By Josh Bennett
Staff Writer

It is considered “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports” and it was certainly present in Bakersfield. The Professional Bull Riders Lucas Oil Touring Pro Division held an event at the Rabobank Arena on Saturday. After it was all said and done, Garrett Lange of Kingsburg, CA walked away with the victory, with a score of 88.5, edging out Reagan Avery of West Monroe, LA who scored 87.5.

For those unfamiliar with the rules of bull riding, the event has two rounds, a qualifying round and a championship round. The qualifying round has 35 riders compete for 12 slots in the championship round. The bull is judged on the degree of difficulty it gave the rider during the ride, and the rider is judged on his control of the bull.

Lange and Avery lucked out by advancing to the championship round, despite failing to ride their bull in the opening round. However, with only five out of the 35 rode successfully riding their bull, the final seven slots of the championship round were filled by riders who previously thought that their nights might be over.

“It means everything in the world to have a second chance, just like in life,” said Avery on getting a chance at the championship round.

This proved to be crucial in the championship round. Out of the five riders who legitimately qualified, including top qualifiers Keith Roquemore of Farmington, NM, who scored 88.5 and Bobby Roberts of Visalia who scored 86.5, none of them were able to ride their bulls, leaving the win wide open for those with the second opportunity.

“I wasn’t even sure that I made it back to the short run, didn’t have much time there [to prepare],” said Avery on his second ride. “He kind of came out of the chute backwards and came around to the right. He was a good, solid bull. It was pretty fun.”

“There’s a fire that’s been lit under me for the last five or six years. I haven’t made the finals since 2005, and I want to go back,” said Roquemore.

“That’s where bull riders dream of being is at the finals in Vegas. That’s where the big money is at, the big boys are at, and that’s where I want to be at.”

Roberts had a different advantage than most of the riders involved. He was able to have two entries in the qualifying round, which proved to be critical, because he ended up with two slots in the championship round.

“Having two chances in the final round is a little mind-racking, because it’s back-to-back. When you get on a bull, you hold your breath. It takes a lot of energy out of you,” said Roberts.

He also had a home field advantage going into the event, being from Visalia.

“There’s not so much pressure, because I get to drive home and sleep in my own bed, but then there’s a little bit of pressure because being so close to home everybody around here knows [me] and they all want to see [is] you do good and you have that on your shoulders the whole time,” said Roberts.

For those hesitant to catch a PBR event, you are truly missing out. Many of the riders at the event were of college age, or slightly older, which makes watching them perform even more mesmerizing and impressive. While the action only lasts for a short time, the action, adrenaline, and suspense during each ride, is an experience to witness.