Bozeman News

Rough Riders

Bozeman Bull Riders Hang On, Despite Economy

By Brenna Braaten, Guest Writer, 7-09-09

A bull stretches out at last year's Bozeman Classic PBR. Photo Courtesy of Bullstock Media.

Every July, roughly 30 of the 45 best bull riders in the world head to Bozeman, Mont., to compete in the Bozeman Classic PBR (Professional Bull Riders). But this year, the economic downturn has caused some big problems for the event, starting with a 50 percent decline in sponsorship revenues.

“We thought pretty hard as to whether we should have the event, whether the risks would outweigh the rewards,” said Jacey Watson, a producer and promoter of the Bozeman Classic PBR along with her husband Andy. “When you have an event of that caliber, other producers start looking at the event. We didn’t want it to go out of town – we wanted it to stay local.”

The event traditionally opens the Gallatin County Fair, and this year will happen as scheduled on July 15. But it may look a little different.

“We’ve had to scale back the show a bit,” said Watson. “We’ve restructured, but not lost the quality.”

Watson said that she did a lot more shopping around for better deals this year, and did a lot more trading for sponsorship. There’s also less prize money for the riders - though they’re stil willing to come to ride the world’s top bulls
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The Watson’s have been involved with PBR for the last 13 years, with Andy as a full-time photographer and Jacey running the photo stock agency for anyone looking for pictures of the events.

“We pretty much eat, sleep and drink PBR,” Jacey said.

The Bozeman Classic PBR is part of the Copenhagen Challenger series, which sticks mainly to bull riding. The Watson’s are also producing a similar event in Helena this year on Aug. 19.

Jacey Watson said that the Bozeman event is so popular because the riders “get to experience Bozeman at its finest,” participating in more mild-mannered activities like golf and rafting.
Out of 177 events voted on by the top 45 riders in the world, the Bozeman Classic placed second, Watson said.

“It’s a great, organized event,” said Beau Hill, a bull rider with fifteen years experience. “You got all the people that are involved and being able to have that kind of production in Montana is great.”

Hill, who was born and raised in West Glacier and now lives in Columbia Falls, has been competing in the Bozeman Classic for four years and likes it for the locale.  “It makes an awesome event when you have all the top bull riders and the top bulls,” he said. The event usually sells out, with 3000 attendees packing the stands of the Anderson Arena at the Gallatin County Fair Grounds.

Eric Ladd, a fan and a private sponsor along with his wife, got hooked on PBR when he saw it in Las Vegas, and has continued loving the Bozeman Classic as a resident of Big Sky, Mont.
“It gets all the big name riders and bulls but you get to see it in a small venue,” he said. And sitting in the stands is “the equivalent of strapping yourself to a rocket – it’s pure adrenaline.”

Although the fans love it, the recent economy hasn’t been too kind to the event overall.

“We really don’t want it to go away,” Jacey said, “but we need support.”

She stressed that without local business support, there won’t be an event.

This year’s sponsors include everything from national corporations like Cooper Tires and Jack Daniel’s to non-profit groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and local retail stores. Gibson works in cooperation with Music Villa, the local music shop in Bozeman, to give away a trophy guitar, which, Jacey said, has become quite coveted among the riders.

The Ladd’s help sponsor the kid’s Mutton Busting event. “I get a kick out of watching the kids ride sheep and get their own little buckles,” Eric said.

Even with the troubles with sponsoring this year, the many are optimistic about the future.

“Hopefully next year we can get some sponsorship back,” Jacey said.

Hill agreed: “I expect the same great bull riding as has in the past. The local sponsors have stepped it up and I know that all the bull riders will still come.”

For more information about this and other PBR events, check out http://pbrnow.com and http://bozemanclassicpbr.com

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