PBR tour brings bull riding action to Tulsa

The ultimate showdown of man vs. beast is bucking into the BOK Center January 24-25. It will be the 21st consecutive season that Professional Bull Riders (PBR) has made a tour stop in Tulsa. The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour is considered a step below the PBR's Unleash the Beast tour.

Four Oklahomans are competing in the event including Wyatt Rogers, a professional bull rider from Hulbert, Oklahoma. He is currently ranked outside the top 40, but is hopeful his performance this weekend will help him qualify for future Unleash the Beast events.

Oklahoma Bull Rider Returns Home

Rogers started bull riding when he was 13 years old and is a three-time Oklahoma High School State Champion. He turned professional at the age of 18 and started competing with the PBR in 2017. In that time Rogers has qualified for two World Finals and won seven PBR events.

He described the feeling of riding a bull as a rush of adrenaline, especially in front of a home crowd. "I was that kid sitting up there in the stands and to live out my dream, it is just an unreal feeling," Rogers continued saying, "A complete circle in life, so I just look forward to maybe inspiring a kid and being a role model."

Man vs. Beast

The PBR's Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour puts some of the best bull riders in the world in an arena with the sport's rankest bovine athletes. "I am a 180 pound guy against a 2,000 pound bull so you are obviously going to get sore and stuff," said Rogers. In order to stay on, it takes a lot of balance and core strength. Rogers said he took gymnastics as a kid and now does yoga to stay flexible. He also studies different bull's bucking patterns because once the time starts there is nothing left to do but hold on. "You are really not thinking at all, it is just all reactions," Rogers said. "If you got time to think on the back of a bull in them 8 seconds, you are probably going to be on the ground and running from him."

Two Nights of PBR

The PBR event kicks off on Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. and continues on Saturday, Jan. 25 starting at 7 p.m. The finals on Saturday will feature the top 10 riders, promising high-energy action with riders vying for the championship title. Tulsa is known for historic moments in the PBR, including last year’s impressive seven 90-point rides in the final round.