Eight seconds of furyProfessional Bull Riding stamps
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Nestled in between events in Alberta, Canadian Professional Bull Riding (PBR Canada) will be making its first ever stop in Montreal this Saturday, June 28. PBR Canada held sanctioned events in Quebec before, although the Bell Centre show will be the first time the nation’s top tour, the Rocky Cup, will be saddling up in la belle province. The Rocky Cup features Canada’s best cowboys, hanging on for dear life for eight seconds at a time.
The American PBR was founded in 1992, with the Canadian office opening in 2005. Unlike a rodeo, which features different events, animals and sideshows, PBR is a sports league specifically for the best riders and bulls. In a standard contest, a rider must stay on the bull for eight seconds, holding on with one hand. Judges then award up to 100 style points—half the points are given based on the difficulty of the bull and the other for the rider’s ability to match the animal’s movements. A score of 90 is considered very good. Like any sports league, there are statistics and standings, while at the end of the Rocky Cup season, a winner is declared. “For a bull rider,” says Quebec rider Sylvain Champagne, “PBR is the most prestigious and professional name in bull riding.” The 28-year-old native of St. Clotilde de Horton (east of Drummondville) first became exposed to bull riding at 17, at the well-known St-Tite rodeo, and has been involved in the sport ever since. He’s the only Quebec rider participating at the Montreal show, but he feels interest is growing here. “When I started, the Quebec bull riding scene was a lot less developed,” he says. “The rodeos here are much more professional now—we have teams working hard to have rodeos sanctioned by American organizations. A lot of the passion for riding out west has been gradually coming east.” Respect and painMontreal’s first exposure to bull riding was given by a Western Canadian group at Expo 67. The sport remains king in Alberta, where the PBR Canada headquarters and most of the human athletes reside. For the Montreal show, shorter travelling distance means the bulls will primarily be from the eastern United States. Like the riders, bulls have their own statistics and year-end awards for their bucking prowess. Famous hellraisers like three-time American champion Little Yellow Jacket are as much a part of the lore of riding as the men sitting atop them. “You have to go at every bull the same, no matter what he does,” says 2007 Rocky Cup champion Tyler Pankewitz, a Warburg, Alberta native who will be bringing his cowboy hat to Montreal despite currently being on the world’s best riding division, the American Built Ford Tough Series. “You can’t really do anything to make them buck harder. They really have minds of their own.” Champagne also admits there isn’t much preparation before a ride. “A lot of bulls have their own unique patterns, but once they open the gate, you really don’t know what to expect.” Other than a serious pair of Rocky Mountain oysters, what separates a PBR rider from your typical buckaroo? Both riders admit remaining focused and not losing concentration are paramount if one hopes to move in unison with an 1,800-pound bull. “It’s not a fight with the animal,” says Champagne. “You’re working together with it.” Another common ingredient shared by riders is a high tolerance for pain and the mental fortitude to climb back onto the saddle. “I’ve fractured my jaw, had three broken noses, smashed carotid artery, broken collarbone, leg, ribs—and that’s not counting the usual bumps and bruises,” says Champagne. “Broken foot, a few concussions, broken ribs,” says Pankewitz, adding, “I’ve been pretty lucky.” 
ATHLETE AND RIDER: Tyler Pankewitz A bucking bull is a healthy bullIn fact, bull riding companies typically field more concerns over the treatment of the bulls than the men who find themselves trampled underneath them. After the gruesome sight of racehorse Eight Belles being euthanized on the track immediately following a horrific injury at this year’s Kentucky Derby, the debate over animal welfare in sport has been re-ignited. PBR has a long-standing policy concerning their quadrupedal stars: bulls only buck once a day, have special diets, daily limits on travel (maximum 10 hours per day) and the riders’ spurs are dulled to prevent injury. The flank strap—the rope used to encourage the bull to kick higher once out of the chute—doesn’t interfere with the bulls’ genitals and isn’t wrapped tightly around the beasts’ thick skin. Also, the bulls aren’t bucking because they are prodded into doing so; years of special breeding has created a generation of genetically pre-disposed bucking bulls. As a sport, PBR lives or dies based on the health and ability of their animals, which Champagne says will astound anyone who sees them in person. “You really don’t get the same impression of just how big these animals are until you see them live.” Pankewitz also adds, “Just be sure to watch how the bulls buck. People who attend are going to see people getting stomped on, guys getting hurt, guys getting 90 point rides. It’s way better than on television.”
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