La CROSSE, Wis. – Bud Polhamus knew there was something about bull riding that made it special.
Let’s face it; there’s a reason it’s the final event of a traditional rodeo. So two decades ago, Polhamus took that knowledge to heart and produced the first stand-alone bull-riding event to take place in the La Crosse Center.
Now the Professional Championship Bullriders is honoring Polhamus’ vision with the 20th anniversary of bull riding in La Crosse with a two-performance showcase of elite bull riders starting at 8 p.m. Nov. 6-7 at the La Crosse Center. Tickets are on sale now at the arena or through Ticketmaster.
“We’re pleased to carry on the tradition that Mr. Polhamus started in La Crosse,” said Robert Sauber, a former bull rider who now runs the PCB. “He brought the tradition to town, and we’re keeping it here.”
The power and danger that is bull riding is a staple of life for western Wisconsin, said announcer Roger Mooney.
“I’ve been calling that bull riding for four years, the last couple with the PCB,” said Mooney of Elijay, Ga. “It was a family event before with Bud Polhamus and his family, and it’s still great family entertainment today.”
Besides the Polhamuses, the key to the event’s success has been a solid following of fans. Mooney said the PCB format will not bring some of the top players from the tour, it will also enable the cowboys an opportunity to qualify for the association’s championship, which will take place Feb. 5-6 at the Sears Centre in Chicago.
“We’ll have 35 great cowboys who return to the La Crosse Center on both that Friday and Saturday, and the top eight out of the two-head average will make the short go-round,” Mooney said. “The reason they save bull riding for the end of every rodeo is because of the danger and excitement of that event.
“This has become a hometown event for the people of La Crosse. Before long, people are saying, ‘Where’d that two hours go?’ ”
That’s just what the fans will be saying. Mooney lives to call these kinds of things. It’s in his blood.
“My job is to educate, inform and entertain,” he said. “That’s a good job to have.”
The Professional Championship Bullriders is also in the blood of Rob Smets, one of the best-known bullfighters to ever look a bull in the eyes and step away while protecting fallen bull riders from the dangers of the sport. Now retired from active bullfighting, he serves as the color analyst during the performances, working closely with Mooney – a veteran announcer who three times has been selected to work the National Finals Rodeo.
Funnyman “Radical” Ryan Rodriguez – who has worked some of the biggest events in the sport, from Calgary to Denver to Las Vegas – and Joe Garretson, the 2008 PCB Bullfighter of the Year, is scheduled to be part of the action.Not only does he bring a history of terrific cowboy protection to the table, but he also adds to the excitement of the performance, just like the wonderful women of barrel racing, who jockey their athletic animals around the cloverleaf barrel pattern in mind-bending speeds. This year marks the first time the barrel-racing competition is part of the two-night event at La Crosse Center.
