Forty riders slated to compete
HOLLISTER — After NASCAR, promoter Laura Naccarato said, Professional Bull Riders is the fastest growing sport in the country.
And it’s coming to Hollister this weekend.
The third annual Hollister Professional Bull Riders Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour is bucking into Bolado Park on Saturday for an evening filled with rank bulls, high scores and big wrecks.
The event will begin at 6 p.m.
Such riders expected to be in attendance include Rocky McDonald, Zack Brown, Reese Cates, Luke Snyder, J.B. Mauney, Kasey Hayes, Cord McCoy, Austin Meier and Brendon Clark.
“These are the heavy-hitters,” promoter Billy Aviles said. “It’s big time.”
Mauney, for instance, is currently ranked No. 3, while Brown is No. 4 and Meier is No. 14 in the Built Ford Tough Series Standings for PBR. The highly ranked threesome recently returned from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they helped lead Team USA to its second straight World Cup title.
Also in attendance in Brazil for the World Cup was McDonald, who captained Team Mexico, and Clark, who captained Team Australia. Aviles stated Clark now lives in Hollister.
“All of them are heavy-hitters in the sport, from the bulls to the riders,” Aviles said.
And those bulls will be just as much part of the show on Saturday night, when 40 riders begin vying for a $20,000 purse. Only the top 10, however, advance to the short round.
Some of those famous animal athletes expected to be in attendance will be Big Tex and Copperhead Slinger, both owned by Chad Berger, as well as All In, who is owned by Alex Naccarato. Naccarato began raising bucking bulls in Hollister in 1986, and has had one of the most sought-after breeding programs for the last 23 years, Aviles said.
All three bulls are considered contenders for bucking bull of the year, and each fall within the PBR’s top 50 standings. In addition to the main event, the Hollister PBR Shootout Golf Tournament with riders and contractors will be held Friday afternoon at Bolado Park Golf Club. Check-in time will be at 12 p.m., with tee time slated at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s events begin with mutton busting at 1 p.m. for children 7 years and younger. Live music, vendor booths, a kiddie corral and a barbecue where the fans can come and meet the riders and receive autographs will begin at 2 p.m., while the Tres Pinos School Parents Club will host a wine tasting event and silent auction at 3 p.m.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the enrichment program at Tres Pinos School, while funds raised from the barbecue and concessions will benefit local 4-H and FFA groups.
For more information, call Dana Aviles at (831) 297-0251 or visit the Web site at: www.hollisterpbr.com. Tickets, ranging from $10 to $50, can be purchased at Pinnacle Floor Coverings and Rancher’s Feed in Hollister.
