More Bulls, More Bucking

PBR pros ride back in to Parsons Stadium

The bulls return Saturday to Springdale's Parsons Stadium for the annual Buckin' in the Ozarks.

Professional Bull Riders sanctions this event in its Touring Pro Division. Despite this tour's ranking as a "semi-pro" event, riders from the Built Ford Tough series plan to hang on here -- because there is no Built Ford Tough event this weekend, says event producer Jeff Lee of Siloam Springs. Top riders will compete in Springdale, hoping to earn extra money and points in their quests for the PBR world championship.

FAQ

Buckin’ in the Ozarks:

Professional Bull Riders

Touring Pro Division

WHEN — 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — Parsons Stadium in Springdale

COST — Adults $15 & up; children ages 2 to 12, $5.

INFO — 877 927-4530 or rodeooftheozarks.org

Lee listed several top bull riders who will compete in Springdale: L.J. Jenkins, currently ranked ninth in the PBR world standings; Gage Gay, ranked No. 11 and leading the race for the PBR Rookie of the Year. Austin Meier, Ben Jones, Mason Lowe and Jay Miller also are listed among the top 60 cowboys of the PBR and will ride in Springdale.

Two Arkansas cowboys ride for the home-state crowd: Chase Outlaw of Hamburg, the 2013 champion of the Touring Pro Division, currently ranked 11th in the division and 24th in the Built Ford Tough Series, and Tyler Harr of Slovac, the Touring Pro's No. 5 and Ford Tough's No. 42.

Harr soon will be rodeoing in China as the PBR expands its scope, Lee explains. Mike Collins, an eight-time PBR finals qualifier, also is headed to China after his ride in Springdale.

But the PBR is about more than the cowboys. Bushwhacker, three-time world champion bull, retires after this season, but he will not take a farewell ride in Springdale, Lee said. Rather, the bull's brother Ambush, owned by Jack Simmons of Kansas, Okla., will. "You put up a picture of Ambush next to his brother, and you'd think they were clones," Lee says. "And they are very similar in the way they buck." Additionally, Ambush has earned scores similar to Bushwacker for his bucking.

Top stock from Gene Owens' and Russ Gant's herds, with pedigrees from the PBR finals, will buck in Springdale also, Lee says.

The gates at Parsons Stadium, 1423 E. Emma Ave., open at 6 p.m. Saturday, with the bucking at 8 p.m. Tickets -- $5 for children ages 2-12 and start at $15 for adults -- are available through the Rodeo of the Ozarks office.

A free PBR Fan Day is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of Sam's Furniture in Springdale, 1010 S. 48th St. PBR cowboys and PBR president Jim Haworth will greet and sign autographs for fans.

-- Laurinda Joenks

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 08/08/2014

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