The Rebel Energy Services Red Deer Professional Bull Riding (PBR) has been a lucrative event for Garrett Green.
The Meeting Creek, Alberta cowboy took home the Red Deer event’s top prize for the second year in a row, last Saturday, winning both the short round and the aggregate with a combined score of 167 points over two rides to bring home two out of three buckles at the event and pick up a $3,447 pay day.
“Winning last year’s and rolling on. Maybe I can go again next year,” laughed Green after being presented with his buckles.
Oddly enough, Green not only gave the crowd of around 4,000 people at the Centrium an encore performance of last year’s victory, he did it with nearly the same score in the short go and aboard the same bull to boot.
“They marked me better (this year). Last year I was 86 and this year I was 87 but I thought last year he bucked harder, so I don’t know. I’m not a judge,” Green said of Skori Bucking Bulls’ Minion Stewart, who he rode in the short go both years.
The Red Deer PBR is the first event of the season on PBR Canada’s Touring Pro Division and featured 27 of the tour’s best cowboys, all competing to get a chunk of the prize money and an early start on the season standings, something Green said can be a huge advantage, provided he keeps rolling.
“It’s good to get a kick off, but then you’ve got to keep it up. You’ve got to keep getting those cheques all year long to make the finals,” said Green, who finished just shy of qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo last year.
“I missed out on the CFR last year. I was pretty choked about that. It wasn’t good. My wrist was giving me some problems but it’s feeling good this year and I’m hoping that I can go and get a win,” he said, adding his wrist has since healed up and he’s feeling ready to take another crack at it.
Finishing just behind Green was Devon Mezei, who finished with an aggregate score of 166.5. Scott Schiffner won the long go with an 85.5 point ride aboard Rock Show to claim the third and final buckle available.
In addition to the great professional bull riding, Saturday’s festivities also included the first ever Canadian performance of Bullfighters Only (BFO) freestyle bullfighting, a relatively new competitive circuit that made its debut in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last year.
The relatively small Red Deer competition featured three bullfighters from around the country going one-on-one with a 1,200 lb bull. It is scored like any other rough stock event – 100 possible points with 50 coming from the bullfighter and 50 from the bull.
Contestants are scored on their ability to keep the bull engaged and their ability to manoeuvre while the bulls are scored on aggressiveness, agility and their willingness to stay engaged with the fighter.
After everything was said and done, Kris Buffalo of Wetaskwin won the inaugural event outright over his competitors, Houston Gleeson and veteran bullfighter Scott Waye.
“I wouldn’t do it. It’s crazy man. It’s like, up here the bulls weren’t Mexican fighting bulls like you’ll see in the States in the bigger competitions, they’re cross-bred,” Green said of the freestyle bullfighting.
The next stop on PBR Canada’s Touring Pro circuit will be Lethbridge on the weekend of March 5th.
zcormier@reddeerexpress.com
