The general manager of PBR Canada says Lethbridge is the loudest stop out of all the places they go in Canada and with over two decades of competition in the city he says it is exciting to see the evolution of the competition.
Jason Davidson has seen the evolution personally, having previously been in the dirt of the competition as a bullfighter. He says he has seen a lot of changes to the event from when it was the Canadian Bull Riders finals in 2002 to the Canada Cup event series it is now.
“With the lights, with the big replay screen, with our entertainer Brinson James, who anybody that’s been to the event in Lethbridge knows exactly who I’m talking about when I mention Brinson’s name and then just that level of competition now,” he says. “These guys pay their way to get there. They’re not on guaranteed contracts like other professional athletes. So I think that makes the competitiveness so fierce at a PBR bull riding event.”
Lethbridge is one of the only two-day events on the PBR Canada Cup tour schedule in Alberta. Davidson says one of the things that makes these events unique is that more money needs to be added to make it worthwhile for the competitors so they don’t have to travel to multiple events on the same weekend. He believes fans buy tickets to both days because many of them are now following the sport.
“They’re accustomed to cheering for, you know, a particular bull rider or getting behind a bull rider or the livestock, for that matter.”
When it comes to bucking stock, Lethbridge has an award-winning stock contractor just down the road near Magrath whose 2020 Bull of the Year, Catch my Drift, was honoured during the two-day event last year, bucking his last event before retiring. Davidson says at this year’s event those in attendance will see more bovine talent from Two Bit Bucking Bulls showcased.
“[We] also will say farewell to the Two-Bit family, they’re stepping away and retiring from the stock contracting business.”
Davidson says this weekend’s event has quite the roster of competitors including riders from Brazil and Australia, along with the two-time Canadian Champion and Lethbridge event champion Nick Tetz.
