the two teamed up again for a 98.75-point ride, including Leme landing the first 50-point rider score in PBR history.

"That's as close as we've ever seen in the PBR to perfection," McBride said.