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Zane Lambert and Lachlan Richardson are regular guys. They just happen to ride bulls for a living.
“It’s our lifestyle. It’s just kind of what we’ve always done, this is who we are,” said Lambert, a native of Ponoka, Alta. and the 2013 Professional Bull Riders Canadian champion.
“We’re just cowboys out here having fun, trying to make a living.”
Lambert, 30, and Richardson, 24, are part of a group of 25 professional bull riders competing in the Man vs. Beast event, hosted by the Professional Bull Riders at TD Place arena in Lansdowne on Friday.
Competitors will have a chance to win $20,000 in prizes, and earn points that go toward the year-end Canadian championship.
This is the second year of the PBR Canada national tour. The event will be travelling to seven other Canadian cities.
Both Lambert and Richardson said they began riding bulls when they were kids, and over time their hobby developed into a full-time job.
“You’ve got to stay fit and not many bull riders work (traditional jobs), so you’ve got to make ends meet,” said Richardson, who is from Gresford, Australia.
The job
Lambert began bull-riding when he was 10 and attended a bull-riding school where he learned the basics, including how to handle himself around livestock and ride bulls from professionals.
Slowly, Lambert started turning his hobby into a career after high school, and won money during competitions that he was able to put toward his college tuition.
But the job is more than just riding a big scary animal. Lambert said training, doing research on what events to ride in, and organizing travel and lodging is what makes bull-riding a time-consuming job. He’s been pro full-time for the past eight years.
Professional riders make most of their income through event winnings — with some also receiving sponsorship money — but it varies from rider to rider.
Professional riders get on about 60-70 bulls a year through events, said Lambert, although a large part of their preparation for competitions comes from gym work.
“If you feel like you need to practice, you can,” Richardson said. “But most of us get on three to four bulls a week. We don’t have enough time to (practice) all the time.”
Richardson has been riding bulls since he was 10, and went pro at 18. Last year, he earned $98,624 USD from bull-riding competitions, according to PBR’s official website.
Lachlan Richardson rides Rocking I Rodeo Co’s Slick Rick for 87.75 during the first round of the Tulsa Built Ford Tough series PBR. Photo by Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
The sport
Competitions are won based on points scored out of a total of 100. Half of the points earned per round are based on the performance of the bull rider and the other half on how difficult the bull is to ride.
Judges seek fast and powerful bulls, who change directions quickly, and kick their back legs. The harder the bull is to ride, the more points the rider can earn, making that bull more desirable to ride during competition, Lambert said.
Riders must stay on the bull for at least eight seconds and cannot touch the bull with their free hand.
The top seven riders in a round earn points that go toward earning titles for the Canadian Standings, a ranking system of the top bull riders in Canada.
Injuries
Richardson and Lambert said they usually have people tell them they’re crazy when they find out they’re professional bull riders.
“I’ve had riders tell me they can’t believe how crazy and tough hockey players are,” said Curtis Leschyshyn, a former Ottawa Senators defenceman who is now a stock contractor for PBR.
“(And I tell the bull riders), what you guys do is beyond what any hockey player does.”
Leschyshyn got hooked on bull riding in 1996, when he watched an event for the first time up close.
“Mentally I think that’s what separates them from a lot of athletes,” Leschyshyn said. “They can be injured, but they block it out and fight through it. They get back on the bull and they win.”
Injuries and broken bones are to be expected in the sport. Last year, a bull stepped on Lambert’s back and shoulder blade while riding, breaking five ribs and collapsing his lung. He was out of the job for two months.
Richardson said he has been lucky in terms of injuries, with a torn bicep and broken hand.
The controversy
The sport has not been without its critics.
The Ottawa Humane Society released a statement on Tuesday, asking the public to boycott Friday’s bull-riding event, calling it an “animal cruelty showcase.”
It is typical for bull riders to use electric prods, spurs and to tighten straps around the bull’s abdomen and genitals to get the desired reaction for the sport, said Sharon Miko, director of operations for OHS.
Chris Bell, general manager of PBR Canada, responded by saying PBR is “fully committed to ensuring the health, safety, welfare and respect of the sport’s animal athletes.
“PBR bulls are carefully bred to compete, much like racehorses are bred to run fast. Contrary to completely false and misleading information being disseminated in Ottawa, the bulls are not agitated in any way, particularly in the area of their genitals.”
In a statement, Mayor Jim Watson said PBR is legally allowed to host the event, and did so in 2016 “without incident.”
“Although injuries can happen in any sport, it is my understanding that animal and athlete welfare and safety are at the top of the event organizers’ priority.”
— With files from Matthew Pearson
oblackmore@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/olivia_blckmr
查看原文...
“It’s our lifestyle. It’s just kind of what we’ve always done, this is who we are,” said Lambert, a native of Ponoka, Alta. and the 2013 Professional Bull Riders Canadian champion.
“We’re just cowboys out here having fun, trying to make a living.”
Lambert, 30, and Richardson, 24, are part of a group of 25 professional bull riders competing in the Man vs. Beast event, hosted by the Professional Bull Riders at TD Place arena in Lansdowne on Friday.
Competitors will have a chance to win $20,000 in prizes, and earn points that go toward the year-end Canadian championship.
This is the second year of the PBR Canada national tour. The event will be travelling to seven other Canadian cities.
Both Lambert and Richardson said they began riding bulls when they were kids, and over time their hobby developed into a full-time job.
“You’ve got to stay fit and not many bull riders work (traditional jobs), so you’ve got to make ends meet,” said Richardson, who is from Gresford, Australia.
The job
Lambert began bull-riding when he was 10 and attended a bull-riding school where he learned the basics, including how to handle himself around livestock and ride bulls from professionals.
Slowly, Lambert started turning his hobby into a career after high school, and won money during competitions that he was able to put toward his college tuition.
But the job is more than just riding a big scary animal. Lambert said training, doing research on what events to ride in, and organizing travel and lodging is what makes bull-riding a time-consuming job. He’s been pro full-time for the past eight years.
Professional riders make most of their income through event winnings — with some also receiving sponsorship money — but it varies from rider to rider.
Professional riders get on about 60-70 bulls a year through events, said Lambert, although a large part of their preparation for competitions comes from gym work.
“If you feel like you need to practice, you can,” Richardson said. “But most of us get on three to four bulls a week. We don’t have enough time to (practice) all the time.”
Richardson has been riding bulls since he was 10, and went pro at 18. Last year, he earned $98,624 USD from bull-riding competitions, according to PBR’s official website.
Lachlan Richardson rides Rocking I Rodeo Co’s Slick Rick for 87.75 during the first round of the Tulsa Built Ford Tough series PBR. Photo by Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
The sport
Competitions are won based on points scored out of a total of 100. Half of the points earned per round are based on the performance of the bull rider and the other half on how difficult the bull is to ride.
Judges seek fast and powerful bulls, who change directions quickly, and kick their back legs. The harder the bull is to ride, the more points the rider can earn, making that bull more desirable to ride during competition, Lambert said.
Riders must stay on the bull for at least eight seconds and cannot touch the bull with their free hand.
The top seven riders in a round earn points that go toward earning titles for the Canadian Standings, a ranking system of the top bull riders in Canada.
Injuries
Richardson and Lambert said they usually have people tell them they’re crazy when they find out they’re professional bull riders.
“I’ve had riders tell me they can’t believe how crazy and tough hockey players are,” said Curtis Leschyshyn, a former Ottawa Senators defenceman who is now a stock contractor for PBR.
“(And I tell the bull riders), what you guys do is beyond what any hockey player does.”
Leschyshyn got hooked on bull riding in 1996, when he watched an event for the first time up close.
“Mentally I think that’s what separates them from a lot of athletes,” Leschyshyn said. “They can be injured, but they block it out and fight through it. They get back on the bull and they win.”
Injuries and broken bones are to be expected in the sport. Last year, a bull stepped on Lambert’s back and shoulder blade while riding, breaking five ribs and collapsing his lung. He was out of the job for two months.
Richardson said he has been lucky in terms of injuries, with a torn bicep and broken hand.
The controversy
The sport has not been without its critics.
The Ottawa Humane Society released a statement on Tuesday, asking the public to boycott Friday’s bull-riding event, calling it an “animal cruelty showcase.”
It is typical for bull riders to use electric prods, spurs and to tighten straps around the bull’s abdomen and genitals to get the desired reaction for the sport, said Sharon Miko, director of operations for OHS.
Chris Bell, general manager of PBR Canada, responded by saying PBR is “fully committed to ensuring the health, safety, welfare and respect of the sport’s animal athletes.
“PBR bulls are carefully bred to compete, much like racehorses are bred to run fast. Contrary to completely false and misleading information being disseminated in Ottawa, the bulls are not agitated in any way, particularly in the area of their genitals.”
In a statement, Mayor Jim Watson said PBR is legally allowed to host the event, and did so in 2016 “without incident.”
“Although injuries can happen in any sport, it is my understanding that animal and athlete welfare and safety are at the top of the event organizers’ priority.”
— With files from Matthew Pearson
oblackmore@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/olivia_blckmr
查看原文...
