Pro bull riding event bucks its way into Acrisure Arena, here's everything you need to know
The Professional Bull Riding tour bucks its way into Acrisure Arena this weekend and don't kid yourself, these are some of the quickest, most agile and most impressive athletes in the United States. And I'm talking, of course, about the bulls.
The cowboys riding them aren't bad either.
Here's everything you need to know about the three-day weekend full of spinning, snorting, dirt-flying fun that the PBR will bring to the desert.
The details
- Who: The Pro Bull Riders circuit is the best of the best and you can figure the top 40 bull riders in the world testing themselves against the toughest bulls in America will be on hand.
- What: This is not an exhibition, this is part of the circuit as the top riders build up points each week. There will be a team competition anchoring Friday night's show and then individual competition throughout the weekend. This is an important event as there are only a few events left in the race for the points title and the $1 million bonus that comes with winning what is called the Unleash The Best Tour.
- When: The event runs Friday through Sunday, March 21-23. Action starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
- Where: Acrisure Arena is a new 10,000-seat arena in Palm Desert, California, which opened in 2022. It is home to an American Hockey League team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and has showcased NBA basketball, college basketball, NHL hockey and other sporting events in its brief history.
- Tickets: Tickets are still available for all three days. Tickets start at $36 for Friday night; $65 for Saturday; and $36 for Sunday. Three-day tickets and VIP ticket options are available. and can be purchased at pbr.com or acrisurearena.com.
What to expect
To learn a little more about the PBR show, The Desert Sun talked to LJ Jenkins, a former rider and current stock contractor (bull owner), to tell us what a fan can see if they check out the PBR this weekend. He chatted with us over the phone, while driving from Oklahoma through the panhandle of Texas hauling 16 bulls from the Sooner state to our desert.
He said that while the action is, of course, taken very seriously by the competitors, the experience of attending for a fan is something like a hybrid sporting event and rock concert.
"There's a lot of entertainment. It's kind of like a concert with a lot of loud music playing and there's clown entertainers to get the crowd going," Jenkins said. "It's family-friendly. The kids love it. If you've never been to one, I can almost bet you that when it's over you'll be wanting to go again. It's about two, two-and-a-half hours and you'll have fun the whole time."
The competitors
It will be the best 40 riders in the world and that includes riders from the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Australia and Brazil, which is a well-known hotbed of talented riders.
Some of the names to watch include current points leader Australian Brady Fielder and last week's winner Texan Dalton Kasel. And don't forget about 19-year-old John Crimber of Texas, who is already one of the top riders around (fourth in the standings) and what some in the PBR world consider the best young rider of all time.
All of the top riders are also members of six-man teams that participate in a team competition. That will happen Friday night at Acrisure Arena when the Oklahoma Wildcatters face the Arizona Ridge Ridgers with 12 of the top riders in action. Those 12 competitors will then also be in the individual event over the weekend.
And a quick rules reminder: A rider must ride for eight seconds with one hand in the bull rope and one hand in the air. A ride stops if either the hand comes out of the rope or if the rider's free hand touches himself or the bull.
"It's crunch time for these guys because the finals are just over a month away and they all are battling it out for that $1 million bonus and so you're going to see all the top guys there and they'll be at their best," Jenkins said.
The bulls
The bulls have names like Smokey, Regulator, Nefarious, Mr. Wilson or Rank Frank, and they are the difference-makers at an event like this.
Jenkins said having quality bulls often can make a difference between a good show and a great show.
"I'm bringing 16 from Oklahoma, and then a buddy of mine's bringing some from Kansas. There'll be some from Texas and there will be some California stock contractors there, too," he said. "To make sure it's a really good show, we'll bring in bulls from all over the country."
It should be noted that the PBR has very stringent animal welfare guidelines in place for all animals that compete at league events. So during LJ's two-day trek from Oklahoma, he will stop several times to let the bulls get off the truck, move around, rest, eat, etc. and then return to their journey. And once they arrive in Palm Desert, they are required to get a full day of rest before Friday's action begins.
Other facts and figures
- A bull usually weighs between 1,700 and 2,000 pounds.
- About 60 truckloads or 750 tons of dirt is necessary to transform Acrisure Arena from Wednesday night's hockey game to Friday's bull riding show. The dirt comes from local vendors.
- The bulls are competing for points and standings as well and every bull receives a score of 0 to 50 points after every ride or attempted ride.
- There is no weight maximum for a bull rider, but the average weight for a pro rider is around 150 pounds.
Shad Powers is a sports columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: PBR pro bull riding tour at Acrisure Arena this weekend
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