Post by WI8SecFan on Aug 8, 2006 14:08:09 GMT -5
There are always a lot of comments referring to the “easy life of the PBR rider”. In my opinion this is one of the biggest myths of the rodeo world! For the top 30 guys this may be true and when you say PBR rider, instantly our minds turn to the names on the BFTS. Names like Shivers, McBride, Coleman, Willingham and Marchi pop into most people’s heads.
According to the PBR however, there are over 800 riders that make up the PBR. So far this year we have seen approximately 90 riders on the BFTS. Of those, at least 10 were not on tour and served as alternates only. This means that out there somewhere are approximately 720 riders that you don't have the "PBR Bull rider life" as it is described. For argument sake, we will not even count the guys that are on tour but are still hitting the other PBR tours to make ends meet and/or accumulate money for finals. Those riders will tell a similar tale.
For the other 720 most of them do not make their sole living riding bulls in the PBR, although that is their goal. Either they supplement the PBR events with riding in other associations or they are truck drivers, factory workers, movers, ranch hands, teachers etc or a combination of all three. They will hit as many PBR events as they can get into and make it to (remember there is no guarantee that they will get into an event at the CT, ET and DT levels). Many of the guys that we see making it onto tour from the CT rankings have hit 30+ nonBFTS events to make it that far and have entered countless other associations events.
The first argument is always that the guys in the PBR have it easy because of the way that the entry fees and pay is structured. Unlike the BFTS, all other levels have to pay entry fees for every PBR event they attend. They also pay an insurance fee and turn out fees just like any other association. If they do not get a qualified score there is no such thing as show-up pay...if you don't ride you walk away empty handed.
The second other argument has to do with travel. Yes, it is very nice if you can get on the BFTS. You know where you are going to be for the next few weeks and you will attend one event that weekend (with some exceptions like CA). However, for the rest of the riders that just is not reality. Most of the time, they don't find out until 2 weeks before the event that they got into the event. Also, many of the events are scattered through out the US as a result they are usually scrambling to try to get a plane ticket or two. If you have ever tried to book a flight 2 weeks prior to traveling you know that this is not cheap. It is not unusual for a guy to buy a $300+ plane ticket, pay his entry fees, his insurance fees, his hotel room get on one bull and go home empty handed. Since most PBR events take place only on the weekends, many of the guys will try to make a run and hit 2-3 of them in a single weekend. Take a look at some of the rider lists for the events and you will see that many of the same riders up on Friday night in one city are up Saturday in a different city. If they are lucky they can leave one event, load a bunch of guys in a car and hit the next one, if they aren't it means another plane ticket.
Finally, if all the stars align a rider finds a cheap way to get to an event, finds some buddies to share a room with, pays his entry fees there is no guarantee that he is going to get on a bull that even if he rides he can end up in the money with. The bull power is usually good at the events but there are always exceptions, especially at the ET and DT tour level. (The only exception seems to be the ABBI events). So you can cover your bull and if you are lucky end up with about $100 day money putting you just a little less in the hole.
I have seen a group of PBR riders load into a car and start driving early in the week. They hit as many small association rodeos and jackpots as they could sleeping in a camper on the way to the first PBR event on Friday night. On Friday night, one of the riders ended up getting rerides on his first two bulls. His third bull pulled him down, his head and collarbone meeting the bull’s head. It was an ET event so there is no such thing as a sports medicine team. The paramedics looked at him and told him he should go to the hospital for stitches, to have his collar x-rayed and get checked for a concussion. With no insurance, a storm moving in and it was a long drive to the Saturday PBR event he and his travel partners were entered into he chose to do the best he could to patch himself up and hit the road. They drove through the night to make sure they made it in time for his travel partners to ride. They met a buddy that had a place for them to shower and change and headed to the arena. Although he had a broken collar bone, a probable concussion, two cuts to his head that probably should have had stitches, no prescription pain meds and had been patched up with what they could scrape together from Wal-Mart the cowboy still went to the arena to support his buddies who were riding. Even though he could not ride that night, he also went to sign autographs for the kids that lined up to see the riders.
There are hundreds of stories of PBR riders like this that we never get to hear. These are the riders that make up the majority of the PBR. They are the PBR! Some of them will someday get their chance to ride in front of a BFTS crowd. Others will hit 40 to 50 events a year for several years and never make it that far. So when you hear a new name on tour remember that each of these guys has a story and has struggled to get where they are. Some have been riding for years just looking to get that chance for an 8 second ride on the BFTS. I also encourage you as you head to the remaining CT, ET and DT events to take a minute or two to appreciate the true cowboys with names that you don’t recognize as much as the cowboys with names that you do.
PS Note....I do not necessarily agree that the guys that are on tour have an “easy life” but would argue just an easier one then guys struggling to get on tour or in other associations.
According to the PBR however, there are over 800 riders that make up the PBR. So far this year we have seen approximately 90 riders on the BFTS. Of those, at least 10 were not on tour and served as alternates only. This means that out there somewhere are approximately 720 riders that you don't have the "PBR Bull rider life" as it is described. For argument sake, we will not even count the guys that are on tour but are still hitting the other PBR tours to make ends meet and/or accumulate money for finals. Those riders will tell a similar tale.
For the other 720 most of them do not make their sole living riding bulls in the PBR, although that is their goal. Either they supplement the PBR events with riding in other associations or they are truck drivers, factory workers, movers, ranch hands, teachers etc or a combination of all three. They will hit as many PBR events as they can get into and make it to (remember there is no guarantee that they will get into an event at the CT, ET and DT levels). Many of the guys that we see making it onto tour from the CT rankings have hit 30+ nonBFTS events to make it that far and have entered countless other associations events.
The first argument is always that the guys in the PBR have it easy because of the way that the entry fees and pay is structured. Unlike the BFTS, all other levels have to pay entry fees for every PBR event they attend. They also pay an insurance fee and turn out fees just like any other association. If they do not get a qualified score there is no such thing as show-up pay...if you don't ride you walk away empty handed.
The second other argument has to do with travel. Yes, it is very nice if you can get on the BFTS. You know where you are going to be for the next few weeks and you will attend one event that weekend (with some exceptions like CA). However, for the rest of the riders that just is not reality. Most of the time, they don't find out until 2 weeks before the event that they got into the event. Also, many of the events are scattered through out the US as a result they are usually scrambling to try to get a plane ticket or two. If you have ever tried to book a flight 2 weeks prior to traveling you know that this is not cheap. It is not unusual for a guy to buy a $300+ plane ticket, pay his entry fees, his insurance fees, his hotel room get on one bull and go home empty handed. Since most PBR events take place only on the weekends, many of the guys will try to make a run and hit 2-3 of them in a single weekend. Take a look at some of the rider lists for the events and you will see that many of the same riders up on Friday night in one city are up Saturday in a different city. If they are lucky they can leave one event, load a bunch of guys in a car and hit the next one, if they aren't it means another plane ticket.
Finally, if all the stars align a rider finds a cheap way to get to an event, finds some buddies to share a room with, pays his entry fees there is no guarantee that he is going to get on a bull that even if he rides he can end up in the money with. The bull power is usually good at the events but there are always exceptions, especially at the ET and DT tour level. (The only exception seems to be the ABBI events). So you can cover your bull and if you are lucky end up with about $100 day money putting you just a little less in the hole.
I have seen a group of PBR riders load into a car and start driving early in the week. They hit as many small association rodeos and jackpots as they could sleeping in a camper on the way to the first PBR event on Friday night. On Friday night, one of the riders ended up getting rerides on his first two bulls. His third bull pulled him down, his head and collarbone meeting the bull’s head. It was an ET event so there is no such thing as a sports medicine team. The paramedics looked at him and told him he should go to the hospital for stitches, to have his collar x-rayed and get checked for a concussion. With no insurance, a storm moving in and it was a long drive to the Saturday PBR event he and his travel partners were entered into he chose to do the best he could to patch himself up and hit the road. They drove through the night to make sure they made it in time for his travel partners to ride. They met a buddy that had a place for them to shower and change and headed to the arena. Although he had a broken collar bone, a probable concussion, two cuts to his head that probably should have had stitches, no prescription pain meds and had been patched up with what they could scrape together from Wal-Mart the cowboy still went to the arena to support his buddies who were riding. Even though he could not ride that night, he also went to sign autographs for the kids that lined up to see the riders.
There are hundreds of stories of PBR riders like this that we never get to hear. These are the riders that make up the majority of the PBR. They are the PBR! Some of them will someday get their chance to ride in front of a BFTS crowd. Others will hit 40 to 50 events a year for several years and never make it that far. So when you hear a new name on tour remember that each of these guys has a story and has struggled to get where they are. Some have been riding for years just looking to get that chance for an 8 second ride on the BFTS. I also encourage you as you head to the remaining CT, ET and DT events to take a minute or two to appreciate the true cowboys with names that you don’t recognize as much as the cowboys with names that you do.
PS Note....I do not necessarily agree that the guys that are on tour have an “easy life” but would argue just an easier one then guys struggling to get on tour or in other associations.
