Today at Arco

As most of you know, I went to see the PBR at Arco arena today. I have been following PBR on TV for quite some time however, I never had the opportunity to see this caliber of bulls and riders in person. My seats were better than I expected, two rows up from the arena/rail and front and center to the chutes.

There were two really bad wrecks, Brendan Clark and Joe Baumgartner both got launched into the air by the bulls horns. It was scary to see but both of them are okay. That is the only part about the sport I do not like, the wrecks. I know a lot of people think that is why people watch bull riding but it's not why I watch it. I like to see those perfect 90 + point rides those eight seconds of magic where the bull and rider are in perfect rhythm.

As usual for sporting events, they had a few contests for the audience. One of the contests today was to make a paper airplane out of a piece of paper with your contact information on it. When they gave the signal everyone had to try to get their paper airplanes onto or as close to a platform they had in the arena. Well, my paper airplane didn't even get past the two rows in front of me, however, my friends sailed directly onto the platform. No one else got anywhere near it.

The prize was a 2007 PBR World Finals jacket (cost $199.99) which my friend gave to me . The jacket looks like....
I was stoked!! I didn't think it could get any better but it did...At the end of the event, I went down by the rail and waited to try to get some autographs. I was guessing I would get maybe one or two autographs because at large sporting events, the athletes will typically skip around doing one or two autographs per section.

I was pleasantly surprised when every single bull rider and even the fighters came around the entire arena and signed autographs for EVERYONE who was waiting. Not only was the eye candy fantastic but they seemed like genuine down to earth guys. The best part was I actually got to talk to some of these amazing men including my favorites, J.B. Mauney, Tony Mendes, Brian Canter, tonights winner, Nick Landreneau and last but in no way shape or form least, Adriano Moraes I tried to get my camera working but to no avail, I really wanted to post a picture of it with all the signitures it looks cool :-).

Now I own a really cool looking jacket that I will never be able to wear...can anyone say Ebay??? Honestly though, there is no way I would ever sell that jacket .

Today I got even more proof that these men have tremendous heart and gained an even deeper appreciation and respect for them and the sport they risk their lives to do.

On a side note, I know many people believe that rodeo's and bull riding are unfair and cruel to the animals. These bulls can make over a million a year for their owners, they are treated extremely well doted on and cared for, they compete for 5-7 years and then get turned out in a field to live out the rest of their days as studs and treated like champions. In the land of cattle, this is a good life. Think of the alternative folks...they could just be dinner! I am all for animal rights, I love all animals big and small and am want them to be protected. But things need to be kept in perspective. I was going to rant further and give examples and trust me I can but I really don't think anyone is going to read this so I am not going to bother.

Take care my friends...watch out for black ice, deer, and 18 wheelers and until next time behave!


MsZ