Brendon Clark first got onto a calf when he was 6 years old, and in 21 years as a bull rider, there is one thing that has become clear to the 5-foot 8, 155-pound Australian.
“It’s not a sport that sissies and pansies should do.”
Clark will be one of 45 riders competing in the Baltimore Invitational, part of the Professional Bull Riders‘ Built Ford Tough Series at 1st Mariner Arena. The three-round event starts tonight at 8 and resumes on Sunday afternoon at 2.
The last time the tour came to Baltimore in 2003, Clark had moved to the United States weeks before hoping to make it in one of the world’s toughest sports ? one in which riders make their living by staying on top of a 2,000-pound raging animals.
“It was still new to me then,” Clark said. “I was just a glossy eyed kid coming from Australia.”
Clark had instant success in the United States, qualifying for the PBR World Finals his first year. Clark, 27, has made more than $625,000 in his five years with the PBR.
Bull riding has one of the fastest growing fan bases in sports, as the number of enthusiasts has doubled to about 20 million since 2002. In the competitions, the riders must stay on the bull for eight seconds and are judged by the quality and the difficulty of their ride. The harder the bull bucks, the more points the rider gets if he avoids being flung to the ground.
All 45 riders will compete in the first two rounds this weekend, and the top 15 combined scorers will advance to the finals on Sunday. The riders and the bulls are paired randomly for each round of the event.
Clark is 16th in the sport?s standings, and will be competing against leader Travis Briscoe, as well as three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes.
Clark’s comes from a family of rugby players, and grew up playing the sport. Nothing, however, compares to the thrill of spending eight seconds on the back of the wildest bulls in the world.
“The adrenaline rush is there every single time you get on,” he said. “You could never master the sport.”
PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS? BALTIMORE INVITATIONAL
Where: 1st Mariner Arena
When: Tonight, 8; Sunday, 2 p.m.
TV: Tonight, 8 on VERSUS; Sunday night, 8 p.m., VERSUS (tape delayed)
Tickets: Available
