ProRodeo Sports News - May 18, 2018

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Impressed by what he saw in Costa, who was a rodeo star in Brazil, Smith invited Costa to come to the United States and live in a guesthouse on Smith’s property in Childress, Texas. Costa’s lifelong dream was to be a PRCA world champion, so he accepted Smith’s offer. It was a significant risk for Costa. He didn’t speak English. He didn’t know how to drive a car. He had no idea what it was like to enter rodeos or compete in the ultra-competitive PRCA. “I didn’t know if Marcos was going to be able to win a world championship, but what I saw in him was a kid who had a passion for roping calves,” Smith said. “He also was a great young man who was very humble, and he was someone who didn’t have a real good go at things. Once he got here, he took advantage of the opportunity that was presented to him. He won the world championship because he wanted it more than anybody else. He was hungry, and he roped like it. He has come a long way.” Fast forward to 2018 – Costa has his own rig, own horses and enters all his rodeos. What’s more, he’s engaged to be married to Keyla Polizello on Nov. 1. Polizello is a champion barrel racer from Brazil, who is now competing in the PRCA. Marcos and Polizello live in Menard, Texas. “Looking back on it, when I came to America I had to learn everything again,” Costa said. “I was eating different food and driving all over the country and speaking a new language and learning how to rope in these rodeos. It has been a lot of work. Now, I’m living the American dream.” Costa acknowledged it hasn’t been easy. “The hardest part was learning how to compete here,” he said. “I never was on the road for four months without getting to practice. In Brazil, you just rope on the weekends. Here (in America), you have to rope what you draw. There are a lot of ropers in Brazil, but here in America you go against guys who are trying to feed their families. Those guys don’t go to play. They go to win.”

An emotional Costa hugs friend and mentor Stran Smith at the 2017 Wrangler NFR. PRCA ProRodeo photo By Roseanna Sales

NOTIME FOR BULLS World champion bull riders from Brazil are common place – and Costa wanted to add his name to that list. At 14, Costa left his home and his parents (father, Vladetim, and mother, Joana) in Iretama to be a horse trainer 1,000 miles away in San Paulo, Brazil. “My passion was to be a bull rider, but I started roping so much and training horses I didn’t have time to ride bulls,” Costa said. “I grew up on a ranch, and my dad took care of cattle and I roped every day, all day long. I grew up in a poor family and I needed to go work. When I started horse training, we rode 24 horses a day and roped.” In 2015, Costa was riding “Flea,” the 2015 PRCA/AQHA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year – a horse he taught how to win. Costa’s horsemanship is also

obvious with his main horse, Sort Of Popular “Pouraguaja.” Pouraguaja, whose name is an alternate spelling of Paraguia (“woman from Paraguay”), was the reserve 2016 PRCA/AQHA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year. “I’ve been around horses since I was young, and I love working with horses,” said Costa, who has not been back to Brazil in three years. “I think it is a gift God gave to me to work with horses. Right now, my focus is on winning world championships. Our country loves us. They know how hard it is to be a world champion and respect us for what we are doing in rodeo. I do plan on helping people in my country realize their dreams.” Smith is confident Costa’s success will continue in the years to come. “Every horse that Marcos gets on, when he gets off them they are a better horse that day,” Smith said. “When Marcos competes, he doesn’t give a lot of money away. He will continue to be, health and God- willing, one of the top guys as long as he wants to do it.”

Costa acknowledges the crowd at the Wrangler NFR after winning his championship. PRCA ProRodeo photo By Greg Westfall

ProRodeo Sports News 5/18/2018

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