Photo courtesy PBR

Five Oklahomans in field at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Feb. 10-12

OKLAHOMA CITY – Led by Oklahomans Ryan Dirteater, L.J. Jenkins, Ryan McConnel, Cord McCoy, and Austin Meier, the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series returns to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Feb. 10-12 for the WinStar World Casino Invitational presented by Express Employment Professionals.

Meier is ranked third in the current BFTS standings while Dirteater is ninth, following a runner-up finish last weekend in Baltimore. Jenkins, McConnel, and McCoy are all ranked in the Top 20.

Bull riding begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. Tickets are on sale now at the Chesapeake Energy Arena box office, www.Ticketmaster.com, and by telephone at (405) 602-8700 and (800) 745-3000.

The PBR and Ford are offering a limited number of Built Ford Tough All aXXess passes for $50, which allow the bearer to go onto the dirt before the event and meet PBR riders to get autographs and photographs.

The BFTS features the world’s best and highest-paid bull riders competing against the fiercest bucking bulls on the planet. The first five events have produced five different winners, including J.B. Mauney, who moved atop the world standings following his victory last weekend in Baltimore.

Fans will witness thrilling 8-second rides and jaw-dropping wrecks throughout the adrenaline-soaked performance as the PBR’s insanely brave cowboys risk it all against monstrous animal athletes that can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.

Each of the Top 35 riders in the world will ride on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Following Round 2 on Saturday, the riders with the 10 highest scores will each compete with one more bull. Following Round 4 on Sunday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round where they will compete with one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score from all five rounds.

The action will be televised in HD on NBC Sports Network, formerly Versus, at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 11. CBS Sports Network will air the action this Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. ET. There will be encore airings this Sunday, Feb. 12, at 10 p.m. ET, and on Monday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans will be able to see the action from Friday online in the PBR Live Event Center beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Oklahoma City will be the first American Bucking Bull Inc. Classic event of 2012. There will be 35 bulls competing for a prize purse of more than $30,000 in Round 1 on Friday. ABBI will be hosting the first Futurity event of 2012 on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Chesapeake Energy Arena. There are approximately 30 bulls expected to compete. Futurity events have 2-year-old bulls competing with a 25-pound mechanical dummy. The event is free and open to the public.

The ABBI, which introduces young bucking bulls at select BFTS and Touring Pro events, is dedicated to unifying, developing and promoting the bucking bull industry through pedigree preservation; enhancement and promotion of bucking bull ownership, breeding, and welfare; and development of programs and events showcasing the world’s finest bucking bull stock. The ABBI is the third-largest cattle registry and is set up to record and preserve the pedigrees of the world’s premier bucking bulls.

Oklahoma City is the sixth of 28 stops on the 2012 BFTS schedule, which opened on Jan. 6-8 with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York. The BFTS will make 28 stops in 23 states before the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2012. The World Finals are where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the coveted championship buckle and a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and YouTube. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.

PBR riders will be signing autographs from 12-1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Bass Pro Shops, 200 Bass Pro Drive, in Oklahoma City. There will be family-friendly activities from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., including stick-bull riding and bull roping as well as mechanical bull rides. PBR in-arena announcer and experienced angler Clint Adkins will host a fishing seminar from 1-1:30 p.m., while Brandon Bates, an announcer for the PBR and host of “The Elk Chronicles” on the Outdoor Channel, will host a hunting seminar from 1:30-2 p.m.

Fans will be able to meet Team Cooper Tires – Flint Rasmussen, Renato Nunes, Ryan Dirteater, Ryan McConnel, and Valdiron de Oliveira – on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Langston’s Western Wear at 2224 Exchange Ave., Oklahoma City.

Children between 3-6 years old who weigh less than 60 pounds will be able to compete in Wool Warriors presented by Homeland, United Supermarkets and Kellogg’s from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Sheplers Western Wear, 812 South Meridian, Oklahoma City. The Top 5 riders will advance to the Championship Round which will be held during intermission at the BFTS event on Saturday night.

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) 
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the PBR. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become a global sports phenomenon that is televised worldwide. More than 100 million viewers annually watch primetime PBR programming on networks around the world including CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, and NBC Sports Network. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 24 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million — the most of any western sports athlete in history. Nearly two million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/PBR.