The initials P-B-R don’t just stand for a type of beer. It also means the Professional Bull Riders and some 45 members of the group, considered the world’s best, will compete tonight and Saturday in Omaha/Council Bluffs and next month in Des Moines. Dustin Elliott is one of the P-B-R riders and is hooked on what he admits can be a very hazardous profession.
Elliott says: "Everybody gets bumps and bruises. It can be dangerous. I know a lotta’ guys that have been hurt pretty bad. Myself, I’ve been pretty lucky and thank God for that." Elliott, who lives in North Platte, Nebraska, is 27 and has been riding professionally for seven years. He stands five-foot-ten and weighs 145-pounds, what he says is just the right proportion for being a good bull rider.
"I don’t train very much at all. I hate lifting weights. I think it’s pretty boring. I’d rather just watch TV. As far as working out, I like cardio stuff. I’ll get my heart rate up, play basketball or racquetball. I gotta’ be doing something. I can’t just be throwing weight around," Elliott says.
Elliott captured the state rodeo title in bull riding his senior year in high school and went on to earn a rodeo scholarship at Chadron State College. He’s wanted to be a bull rider since he was boy, after discovering a hidden gear bag from when his -father- was a bull rider years before. As for his technique while atop a bucking bull, Elliott says it’s simple.
Elliott says: "Just pretty much hang on. You’ve gotta’ have some flexibility and agility. It’s not a sport for somebody who’s not athletic. You’ve just gotta’ have a counter-move for everything that they do. It’s a reaction. If you think, you’re already too late." Elliott hopes to continue riding professionally for several more years, after which, he’s considering becoming a school teacher, like his wife. This weekend’s event is at the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha. For details, visit the Professional Bull Riders website . The P-B-R is also coming to Des Moines on May 2 and 3 at the Iowa Events Center.