PBR Bull Riding
PBR Bull Riding has taken to world by storm after the PBR league was started just a few years ago. Featuring the top riders from around the world, PBR Bull Riding is one of the most exciting and competitive sports out there. You can’t imagine the guts it takes to get on ton of muscle roaring to tear you to bits. The PBR riders should be celebrated for their huge guts, and every time on takes on a bull they are taking a chance of being seriously injured. Ad to that the fact that judges want you to pick the rankest bulls, and its a recipe for exhilarating bull riding action at each and every PBR event.
PBR Bull Riding consist of a rider trying to stay atop a stomping bull for eight seconds as the bull seriously tries to buck off the rider. The only thing keeping a rider on the bull is a long braided rope and sheer will and determination. Because of the ferocity of bull riding, the eight seconds a rider is on the bull has been named “The most dangerous eight seconds in sports.” Its hard to argue with that nickname, as these bulls outweigh their rider by hundreds and hundreds of pounds. Many an unfortunate bull rider has been injured, and therein lies the intrigue of bull riding for both the riders as well as PBR fans.
Bull riding accounts for approximately 50% of all traumatic injuries to rodeo contestants, and bullfighters have the highest injury rate of any non-contestant group.
Bull Riding history
Bull riding has been a staple of rodeo events for a long time. Aficionados believe that the competition of bull riding began in 1869 when a group of cowboys from nearby ranches met in Deer Trail, Colorado for what is believed to be the first event of competitive bull riding. The event was first meant to settle what ranch had more skilled cowboys, and measured a number of ranching abilities. But from this even, what would eventually become the PBR tour was born.
Prior to the inception of the PBR, bull riding was one event of the rodeo. These events were organized by the Rodeo Cowboys Association and later the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The PBR branched of to specialize in bull riding in 1994.
Bull riders get their start in minor circuits, including the high school tour NHSRA as well as minor league circuits like the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association (SEBRA), the North American Bull Riding Association (NABA), and the Professional Championship Bull Riding Tour (PCB).
PBR Bull Riding rules:
Before each competition begins the organizers select which bull will be selected for that event and the riders are randomly paired with a bull. When it is his/her turn, each rider mounts the bull, still in a cage, and grabs onto the braided rope that will be his lifeline for the next 8 seconds. When the rider is set, he signals to the bucking chute operator. The operator opens the bucking chute and the bull explodes onto the field, kick and all up and down and speeding all over. The bull rider must stay on the bull for eight seconds at the minimum, only touching the bull with his riding hand. As the bull is not happy about having a person on him, he bucks, kicks, spins, twists and rears to get the rider of his back. The bull either succeeds in bucking the rider or the rider is able to stay on and dismounts after 8 seconds. The bull fighters, also known as rodeo clowns, move in and protect the rider after the ride has ended.
The next round is called the short round, where riders ride another bull. The rider with the most points after all is said and done is the winner of that event.
Points and scoring:
Each bull ride is scored on a scale from 0-100. Two judges judge both the bull and the riders on a scale of 1-50. The angrier (AKA ranker) the bull, the more points are awarded. Most experienced bull riders can mange to score in the 75s, while better riders can get to the 80s and only the best get 90 points. When they are scoring a ride, the judges take into account: the control, rhythm, and a rider can get style points for controlling the animal. A rider may only get points if they are on the bull for the while 8 seconds.
Judges look at a bull in terms of their overall agility, power and speed, as well as how powerful and twisting its movements are. The bull’s scores are kept track of so that the best bulls can be selected for the finals. The best bull of the year is awarded the “Bucking Bull of the Year” award for bucking the most riders. This award is a source of great pride for the ranch that raised the animals.
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