Las Vegas, NV: It was an interesting week here at the PBR World Finals. This was my first time down here for the duration of the event and first time covering it media wise. First off, I’ve got to thank the sponsors for making it all happen. 3D Bullriding was first on board followed closely by Two Bit Bucking Bulls and the Brad Phipps Memorial PBR in Lashburn, SK. I appreciate your help and making this whole trip worth while!
Next up is how the week was. It started off a little slow and the slot machines were pretty tight. real tight actually, taking all my money to start with. The first night at the finals came quickly. I’ve got to thank Jesse Byrne for giving me a lift to the arena and getting me situated there. It was a bit rough going learning the ropes but Jack Carnefix made the week by allowing me to film our Canadian Bulls and Bull Riders for you all to see.
Interview wise, it was tougher as I need to next time bring someone with me as a camera operator to get more done. The learning and growing with the business happens with every trip! That’s why Luke Cummings has been added to the team for next week’s event. Hopefully you enjoyed hearing from both Zane Lambert and Darin Eno while seeing Unabomber in the background. Thanks to Jen Vold & Tanner Eno for running the camera/phone for those interviews.
After that first night, the next things I knew, I didn’t do much else besides write on here and rest my feet from all the walking as you all know from being down here. Resting the feet didn’t even mean sitting at a blackjack table either until last night. Funny thing there was when I finally did sit down at one, I won my other money back and then some. Not as much as PBR Canada Production Manager Richard Jones did the first night. As he said, he just went up there and won. Won to the tune of $37,000 from starting off at about $200.
I’m now sitting in the airport waiting for my flight home and thought about a couple things over the week that I thought I’d share. I’m hoping to hear some more from you on these things too.
To start with, the crowd inside the Thomas & Mack seemed to be quite older compared to what I thought it should be. I’m not sure why it is, but it made me worry a bit to see that the majority of our crowd’s demographic was that age. If we are going to keep moving this thing forward, we are going to need to get some more youth interested in things in my opinion.
While riding over to the airport here I met a couple from California too. They thought things had changed since the changeover a few years ago. One thing they really noticed was how the entertainment had changed. It was great to see Easton Corbin on Sunday, other than that though we knew who JW Hart’s wife was but not really any of the other entertainers. In Brazil, that’s a huge draw for the crowds. You saw who won all the money there too and if we are going to move things forward, I think we should look at what they are doing and how successful it is. Speaking from four trips down there myself, a person can easily see why they come up here and win all they do.
Finally to finish off my rant I want to say that the crowd sure does come from a long ways. That part is amazing and unlike any other event. I do like that we have a world wide sport now recognized as a household name. It’s a much different crowd than any other event I’ve been to. They knew who the riders were, what they’d done, who the bulls were, all their stats, it was amazing to see and great news for what’s being done with Professional Bull Riding.
That’s all been my experience. What a great one it was. Met some outstanding people and had a great time. In the end, a few thoughts and gatherings from the week. Thanks for having me down there. You can now look forward to seeing highlights from the PBR Canadian Finals in Saskatoon come November 16th & 17th! I look forward to seeing you all there.
Congratulations once again to this year’s PBR World Finalists Aaron Roy, Chad Besplug, Ty Pozzobon and Zane Lambert along with the bulls Jackson James, Slash, Foul Play & Bucking Fantastic who all bucked off their riders. Also to Judge, Ryan Byrne along with his son & bullfighter Jesse.
For the last time from Las Vegas, NV at the 2012 PBR World Finals for Everything Cowboy.ca, Two Bit Bucking Bulls, The Brad Phipps Memorial PBR and 3D Bullriding Inc, I’m Ted Stovin.
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