PBR Canada at VisitLethbridge.com Arena
PBR Canada
Hello! My name is Amelia, and I moved fromEdmonton to Lethbridge in the spring of 2021. I have enjoyed exploringLethbridge, especially the dog parks and natural spaces. I will often visit dogparks like Peenaquim Park and RiverStone Dog Park with my Chiweenie Mia.
Since moving here, I hadn’t attended anevent held at the ENMAX Centre, so when I was asked to take photos for theProfessional Bull Riders Canada Cup Series on August 27th, 2021, I jumped atthe opportunity! After lockdowns and restrictions, it was nice to get out andenjoy an event with others in a large-scale environment. I had forgotten howfun it was to be in an arena with all the sights and smells of a bull ridingevent; popcorn popping, food cooking, people laughing and a flurry of cowboyhats!
We were standing right up to the fence andnoticed a small cage in the middle of the arena. This barred area was about ametre tall, with a couple of steps down into the cage. Then we noticed thecameraman inside this cage and realized he would be in there throughout theevent! I felt like I was pretty close to the action, but to be in there wouldbe next-level submergence!
The event started off with a bang,literally! They had fireworks, fire, music, and while they introduced the BullRiders, they spelt out PBR in the fire right in front of us! As the smokecleared, the bull riding began, and since we were right outside the arena, wecould see the action up close, bulls kicking, cowboy hats flying, and the crowdcheering. One of my favourite parts (aside from the bull riding itself, ofcourse!) was watching the bullfighters. They did such a great job keeping therider safe while keeping the audience engaged. That job would scare the livingdaylights out of me, but they did it all night!
I was also impressed with the cowboy andhis horse, who would rope the bull to guide him into the back if he wasn’tcooperating. I don’t know how he and the horse stayed so calm with the bullkicking and spitting everywhere. I would have been like, “no way, get me out ofhere,” but they both did a great job wrangling the bull out of the arena. Afterthe intermission, we were allowed in the back to take photos of the bull ridingfrom right behind the chute. This also meant that we were right next to the bullslocked up in their pens, and those guys are huge and very intimidating, evenfrom behind a fence. I can’t begin to think about riding one! Throughout thenight, I also enjoyed learning what all the bull’s names were. Here are some examples Smash, HotTamale and Muzzle Blast.
As we watched the second half of the bullriding, we had the opportunity to see Callum Miller from Australia win! Thebull riding itself looks very difficult, but I didn’t realize just how manybehind the scene details are involved in overseeing and coordinating a PBRevent. It’s not just a sport, but it is an event with many moving parts,interviews, televised portions, sending fireworks off at the right time etc.You have to be very organized to help run PBR, and I was very impressed withhow all the moving parts fit together into a seamless event.
After the bull riding, we left the arenawith everyone else; the popcorn machines had stopped, food consumed, and thecowboy hats and boots left the building, concluding an unforgettable night outat the ENMAX Centre!