The floor of the Thompson Boling Arena was covered in 500 cubic tons of dirt, and the entire space smelled like rodeo when Professional Bull Riders Inc. came on Feb. 16 and 17.
All the cowboys present were competing in the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour in hopes of making it to the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. The arena took 12 hours to set up from start to finish. The bulls, brought in from different parts of the country, were kept in pens at one end.
In bull riding, the bulls get as much attention as the cowboys, since this sport is as physically demanding on the bull as well as the rider.
The cowboy’s score is based on many factors. Andy Sliger was one of the riders from Friday’s competition.
“The rider’s score is based on two judges giving 1-25 points to the rider and 1-25 points on the bull," Sliger said, "they look at the bull for how fast he spins, how hard he bucks, how high he kicks and how many times he changes direction throughout the ride. The cowboy is judged on how well he stays in the middle of the bulls back, how close he stays to the bulls head and how easy he makes the ride look.”
The events on Friday and Saturday were two separate sessions of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour with two winners. The winners have not been announced yet on the PBR website. Cowboys attend these rides as a way to earn points (which are given in performance scores) and money. Points and money qualify cowboys for the top 45. Only the top 45 and ten alternates go to the World Finals.
It is a gamble of life and money each time the riders ride, since they pay an entry fee with no promise of being paid back. The announcer at the event compared them to the gladiators of Rome.
“It’s not a matter of winning or losing; it’s a matter of living or dying,” Sliger said.
Sliger was injured while competing on Friday night. He rode Mr. Wiggles, a bull who’s “buck-off rate” is 88 percent and average time in 3.2 seconds. Sliger lasted four seconds.
More information about Professional Bull Riding and the World Finals in Las Vegas can be found on the Bull Riding Central web site.
Comments
Uncle Tim commented, on October 1, 2007 at 11:12 p.m.:
You at least the cowboy stuff to know what it smells like. I think you did a good job, and I have written a few stories in my day, some good and some not so good. Keep up the good work.