Professional bull riding is back in metro Atlanta this weekend.
The Gwinnett Invitational will take place at Infinite Energy Arena and will host 35 of the world’s best bull riders over two days March 14 and 15. The event will feature a light show and pyrotechnics before the competitors square off in competitive bull riding for more than $100,000 in prize money.
One of those riders is Zeke Mitchell, a 23-year-old from Rockdale, Texas. Mitchell is an up-and-coming member on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) “Unleash the Beast” circuit, the sport’s most elite series.
“Whenever I was a kid, my dad was a horse dentist. So, we’d just go to rodeos and stuff to build clients. My dad was always wearing cowboy clothes, and he was a cowboy at heart, but he just didn’t have the money to afford a horse or anything to compete at a rodeo. Still, it was something I was kind of naturally drawn to,” Mitchell said. “He’d much rather I had done a different rodeo event, but bull riding was what I ended up picking. I turned 15 or 16, got on my first bull and never looked back.”
Professional riders travel across the United States to compete in dozens of competitions each year. For many, the end goal is to earn enough points to qualify for the 2020 PBR World Championship. The winner of the title receives a $1 million bonus.
Mitchell participated in his first PBR event at 19 and is now ranked as the 22nd best rider in the world. During that time, he won seven events in the Touring Pro Division, a minor PBR tour that helps competitors gain experience.
But Duluth is a special place for Mitchell. In 2019, he finished second at the local competition that took place last year over his birthday weekend.
“The Atlanta area has a big place in my heart, since that was the first place I made a statement in PBR,” Mitchell said. “Atlanta itself is a beautiful city, and the people are very kind. I felt at home there at the event, and it was really cool.”
Despite the advantages of competing at PBR events, professional bull riding has historically been a dangerous affair. Concussions were and continue to be a problem in the sport when riders are bucked from their bull.
However, even in his short time riding professionally, Mitchell has seen PBR evolve to try and protect competitors from concussions and other serious injuries.
“Safety for the riders has improved as well,” Mitchell said. “They’ve started to enforce a rule that if you’re born after 1994, you must wear a helmet. In a few years there will no longer be any cowboys wearing cowboy hats on the PBR tour. That’s just because of the studies they’ve been doing with concussions and everyone wants these bull riders to live longer, healthier lives.”
Competitive bull riding continues to grow around the country and internationally, leading to an influx of talent from around the world into the PBR circuits. With the flare and excitement of the events, riders, such as Mitchell, continue to get excited about the growth of their unique sport.
“This event here is unlike something that you’ll ever see. It’s two and a half hours full of nonstop action,” Mitchell said. “It’s just something you can’t really describe until you get there. It’s something you’ve never seen before, I can guarantee you that.”
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