Professional Bull Riders Head to the Great Lake State for Two Nights of Non-Stop Action!

Posted Monday, September 8, 2008

Catch all the action of the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational presented by Cooper Tires when it airs on VERSUS and FOX this weekend.

PUEBLO, Colo. (September 8, 2008) - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) tour bucks into Grand Rapids, Mich., for the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, the 27th stop on the prestigious tour. For two thrilling evenings, the top 45 bull riders in the world will take on the toughest bulls at the Van Andel Arena with action getting underway at 7:30 p.m., on both Friday, September 12, and Saturday, September 13.

With tickets starting at as little as $10, PBR fans, new and old, will not only see the toughest athletes on dirt, they will also experience more than two hours of edge-of-your-seat thrills and spills, rock & roll music, and pyrotechnics. Tickets can be purchased at the Van Andel Arena Box Office, Ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 616 742 6600.

Riders expected to be in Michigan are two-time and reigning PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.); world number one Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil); and top 2008 Daisy Rookie of the Year contenders Pistol Robinson (Burleson, Texas), Reese Cates (Carthage, Texas), and Kolt Donaldson (Idabel, Okla.). This will also be Grand Rapids’ final opportunity to see the legendary three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil) who announced that the 2008 BFTS season would be his farewell tour.

The U.S. Border Patrol Invitational presented by Cooper Tires will consist of three rounds of competition with the first two rounds featuring the top 45 bull riders randomly matched against the PBR’s toughest bulls. The scores from the two rides will be combined and the riders with the top 15 scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round after intermission on Saturday. In the end, the cowboy with the highest total score on three bulls will be declared the winner!

Fans can also look forward to attending the PBR Fan Zone which will be held at the Van Andel Arena’s Parking Area 2, starting at 3:30 p.m. In attendance will be several of PBR’s national sponsors and some of the top 45 bull riders including fan favorite Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.) and U.S. Border Patrol rider Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) will be taking pictures and signing autographs for fans.

This is the PBR’s ONLY televised event stop in Michigan during the 2008 season. The U.S. Border Patrol Invitational presented by Cooper Tires will air on VERSUS on Saturday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. (EST) and on FOX on Sunday, September 14. Please check your local listings for times and more information.

The PBR is the premiere bull riding organization in the world, boasting contestants from the United States, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and Canada. Its events air weekly on VERSUS, NBC, and FOX and in recent years it has been tagged the ‘fastest growing sport in the country.’ For more information on the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, please visit www.pbrnow.com.