If you are a person who likes to take the bull by the horns when it comes to your Cornfest entertainment, a new event this year has something for you.
A trio of Taberites are putting on Bullarama, a World Professional Bullriding sanctioned event for Cornfest this year on Friday. It is one of approximately 40 WPB events for 2010, as spectators will get to see the highlight of many rodeos — bull riding.
“Hopefully, we will get it filled up where we have 40 bullriders in the long go with 10 coming back for the short go,” said Greg Rolfe, one of the co-organizers of Bullarama, who added approximately 60 bulls will be featured from numerous top contractors across Western Canada.
Usually, the main draw of rodeos across the southern Alberta circuit including the Calgary Stampede, it is that man-against-beast mentality that has fans on the edge of their seats.
“The fact it’s so dangerous, it’s such an extreme sport. You got a 2,000-pound bull going up against a 145-pound cowboy and certainly the odds are in the bull’s favour,” said Rolfe. “People don’t want to see riders get hurt, but there is always that intrigue.”
That intrigue includes hopes of a bull that will be especially rank in its disposition of having a cowboy on its back.
“You want to see the athleticism of the bulls. You want to see that kick, that spin and that intensity of the bull,” said Rolfe. “These are athletes, they are no different than the bulls. They are trained and bred to do this exact job as finely-tuned athletes.”
On the human side, unless you are at the top of the world circuit, it’s not like a bull rider has the Porsche parked in his driveway of his mansion and swimming pool. When a professional bull rider says he is doing it for the love of sport, you tend to believe him a little more, when sometimes hospital bills can equal your payout from such an extreme way of life.
“I suspect at the end of the day they may have that element of being an adrenaline junkie. But it’s all relative, the more they get on it slows its self down,” said Rolfe. “It looks fast for your average viewer, but for the bullrider they are in control for the most part until they get out of shape on the bull. These guys know what they are doing.”
The field of bullriders for Taber’s event is going to be an impressive one, with 2010 WPB season leader Miles Pennington confirmed to be competing. Past WPB champion Neal Wallator will also competing along with Ty Pozzobon, who is sitting fourth in the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association and is top in the CPRA for 2010. Bullriders will be making the trip to Taber as far away as New Zealand and Australia.
Taberites Wolfe, Robert Wilson and Reg Jensen own Lazy-R-Bucking Bulls as a contractor, and wanted to give something extra to Cornfest along with other stock contractors.
“There are going to be some good bulls there,” said Wolfe. “There should be bulls that have bucked all across Western Canada and PBR events, along with the Calgary Stampede. They’ll see some pretty rank bulls, there’s no doubt about that.”
Conrfest Bullarama goes Friday at the Taber Agri-Plex with gates opening at 6 p.m. with the event starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door and $50 for a family of four. Children are $10 and kids five years old and under get in for free.