Pro Bull Riders Compete at Coliseum This Weekend

October 2, 2014

WXXV,

Professional bull riders from across the country have come to Biloxi for this weekend’s Battle at the Beau. The goal is to ride a bull for eight seconds, but to the man on top of the 1,600 pound animal, that eight seconds can seem to last much longer.

Sean Willingham, a professional bull rider, says, "Sometimes it feels like a lifetime and sometimes it feels like eight seconds. I guess it just depends on how you leave there. If you’re in control from the get go, it seems the time goes by pretty fast."

Willingham is one of the top professional bull riders, and he’ll be testing his skills against some of the top bulls in the sport Friday and Saturday at the Battle of the Beau at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Tricia Smith, P.B.R. Marketing Manager, says, "Get ready for a very eventful and wild time. You will see the toughest bull riders in this sport against the baddest bulls in this sport, and believe me, whether you’re here for the bulls or the bull riders, you’ll have a good time."

These riders will risk life and limb at the Coliseum against some of the biggest animals in sports entertainment, and that’s no bull. Willingham also says, "I’ve been out for four months. This is my first weekend back, so I’m excited to be back. I dislocated my hip, so there’s some injuries that can keep you out of competition for quite a while and there’s others that you just need to tough it out and keep riding through the injuries."

Willingham doesn’t hold a grudge against Big Kahuna, the bull that dislocated his hip. He looks forward to the chance to ride him again this weekend. Biloxi is the second to last stop on the tour, and riders will be riding harder than ever to guarantee their spot in the world finals out in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Willingham closes, "This is stop number 27, only two left, so there are guys trying to make the world finals and there are guys looking to win a world title, so there’s two different things they are going to be shooting for this weekend."

If you’d like to see the greatest eight seconds in sports, tickets are still available for shows Friday and Saturday.