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05.08.20 - Unleash The Beast
PBR co-founder Lambert proud of organization finding ways to push forward
Cody Lambert has seen a lot in the 28 years since the PBR was founded, but nothing like the current circumstances facing the Western sports world.
By Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – It may have been hidden by the gray, PBR-branded mask, but PBR co-founder Cody Lambert had a look of pride on his face two weekends ago inside the Lazy E Arena.
It had been 41 days since the PBR had been able to hold an event since the world’s premier bull riding organization went on hiatus following the Gwinnett Invitational in Duluth, Georgia, on March 14-15.
The Western and rodeo world is one of many industries in the United States that has been directly affected by the coronavirus. Thousands of cowboys and those with income tied to events and rodeos have lost the ability to earn a paycheck amid multiple postponements and cancellations of events throughout the world.
There was no way that Lambert and the other 19 bull riders that each invested $1,000 to form the PBR inside a Scottsdale, Arizona, motel room 28 years ago could have envisioned what transpired two weekends ago at PBR Las Vegas Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage.
The PBR has evolved and grown into a mainstream and international organization with events held in five different countries since that fateful April 1992 meeting, but 2020 has brought an extremely challenging set of circumstances to the world – not just the PBR.
Yet the cowboy grit those 20 founders had to create an organization for the future benefit of the sport was brought back to life when a skeleton crew and a group of bull riders and stock contractors worked together.
“I was really proud of the PBR,” Lambert said last week. “I was proud of what (PBR CEO) Sean (Gleason) did, what everybody worked on. Everybody that worked on it put in a lot of time. For Sean to make it happen, he deserves a lot of credit, and then for the top four executives in the PBR to be on the cleaning crew, sterilizing the chutes between every group of riders, was pretty impressive. That was good to see, them putting in a little physical labor, too. Sean, Rodd (Granger), Kosha (Irby) and Chad (Blankenship) were all on the cleaning crew. And they were working on it. That was really good to see.
“The whole company. Everybody that was in Guthrie that I saw went above and beyond.”
The PBR is back at it once again this weekend at the Lazy E Arena for the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat, on Saturday and Sunday.
Fans can watch Round 1 live on CBS Sports Network and RidePass at 8 p.m. ET.
The PBR followed a series of health protocols in Guthrie to hold the Unleash The Beast bull riding event two weeks ago, and the organization will continue to follow enhanced protocols this weekend.
All competitors and crew go will undergo medical screening in order to enter the Lazy E grounds. There will be a smaller production crew than normal, including the use of robotic cameras.
Judges and TV announcers are also relocated compared to a standard event, and the PBR has created functional groups of no larger than 10 people (averaging 6.5 people) to ensure limited interactions. The number of riders/stock contractors on the back of the bucking chutes will also significantly be reduced.
Social distancing guidelines and self-isolation policies were set for travel and lodging, severely limiting any contact with anyone in the local Logan County or surrounding Oklahoma community. Everyone drove to the venue, avoiding air travel and public transportation, and are all staying in RVs on the grounds of Lazy E.
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A post shared by PBR (@pbr) on Apr 26, 2020 at 9:58am PDT
The 140 people on site signed a social responsibility pledge to abide by workflow, process, hygiene, sanitary and separation guidelines.
"As I sit at home trying to wrap my head around what the PBR crew just pulled off last weekend in Guthrie, I guess it really doesn't surprise me. With Sean Gleason's vision and determination, and the entire crew's skillset and dedication, there was no question in my mind we could get this done. Over the years, we have all pulled off some amazing events in crazy venues such as Times Square, Hollywood Boulevard and Huntington Beach to name a few. The only difference here was the precautions taken by everyone involved to avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus. With the first successful show in the books, I look forward to heading back to Guthrie for the next two."
Lambert will at the Lazy E again this weekend, and he was proud that everyone involved in the operation has kept an open mind about the new norm the PBR has had to create for everyone involved to make a living.
“Everybody stepped up in a big way and didn’t complain about the circumstances,” Lambert said. “The riders were glad to have an opportunity. That made me proud. They complied with all the restrictions. They also tried to be ready every time it was their turn and not complain because they didn’t have enough time behind the chutes. They got it done.”
There were many different challenges for the riders as well when it comes to riding a 2,000-pound compared to a normal event.
The riders had to adjust to not having as many friends on the back of the bucking chutes helping them prepare with their chute procedure, and they also had to continue to adjust to an event in a quiet environment instead of the standard rock-and-roll atmosphere.
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It's almost game time once again at the Lazy E. ?: @cbssports // @ridepass | Saturday, 8 PM ET
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“Without having the normal amount of help where you can have your normal chute procedure routine, it is a distraction,” Lambert said. “You can’t get ready in the same matter that you do. You can’t focus the same as you would at an event that was done differently. It is a bigger challenge to ride under those conditions. It is a bigger challenge to ride those bigger bulls in a quiet building, too.”
In the early years of the PBR, it was not uncommon to see the PBR co-founders working alongside the small number of employees on staff to help pull off PBR events. Bull riders would help hang sponsorship signs before climbing aboard their bovine opponents that same night.
Cowboys working together built the PBR from day one, and the organization has found ways to push forward during turbulent times over the past 27 years with an all-in mentality.
The PBR often held events at the Lazy E Arena during their early years as well, so there is extra sense of history on the rodeo grounds in Guthrie, Lambert explained.
“What was nostalgic about the thing was we were in the Lazy E. That is one of the first arenas we ever went to,” Lambert said. “That was an arena we were going to before the PBR. We were having the best bull riders in the world gathering at an event in the Lazy E before the PBR ever started. 1989 was the first year they had a bull riding there. When we started the PBR, you could almost argue that the Lazy E was the very first PBR event except it was an invitational event. The Lazy E sent out their own invitations at the time, most of the guys were PBR guys, but they had their own criteria for who they invited.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko