Bull riding ain’t easy, but it’s fun.
That’s why Penticton’s Chad Eneas keeps hopping on the ferocious bulls.
Sunday wasn’t as good as Saturday for the Penticton bull rider in the Bull-A-Rama presented by Penticton Speedway and Penticton Toyota last weekend.
On Saturday, in front of a packed crowd of about 3,000, Eneas scored 82 to take second in the long round, 77.5 in the short round for fourth and finished third in average with 159.5.
“I did OK. Just having fun,” said Eneas, who thanked Speedway owner Johnny Aantjes for putting the event on and said it was great to see the crowd support. “It’s kind of the luck of the draw and it depends on the day you are having.”
Eneas said the bulls were decent and he took nothing away from the riders who came from as far as Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.
“They are trying hard and they deserve what they get,” said Eneas, who pocketed $3,346. On Sunday, he went home empty-handed and disappointed.
“That bull beat me out of the chute pretty bad,” said Eneas. “I didn’t get a good start on them. I just couldn’t get back over there.”
Vernon’s Cody Moore won the long round, while Caroline, Alta.’s, Chris Hansen took the short round and average. Hansen liked how he performed, earning a payout of nearly $3,000.
“The bulls were pretty good. Bleachers were full last night,” said Hansen on Sunday afternoon. “Everyone came out and supported it. There is good guys here. Rodeo is kind of a family oriented deal. Everybody cheers each other on. You’re not really competing against anybody.”
On Sunday, Logan Biever of Claresholm, Alta., won the long round earning $1,653, Mexico’s Edgar Durazo won the short round to pocket $2,058 and Cole Young scored 165 to take the average and $2,409.
Durazo arrived after competing in Rocky Mountain House on Saturday.
“Today is a good day,” said Durazo, who was impressed by Penticton’s beauty and beaches.
Durazo, 22, has been riding professionally since he was 17 and said the setup for the event was pretty good.
Janice Jack of TM Rodeo Co. said the weekend went smooth and they were ahead of schedule on Sunday.
“It’s pretty exciting to have that kind of a calibre of rider here at the show,” she said of the professionals competing. “They are good riders here. We look forward to seeing each other. The crowd is pretty amazing and the clown is top notch.”
Aantjes was very pleased to work with Bull Riders Canada. He was very pleased with Saturday’s crowd as the bleachers were packed, but Sunday didn’t draw as well.
“It was a little early on a hot day,” said Aantjes, who plans to do it next year and added there are things they will do differently, including having it one day. “People I spoke with were happy with the show and the event. It was a good event.”
Aantjes added that having the event on Saturday only makes sense financially. The petting zoo was also popular. Next year they will focus on the bull riding and petting zoo, while the concession was also a success.
“We want to give family entertainment for locals and tourists,” said Aantjes.