Pro bull riders converge on Alerus Center Saturday
Apr. 26—GRAND FORKS — While the Professional Bull Riders event scheduled for Saturday, April 27, will be the first time Aaron Williams will be in Grand Forks, it will also be his sixth bull-riding event since an injury he sustained last year took him out of the sport for surgery and physical therapy.
The event, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Alerus Center, will give spectators a mix of feelings, Williams, from Pismo Beach, California, said — excitement, fear and thrill among them.
"They can expect everything under the sun," he said.
Professional Bull Riders, as the name suggests, is an international professional bull-riding organization, which hosts events across the country. Saturday's is part of PBR's Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, a "feeder tour," Williams said. Some of the top riders in the world compete to get into a premier series, the Unleash The Beast tour, through completing qualifying bull rides. That's what he intends to do.
A qualified bull ride is when the rider stays on the bull for eight seconds, with additional points added on through the actions of the rider and the bull. The bull gains points for its strength, speed, airtime and intensity. The rider, meanwhile, gains points for the mechanics and moves they use to handle the bull's bucking.
As a bucking bull breeder himself, Williams said bulls that are raised for this sport enjoy it. When not in action, they act almost like dogs. Williams' wife will often go out to them and scratch them behind the ear, he said. They can also act like people — after a ride, some will take a victory lap around the ring and "strut their stuff," he said, while others go straight to the pen like a man who just finished work, ready to eat and relax.
Williams puts in his own work to be ready for his bull riding events. He works out regularly at his home gym, focusing on strengthening, balance work, cardio and stamina. He also has an automated bucking barrel to practice on, and goes out to practice with actual bulls once a week. His interest in bull riding originated at a fair he went to when he was young, where he saw kids could try riding calves and sheep. He got his parents' permission to ride a sheep, which he rode for about 10 to 15 feet before he fell off. He received a small trophy for his efforts, and a love for the sport.
"I had that trophy every day since then and dressed like a cowboy every day since then," Williams said.
His years of bull riding have included a fair share of injuries, such as the one that took him out of the ring last June, he said. There had been rain the night before the bull riding event he attended, making the ground muddy. While trying to get off his bull, the animal slipped in the mud and landed on him. Williams' left arm hit the ground in a "bullwhip type of fashion," he said, breaking the top portion in two spots and dislocating his shoulder. He underwent shoulder surgery and went through rehabilitation to get back to competing.
Though those in attendance might see a flurry of chaos as bulls buck and swing around, their riders flailing to hang on, Williams said his love of the sport comes from the peace he feels while riding.
"Everything slows down," he said. "I'm able to see, hear and react to things in such a tranquil state of mind. ... Once I'm done I get off and I have so much emotion and raw excitement built up that I always let out a bit of a yell. It's an indescribable, irreplaceable feeling."
