The P.B.R. Returns to N.Y.C. to Kick Off its 25th Anniversary Tour
New York City, home to two active stock exchanges and many millionaires, opened the first weekend of the new year by welcoming two dozen additional millionaires and a host of stock contractors to the city. Kicking off the inaugural event of its 25th anniversary season, the Professional Bull Riders (RBR) returned to New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena. Of the 35 bull riders competing in the event, 24 have accumulated over $1,000,000 in earnings. Their task sounds simple; to try and remain atop 1,600 pounds of bucking fury provided by the tour’s stock contractors who hold ownership to the bulls. Millionaires and stock holders in New York City? Sounds right to us!
Above: The PBR's Entertainer Extraordinaire, Flint Rasumssen, Keeping the Madison Square Garden Crowd Engaged.
As with all stops on the PBR’s 25th Anniversary Tour, the New York City visit included three days of action pitting the sports human athletes, the bull riders, against the bovine athletes, the bulls. For each ride, the bull riders, try to stay atop a bucking bull for a total of 8 seconds. The bulls’ job is to try and forcibly dismount the rider through a series of rapid and forceful jumps, twists and turns in all directions. If the rider stays aboard for 8 second, the rider wins. If the rider is bucked off, the bull wins. Both human and bovine athletes are scored and are ranked in the season’s standings. Details about the contest and scoring were featured in the March-April 2016 MetroSports Magazine, available free and online. In that issue, we featured our first non-human Athlete of the Month, the PBR bull, I’m A Gangster Too, along with bullfighter Shorty Gorham.
Above: Chronicling the 7.31 Second Ride of Alex Marcilio Aboard Slingin Guns. Slingin Guns Won This One.
Notable in the final outcome of this NYC stop on the tour as the second place finish of Valdiron de Oliveira, the competition’s oldest rider. After announcing his retirement following the 2016 PBR World Finals and sitting out the 2017 season, de Oliveira announced his un-retirement this past November. The youngest active rider competing this weekend was 20 year old Jess Lockwood, last year’s NYC winner who then went on to be crowned the PBR’s 2017 World Champion, the youngest in the PBR’s history. Also in the house was one of the future stars of the PBR, 12 year old Canyon Trevino from Boaz, Alabama.
Above Left: Vladiron de Oliveira atop Hoss on his was to a complete ride. Right: After conquering Hoss, de Oliveira took on Flint Rasmussen in a push-up contest.
Right: Canyon Trevino, already an accomplished rider is author of the book, "Life's Arena", in which he traces his interest in bull riding and sets his sights on one day being the PBR World Champion.
Cooper Davis was Friday night’s Round 1 winner, Kaique Pacheco was Saturday’s Round 2 winner, and Joao Ricardo Vieira took Sunday afternoon’s Round 3 title. Accumulating a steady aggregate of 625 points and adding 75 points in the Championship Round, George Gay claimed the NYC Tournament Championship, followed by Vladiron de Oliveira in second place and Eduardo Aparecido in third. Last year's NYC Monster Energy Buck Off Champion and reigning PBR World Champion, Jess Lockwood, finished the event in 14th place.
Also winners were the citizens of New York City who were crowned by PBR Entertainer as the best singing audience he has encountered in his visits to arenas across the country. Rasmussen also confirmed that the City of New York has the best pizza in the world - well- at least better than Chicago which is next week's stop on the Tour.
Look for coverage of past years' PBR in NYC in our Online Articles section and in our main magazine. www.MetroSportsMag.com
