GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — West Michigan became the "Wild Wild West" this weekend. The ice rink at Van Andel Arena was replaced by dirt, and the hockey players were traded for cowboys as bull riding took center stage.
It's the latest stop on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, which was back in Grand Rapids for the sixth time in the tour's history.
There were 40 riders who came from all across the world to compete.
“This is what they love to do," said Kevin McCoy, manager of live video production for PBR. "All they’ve wanted to do from when they were little kids is be cowboys and ride bulls.”
Six cowboys were homegrown, born right here in Michigan: Hunter Ball (Carsonville), Nic Lica (Garden City), Payden Yeiter (Grand Rapids), Matt Allgood (Saline), Dave Feldpausch (Eagle) and Kevin Wickey (Birch Run).
READ MORE: Professional bull riders coming to Van Andel Arena on Jan. 28 & 29
The rest of the field came from other states and other countries, like Canada, Brazil, Australia and Mexico. Everyone had different backgrounds but the same goal.
“The common thread is that all these guys are passionate about bull riding," McCoy told FOX 17. "They just want to be cowboys and compete for gold buckles.”
The event format is simple. All 40 riders get two turns each — one in Round 1 on Friday, and another in Round 2 on Saturday. Scores from each round will be combined, and the top ten advance to the championship round Saturday night.
The rider with the highest total score from all three events is the winner.
All you have to do is last eight seconds on the bull — obviously that's a lot easier said than done.
“Eight seconds doesn’t seem like a long time when you’re just sitting there talking to somebody counting it out," McCoy said. "When you’ve got a guy on the back of a 1,500-pound animal, and he’s hanging on trying to stay on for eight seconds, it takes so long. That is the most fun part.”
No rider wants to get bucked, of course, unless you're talking about the event purse. Then, everyone wants bucks — $25,000 to be exact.
Final results from the event are posted here.