Game Notes – Lethbridge

LOCKED AND LOADED IN LETHBRIDGE – This weekend, for the second time in tour history, PBR Canada’s Monster Energy Tour will travel to Lethbridge, Alberta for the South Country Co-Op Showdown at the ENMAX Centre. The event begins on Friday, March 6 with Round 1 and the 5/5 Bucking Battle, and concludes with Round 2 and the championship round on Saturday, March 7. Action gets underway both nights at 7:00 p.m. MST. The tour stop is one of five two-day events on the 2020 Monster Energy Tour. Following the season-launch event in Calgary, and this weekend’s stop in Lethbridge, Alberta, both Sydney, Nova Scotia (May 22-23) and Edmonton, Alberta (October 23-24) will welcome the tour for two days of action prior to the PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Nov. 13-14.

RELATED: For the complete Lethbridge Game Notes click here.

NEW YEAR, NEW POINTS – For the 2020 season, PBR’s Competition Committee approved a sweeping change to the national points structure in an effort to make the points easier to calculate and track, while also providing more riders the potential opportunity to earn points. The format was simplified by reducing the number of points available proportionally across all tours. As a result, more riders may remain in contention for the PBR Canada Championship later into the season under this new system compared to previous seasons. Below is the 2019 compared to the 2020 points system for the Monster Energy Tour.

	2019 Points			2020 Points - Aggregate
	Round	2 Round Avg.	3 Round Avg.	Round	2 Round Avg.	3 Round Avg.
1st	100	350	400	15	50	60
2nd	60	140	240	12	40	50
3rd	50	100	180	9	30	40
4th	40	60	105	6	20	30
5th	30	45	65	4	10	20
6th	15	20	45	3	5	10
7th	10	15	20	2	4	5
8th		10	15	1	3	3
9th		10	10		2	2
10th		5	10		1	1
11th			5
12th			5
13th			5
14th			5
15th			5

 

THIS WEEKEND’S FORMAT – The South Country Co-Op Showdown will feature two rounds of bull riding. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Friday and Round 2 on Saturday. The 10 bull riders with the top combined ride scores will then advance to the championship round on Saturday where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to be crowned the event champion. The South Country Co-Op Showdown will also feature the second 5/5 Bucking Battle. Following Friday night’s Round 1, the Top 5 riders from the 2020 national standings will attempt five of the event’s top bulls. Featuring both a separate purse, and national points, $5,000 will be available, with the winner set to collect 15 national points.

5/5 BUCKING BATTLE – In 2020, at all two-day Monster Energy Tour events, the opening night of competition will feature a 5/5 Bucking Battle. Pitting the nation’s Top 5 riders against the five best bucking bulls at the event, the special round will feature both a separate purse, and national points. No world points will be awarded. The national points will be awarded as: 1^st – 15; 2^nd – 12; 3^rd – 9; 4^th- 6; and 5^th – 4. The money will payout as: 1^st - $2,500; 2^nd - $1,500; and 3^rd – $1,000. However, should fewer than three riders record qualified rides, the remaining money will be redistributed amongst those riders who did record a score. If two riders cover their draw, the top scorer will earn $3,000, while the runner-up will collect $2,000. If only one rider reached the 8-second whistle, he will collect the full $5,000. Should no one ride, the $5,000 will be added to the next 5/5 Bucking Battle in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on May 22. The 5/5 Bucking Battle matchups for Lethbridge are:

1. Dakota Buttar vs. VJV Whisky Hand (Vold Rodeo)
2. Garrett Green vs. Vertigo Spy (Vold Rodeo)
3. Jared Parsonage vs. Spooky Lukie (Two Bit Bucking Bulls)
4. Aaron Roy vs. Tom Petty (Skori Bucking Bulls)*
5. Brock Radford vs. Cool Bricks (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Rank Pen Cattle Co.)*

* - Rematch

# - Rider has previously covered the bull

Of the riders set to attempt a familiar bull, Brock Radford will attempt the very bovine athlete he won the first-ever 5/5 Bucking Battle abaord – Cool Bricks. Sqauring off in late January in Calgary, Alberta, Radford reached the 8-second whistle to earn a monstrous 89-point score. Aaron Roy will be immersed in a rubber-match with Tom Petty, set to attempt the bull for the third time in his career. After Roy was bested on the Touring Pro Division in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in early 2019 by the bull in a quick 2.5 seconds, he responded with a score aboard Tom Petty later that season, marked 84.5 points en route to his victory in Staveley, Alberta at the Glen Keeley Memorial PBR.

PERFECT BUTTAR WINS CALGARY – Thus far in 2020, Dakota Buttar has climbed aboard six bulls in PBR Canada competition. Each of those outs has concluded in similar fashion, with the Saskatchewan man reaching the highly sought-after 8-second whistle. As a result, he’s won both events he’s competed at, most recently victorious at the season-launch Monster Energy Tour event in Calgary, Alberta.

Inside the Nutrien Western Event Centre, Buttar captured his career-first win on the Monster Energy Tour after going a perfect 3-for-3. Buttar began his march to victory when he recorded the fourth-best score of Round 1, logging an 85.5-point ride aboard Scarecrow. In Round 2, Buttar then faced a familiar opponent. Drawing Mish Mash, the Saskatchewan man had previously ridden the bovine athlete to a Round 1 win at the 2019 PBR Canada Finals, scored 86 points. In Calgary, Buttar again reached the 8-second whistle, this time marked 85.5 points. Sitting atop the aggregate entering the championship round, Buttar architected his second rematch of the night, drafting two-time PBR World Finals selection Tykro Pound Sand for the championship round. The duo had met once prior, teaming up for an 87.5-point score during the championship round of the 2018 PBR Canada Finals. Known to propel riders to notable victories, with phenom Daylon Swearingen winning both the 2019 PBR Canada Finals and PBR Canada Championship aboard the bovine athlete, Tykro Pound Sand once again earned his rider a coveted buckle. Brining the record-setting crowd to its feet, Buttar recorded an 87.5-point ride to cement his victory. Courtesy of the win, the four-time PBR World Finals qualifier earned $5,373.70, in addition to 83 Canadian and 30 world points.

Buttar also competed in the first-ever 5/5 Bucking Battle in Calgary, riding Hanna Motors Homeboy for 86 points to finish second and net an additional 12 Canadian points. Buttar remains the No. 1 ranked rider in Canada as he looks to capture his first PBR Canada Championship in 2020, travelling to Lethbridge 47 points in front of No. 2 Garrett Green.

WEST. IS. BACK. – The last time Lonnie West competed in PBR competition was October 2019 on the Monster Energy Tour in Edmonton, Alberta. Battling a dislocated shoulder initially sustained during his event win in Magrath, Alberta in early September, West fought through the injury for four events before he was relegated to the sidelines. This weekend in Lethbridge, West will return to competition, set to begin his quest to be crowned the 2020 PBR Canada Champion. In Round 1, he’ll attempt Meat Loaf from Vold Rodeo.

WELCOME HOME TEAM CANADA – When the world last saw some of Canada’s best bull riders they were competing for their home country at the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy. Valiantly representing the Maple Leaf in the United States, Team Canada, under the leadership of Head Coach Scott Schiffner and Assistant Coach Tanner Girletz, finished the “Olympics of Bull Riding,” fourth. Going 3-for-16, the nation earned $67,900. Two-time PBR Canada Champion Zane Lambert, Jake Gardner and Jordan Hansen were the three Canucks to put the combined 259.75 points on the board for the contingent representing the Maple Leaf. Lambert was the high-marked rider on the national team, covering Arctic Assassin for 87.75 points. Gardner’s 8-second effort was aboard Medicine Man for 87 points, while Hansen delivered an 85-point trip on Apocalypse. This weekend, the majority of the team will return to Canada, set to ride in PBR competition on home soil for the first time since the event. Those Team Canada riders set to compete in Lethbridge are: Buttar, Jared Parsonage, Lambert, Brock Radford, Gardner and Shay Marks.

HOME PROVINCE HOPEFULS – Of the 27 riders set to compete at the Calgary Classic, 18 of whom are Canadians, 11 hail from the province of Alberta. Of those 11 riders, the contingent is headlined by local riders Logan Biever (Claresholm) and Dayton Johnston (Milk River). Biever, currently ranked No. 6 in Canada, within 97 points of No. 1 Dakota Buttar, began his season on a strong note, capturing his career-first PBR event win at the season-launch Touring Pro Division stop in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Going a flawless 2-for-2, Biever got off to a hot-start in the opening round inside the Encana Events Centre, covering his re-ride draw Diesel for a second-best 85.5 points. Biever then continued the momentum in the championship round when he recorded the event’s high-marked ride courtesy of his 89.5-point trip aboard Big City Nights. The event in Lethbridge will mark Biever’s first since he went 0-for-1 on the Touring Pro Division in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. For Johnston, his season has been headlined by an eighth-place finish at the season-launch Monster Energy Tour event in Calgary. The Top 10 effort was highlighted by his 86-point trip on White Tie in Round 1 and 77.5-point effort aboard Off The Tracks in Round 2. Johnston heads to Lethbridge ranked No. 13 in Canada, 113.5 points behind Buttar.

The additional Alberta riders are: Wacey Finkbeiner (Ponoka); Riley Gagnon (Innisfail); Wyatt Gleeson (Sundre); Garrett Green (Meeting Creek); Zane Lambert (Ponoka); Shay Marks (Sunnybrook); Brock Radford (De Winton); Nick Tetz (Calgary) and Lonnie West (Cadogan).

PAST LETHBRIDGE EVENT WINNERS – In 2019, the Canadian Monster Energy Tour made its debut in Lethbridge, Alberta. As the only rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Jared Parsonage won the second Monster Energy Tour event of his career inside the ENMAX Centre. Collecting 535 Canadian points, Parsonage overtook Shay Marks for the nation’s No. 1 ranking, leaving the Alberta event with a 90.83-point lead. After beginning the event with an 81-point trip on Dylan’s Devil in Round 1, Parsonage returned with a fire in Round 2, covering Dirty Work for 83.5 points. In the championship round, Parsonage drew Big John, who he covered for 75 points, propelling him to the event win. In the bull pen, 2018 PBR Canada Bull of the Year Happy Camper was the high-marked bull of the event. He earned a 44.5-point bull score for his 3.22-second buckoff of Jake Lockwood in the championship round. 

2019                    Jared Parsonage

FAMILIAR WATERS – On the first night of action at the 2020 PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour South Country Co-Op Showdown, three riders will face rematches. Of the trio, just one rider, Zane Lambert, has previously covered their bovine athlete opponent. Having met just once prior, the two-time PBR Canada Champion covered Snap Shot for 82 points during Round 1 of the 2018 Touring Pro Division event in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Of the two remaining riders facing a familiar opponent, none of reached the whistle. Those rematches are:

Jake Gardner vs. Sick Rhymes (2019 Nipawin, Saskatchewan TPD – 38 points – 3.82 seconds)

Todd Chotowetz vs. Mr. Legit (2019 Edmonton, Alberta MET – 41.5 points – 2.32 seconds)

On the second night of competition, however, eight riders will attempt bulls they have previously seen their name next to in PBR Canada competition. Of those eight riders, four have previously covered their draw. Leading the contingent is Canadian No. 1 Dakota Buttar who rode Jappy Feeling Dangerous for 87.5 points to finish Top 5 at the 2019 Touring Pro Division event in Falher, Alberta. In the most current of renewed rivalries, three-time PBR Canada Champion Aaron Roy will again attempt his Round 1 draw from the 2020 Calgary Classic in mid-January – Tractorland Arizona Dreamin. Facing off in Round 1 of the record-setting event, Roy reached the 8 for 83 points. Brock Radford and Todd Chotowetz will also look to remain perfect against their draws, after posting matching 80-point rides aboard their bovine athlete opponents at past events. For Radford, he first rode Power Dozer in 2018 at the Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Touring Pro Division event, while Chotowetz covered Stuntman Hank in 2019 at the PBR Canada Finals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Of the remaining quartet facing a familiar opponent, none of reached the whistle. While three riders have attempted their bull just once prior, for Jared Parsonage, he will be looking to make the 8 after recording back-to-back buckoffs aboard Crank-it-Up. First meeting in 2019 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, on the Touring Pro Division, Parsonage was dispatched in 5.87 seconds as Crank-it-Up earned a 43-point bull score. In their next showdown, the bull improved, besting Parsonage in a quicker 3.47 seconds to earn a 43.5-point score. The remaining rematches are:

Dayton Johnston vs. Playing Chicken (2018 Yorkton, Saskatchewan TPD – 42.5 points – 2.4 seconds)

Jackson Scott vs. Spooky Lukie (2019 Magrath, Alberta TPD – 42 points – 6.29 seconds)

Lonnie West vs. Dunt (2019 Coronation, Alberta TPD – 42 points – 3.44 seconds)

BULL PEN – In 2019, paralleling the fierce race to be crowned the PBR Canada Champion, was an equally intense battle to be named the PBR Canada Bull of the Year. Entering the 2019 PBR Canada Finals as the No. 1-ranked bovine in the nation with a 0.4-point lead, Homegrown from Coronation, Alberta’s Eno Bucking Bulls, was able to hold off a hard-bucking Happy Camper, the 2018 PBR Canada Bull of the Year, from Magrath, Alberta’s Two Bit Bucking Bulls to capture the season’s end honor by a slim 0.083 points.

In Calgary, for the season-launch Monster Energy Tour stop, both bovine athletes bucked, beginning their quests to become the first-ever, two-time PBR Canada Bull of the Year in league history. Happy Camper emerged the more dominant bull in the duo, posting a 43-point bull score after he was ridden by Jared Parsonage for the second best score in the championship round, 88 points. Just 0.5 points behind, Homegrown was marked 42.5 points when he dispatched Nick Tetz in a swift 2.5 seconds, also in the final round. Both bovine athletes, however, were in the shadow of Tykro Pound Sand and Come on Over who tied for the high-marked bull of the event after posting matching 44-point trips. Both also bucking in the championship round, Tykro Pound Sand, from the Wild Hoggs, recorded his marks when he teamed up with event winner Dakota Buttar for an 87.5-point ride, while Come on Over, from Vold Rodeo, earned his score when he bucked off Callum Miller in a close 5.21 seconds.

While Come on Over will not be in the draw, the remaining trio of bovine athletes, Happy Camper, Homegrown and Tykro Pound Sand, will buck in the championship round in Lethbridge.

NEXT UP – The 2020 PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour will next travel to Regina, Saskatchewan, and the Brandt Centre for the Regina Classic on March 14. Action will get underway on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CDT.    

PROVIDING PROTECTION – The bullfighters on hand for this weekend’s event in Lethbridge are Tanner Byrne, Greg Loring Jr., and Ty Prescott.

BROADCAST COVERAGE – Fans will be able to watch the action in its entirety live via PBR’s streaming digital platform RidePass. Coverage of the 2020 PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour’s South Country Co-Op Showdown, will begin at 7:00 p.m. MST on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7.

2020 5/5 BUCKING BATTLE SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Each 5/5 Bucking Battle features the Top 5 riders in the Canadian national standings against the 5 highest-ranked bulls at the event for extra bonus points and an additional purse.

Jan. 24 in Calgary, Alberta // Brock Radford, 89 points on Cool Bricks

March 6 in Lethbridge, Alberta

May 22 in Sydney, Nova Scotia

October 23 in Edmonton, Alberta      

LETHBRIDGE COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY

Australia (1) – Callum Miller

Canada (18) – Logan Biever, Dakota Buttar, Todd Chotowetz, Wacey Finkbeiner, Riley Gagnon, Jake Gardner, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Dayton Johnston, Zane Lambert, Tim Lipsett, Shay Marks, Jared Parsonage, Brock Radford, Aaron Roy, Jackson Scott, Nick Tetz, Lonnie West

United States (8) – Wyatt Covington, Weston Hartman, Thor Hoefer II, Koby Kile, Zachary Laney, Kache Moosman, Austin Richardson, Dalton Rudman