ODESSA, Texas — This one is for all you bull riding fans.
"This is going to be exciting," Kent Kwik Chairman Bill Kent said.
The Professional Bull Riders, or PBR, will be seeing red all the way to the Permian Basin this summer.
NewsWest 9 being the main TV media partner, the PBR Chevron Showdown will be taking place June 20th at the Ector County Coliseum.
"[...]Going to be one of the best bull riding events that's ever occurred in Midland-Odessa," Texas Wranglers General Manager Chad Blankenship said.
Chevron, whose partnering with PBR to put this on, had something in mind when they made the partnership.
"We wanted to bring something that felt like West Texas to the community," Chevron Manager of Public and Government Affairs Nicole Barber said. "Bring a family-friendly event and to celebrate the history, the culture of West Texas while doing good in our communities and supporting those organizations who are always getting back to those in need."
And PBR is bringing one of their premiere teams.
And that's putting it modestly.
"Ariat Texas Rattlers of course are the 2023 PBR Team Series World Champions," Blankenship said. "We count fans all over the state and particularly in the Permian Basin."
And these world champs have a chance to make an impact on a local college team.
"The event format is going to be a team-based format and it's actually going to allow some of the Odessa College Rodeo Bull Riders to join our team for a day and become Texas Rattlers for a day and ride right alongside our guys," Blankenship said.
This is a huge opportunity for Coach Tom Kelly and the rest of the OC Wranglers.
"They get to come and train with the best of the best," Coach Kelly said. "Whether it be their mental game, their riding style, whatever it is, and they get that one-on-one time with these guys. And it's irreplaceable."
Irreplaceable experience with champion riders like Daniel Keeping.
"You’ll see a little head-to-head action with some of the veterans and hopefully some of the upcomers," Keeping said.
The upcomers will have an opportunity to ride a professional bull like Dirty Dan, who weighs almost a monstrous 1,600 pounds, that is, if they can handle him.
"That bull has been around for a while," Keeping said. "He's traveled all the way to Raleigh, North Dakota. I believe he's won about $100,000 in his life."
Not only will these upcomers get next level experience like riding the rich Dirty Dan, they are doing this while also having a chance to raise money for themselves.
"The June 20 event is a fundraiser itself for the college rodeo team," Blankenship said. "So 100% of the net ticket price is going to go after fees to the rodeo team so we expect to raise a good amount. You know the more members of the community that come out, the bigger the impact is going to have for the college rodeo team."
The champions will also be riding for local charities in a program called $800 for Eight Seconds.
"For every Texas Rattler that rides for eight seconds," Barber said. "We will donate $800 to local charities right here in the Permian Basin."
And while it’s not their first rodeo, this is still an event that hits home for the Ariat Texas Rattlers.
"One of our bull riders, Brady Oleson, competed for the college team for a semester," Blankenship said. "There are several PBR founders who went to and competed for the Odessa College Rodeo Team in themid-'80ss. Legends like Jim Sharp, Ty Murray, Adam and Gilbert Carillo. So, our roots here are deep and we're just happy to build on upon that and bringing the Texas Rattlers out to the community."
The hope is that the passion these bull riders will show will inspire future bull riders.
And that they’ll maybe gain what keeps Daniel going.
"Bull riding as a sport to me is like anything everybody else does," Keeping said. "It could be football, basketball, it could be interviewing me, it could be the president. It's a passion, a love that money can't really buy you out of. It is something that no other thrill can match for me right now and there's nothing else I'll replace it with is a passion and a love."
A love that will hopefully be transferred from riders like Keeping to the OC Wranglers.
And if Chevron has anything to say about it, this won’t be the last time the master's will be teaching the future.
"We hope it's something that will grow to larger than a one-day event," Barber said. "And perhaps even bring more exciting PBR events to this community."
Tickets go on sale this spring; you can check out their website or even buy tickets at your local Kent Kwik.