Professional Bull Riders Prove They Are A "Well-Oiled Machine"

By Cindy Meyers, Rodeo Attitude
Posted Sunday, May 10, 2009

Stop 21 on the Professional Bull Riders prestigious Built Ford Tough Series was in Rodeo Attitude’s backyard so to speak. The Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa is just a short 40 miles from the home office. Needless to say we all made the trip for the first round and enjoyed having an opportunity to see all the faces that go with the voices we deal with on a daily basis.

What fans don’t get to see is the well-oiled machine the PBR is behind the action in the arena. From the people working in the office to the men setting up the arena, everyone has a job and knows exactly how to do it. I have on a couple of occasions went to events the day before to watch the set-up from a reporters point of view and it is phenomenal the amount of work and equipment it takes to bring the spectacular show to the fans. Big screens suspend from the ceiling in the center of the arena surrounded by huge speakers that provides one of the best sound systems available today. There is not one spot in the building where the announcers voice is not crystal clear. More big screens are suspended above and behind the chutes to give even the worst seat in the house a clear view of what is going on in the chutes and of every ride with of course instant replay. Not one fan leaves the building feeling they did not have one of the best seats in the house. The man responsible for all this wizardry is Clayton Cullen, PBR SVP of Production. Clayton is a part of the Executive Staff of the PBR and a prime example of the quality of individuals behind the PBR.

Of course tons of dirt has to be hauled in to provide the arena floor. This dirt must be specially blended with the right amount of sand and ash, yes I said ash, to make sure it does not pack to firmly to cause injury and yet firm enough for the bulls and riders to get good footing. The bulls for bucking and the riders for running. You do want to move fast when a 1500-pound bull wants to assist you out of the arena! At this event the set-up process was split in half. Kenny Chesney performed on Thursday night making it impossible for the crew to prepare the arena, especially the floor until Friday. I spoke with Jim White, a long time member of the PBR production crew, and he told me they set up all the ceiling suspension before Kenny’s crew arrived and then on Friday morning finished setting up for the evening show. When the doors opened at 7 pm everything was in perfect shape. The well-oiled machine had done its job in record time. To be honest I was in awe to the efficiency of the job. Especially when you realize the intricacy of the electronics and pyros that are controlled by the long computerized control panel. Behind the scenes as the event progresses several people are working in the arena and on the chutes all with headsets as each moment of the event is coordinated for ultimate fan enjoyment. One of these gentlemen is Jerome Robinson. Jerome is the arena director and one might relate his job to that of an air controller seeing that everything in the arena is at the right place at the right time.

When we arrived at the arena we checked and were greeted by Briana Stensrud, PR / Marketing Manager, who made us feel more than welcome. We then headed for the concourse to visit the many sponsors booths. The doors hadn’t opened yet so we had a little time to visit with the various people working the booths. Several of these people travel the tour right along with the PBR. It was interesting to hear from them that despite the well publicized recession they felt crowds were up. Once the doors opened this was apparent. The crowd on this Friday night was larger than last years. Everyone seemed happy to leave his or her worries at the door and have a good time!

We found our seats in the press section, they were in the front row right next to the chutes. The only way we could have got closer to the action would have been to be on one of the bulls ourselves! And action was the word for the night. Before the official event began we were witnesses to a group of America’s finest taking the Air Force oath as they prepared to begin basic training. Air Force is an official sponsor of the PBR and following the oath the big screens filled with a tribute to the men and women of America’s Air Force. Following the brief presentation the crowd roared with pride.

The lights dimmed as the arena announcer loudly programmed “Welcome, to the PBR!” followed by loud pyros and huge burst of flames directly in front of the chutes. As he spoke of the USA letters ignited on the arena floor and as they burned out more burst from in front of the chutes as the introduction of the riders began and the flames became beautiful towers of sparkles shooting up and then waterfalling to the floor again. The only word I can think of is gorgeous. I loved it! As each man was introduced the crowd roared with the regional riders and the crowd favorites easily detected by the screams of the audience. Then the top 3 were introduced. Number 3 and 2 atop the chutes on either side and finally the man leading in the standings, Kody Lostroh, standing on a platform in the center of the arena. Of course each of these men were introduced with lots of flames and booms! Then as the lights lowered even more and the spotlights centered on Old Glory and a color guard from the Air Force the fans stood and bowed in prayer for the event and our military ending with a roar from the crowd. Then as we all continued to stand a beautiful Iowa voice of Mandy McDaniel filled the air with our National Anthem. As the roar of the crowd died away the announcer hollered, “Are you ready for some Bullriding!” and the event was on.

In no time Pete Farley, currently leading the Rookie of the Year race, made a qualified ride and set the mark at 84. Just two rides later the danger of the sport was highlighted when Tanner Girletz was knocked unconscious before he freed himself from his rope. As the unconscious rider was hung up on the bull the bullfighters set to work to free him and with the help of everyone in the arena he was freed and the safety man chased the bull from the arena. The silence was deafening as the crowd held its breath as the staff of the sports medicine team went to work treating Tanner and preparing him to be safely taken to the sports medicine room. The PBR is blessed to have Dr. Tandy Freeman and his fine staff to care for their athletes.

The show must go on is the old saying and so it did. In no time Travis Briscoe had added an 87 to the scoreboard. The quality of the bull athletes in the PBR are a reflection on the stock cntractors who devote themselves to their breeding programs and precurement of top bucking stock and the diligence of Livestock Director, Cody Lambert. Cody is one of the original men that started the PBR and his knowledge of bulls and his dedication to finding the best bulls for each event has played a large part in the growth of the sport.

I am a strong proponent of safety measures in the sport of rodeo and bull riding and one of those safety measures is chute padding. This safety measure was emphasized in the second group of riders when Dustin Elliott, long time Rodeo Attitude member, and his bull began their action inside the chute and Dustin was battered into the chute. Fast action by the staff secured Dustin as the bull was released and medics stepped in to help Dustin. Again there was a break in the action as Dustin was rushed to the sports medicine room. I spoke with Dustin’s wife Cynthia later and she was hopeful he would be able to ride on Saturday. (Dustin obted out of Saturday's event and went home to recuperate).

The night continued with several good scores and then it was time for the final ride of the night, the much anticipated ride by Kody Lostroh. Kody was injured in Omaha just two weeks ago and would be riding with a brace on his riding arm to protect an injured tendon. Last week the number 2 and 3 riders had cut his lead drastically and it was not known whether the injury would affect his riding. Question answered – No Way! When the ride was over the judge’s score was a remarkable 87.5 and Kody was in the money.

As the round ended my eye caught another prominent figure in the PBR Executive Staff, Sean Gleason, Chief Operations Officer. As I had a brief conversation with Mr. Gleason I remembered another reason why the PBR is such a "well-oiled machine"; the "hands-on" of even the top officers. The PBR might not be "your grandpa's rodeo" but in my opinion they all definately have a Rodeo Attitude or in this case lets call it a "Bullriding Attitude"!

With the next cut coming up and the tight battle for first place underway Des Moines will be crucial for lots of riders. If you can’t come to a PBR BFTS event check it out on VERSUS.

FINAL INJURY REPORT:

1) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 8,075.75 points, $251,368.34; 2) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 7,537.25 points, $159,079.68; 3) J B Mauney Mooresville, N.C.) 7,228.25 points, $163,365.51; 4) Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goianla, GO, Brazil) 5,879.25 points, $87,439.26; 5) Zack Brown (Edgewood, N.M.) 5,742.00 points, $133,823.97; 6) Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) 5,425.50 points, $85,882.69; 7) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 5,343.75 points, $81,325.47; 8) Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) 5,243.00 points, $99,315.79; 9) Ryan McConnel (Colgate, Okla.) 5,179.75 points, $80,212.62; 10) Renato Nunes (Buritama, SP, Brazil) 4,965.25 points, $84,800.47.

6 Zack Brown Smiling Bill / 43.75 87.25 $312.00