PUEBLO, Colo. – Sometimes it really pays to be a PBR super fan.

While tens of thousands gathered in Las Vegas Oct. 20-22 to witness the thrilling 5-on-5 tour’s postseason tournament, several bull riding fans likely collected bonuses in the slot machine capital of the world.

Two fans of the Arizona Ridge Riders may have actually hit the jackpot during Friday night’s pregame load-in. The tour’s version of an early-weekend blackjack.

Just like payouts, PBR fans come in all shapes and sizes.

So, when 73-year-old Ron Yutesler, and his 41-year-old daughter, Nicole, walked into the team’s locker room about two hours before the show started, it was a breath of fresh air for a group which had spent the last two weeks thinking about the postseason gauntlet.

Immediately embracing the fans with hugs, high-fives and various welcomes, the team likely understood that they didn’t need to go above and beyond just hours ahead of the season’s biggest event.

But that’s just a testament to who they are, as a team and as individuals.

Plus, sometimes a little bit of good karma and a few handshakes can go a long way. Especially amidst the second season of PBR Camping World Team Series action, as the Ridge Riders and seven other teams definitely understand the importance of connecting with their local fans and communities.

Hanging out with the fans for a good 15-minute session, riders like Colten Fritzlan, Keyshawn Whitehorse, Nick Tetz, Chase Dougherty quickly opened up, asking the duo about their family, fandom and plans for the exciting weekend in Las Vegas.

Later mixing it up with Head Coach Colby Yates and company before concluding the visit with an actual tour of the team’s facilities, the fans showcased their understanding of the sport while displaying joy and appreciation for the opportunity overall.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been an experience without a formal team photo, right?

“This is fabulous, it was absolutely great,” Ron Yutesler said while catching his breath.

”This was like the ultimate thing for us to actually come in here and meet the team and coaches and stuff. We really enjoyed it."

While the pair of dedicated supporters were able to interact with Yates and the riders during their time, there was one man notably missing, who’s particularly welcoming and frequently succeeds in hospitable interactions.

Seeing said character walking down the hall and preparing to enter the locker room, one of the team’s guests interjected mid-interview.

“Oh, there’s Paulo Crimber!” Mr. Yutesler said plain and simply.

“I’m your biggest fan.”

Ron, a noted mustache sporter and enthusiast, quickly struck up a stylistic facial hair conversation and well, the three hit it off from there.

As it turns out, the tuned-in supporters weren’t just fans of the oldest Crimber, either.

“Last night watching your son … I am so excited for his career,” Nicole Yutesler offered.

“It was a heartbreaker and we were crushed for him, but it was so much fun. He’s amazing.”

Watching on the night before inside South Point Hotel Casino & Spa as 18-year-old phenom John Crimber nearly captured the season’s honors during the 2023 PBR Challenger Series Championship, it isn’t only the Arizona squad that’s captured their adoration.

They straight up love bull riding.

Fans of the Ridge Riders, but still observers of the rankest sport in the world, it’s not just the flashy uniform colors and a few extra high-fives that keep the Yuteslers coming back for more.

“We know that they can absolutely make the run, I know they can win it. They have the talent, it’s just whether or not we get the right bulls,” Ron Yutesler shared.

“That’s one thing that I can say over the years … the increase in the bull talent is just unbelievable. The genetics, the bucking programs, you can see it. If you’ve been following this year, it’s easy to see.”

Retiring from his role as an operating room nurse a decade ago, this is far from the first PBR campaign that he and his daughter have witnessed. In-person or on television.

“I’ve been watching PBR on TV for years. The Teams concept and just getting the crowd involved has been great. I retired 10 years ago and this has basically been my retirement job. I follow live PBR,” Mr. Yutesler shared.

“UTB, Velocity, Teams tour, anything. We try to travel wherever we can, so we’ve been to quite a few events all over the country. This year: Cheyenne, Wyoming, Anaheim, California, and Glendale, Arizona, for Teams. Minneapolis, Minnesota, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Omaha, Nebraska … the list goes on.”

The famous “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” saying will always have some truth to it. But don’t get Nicole confused as a fair-weather fan.

Watching the sport for as long as she can remember, the passion is in her blood just the same.

“When I was a kid, I remember watching. Dad would say, ‘Alright, PBR time, let’s watch it,’ so we started watching from the early days of PBR.”

“Then, when the Teams concept came around, we live in Arizona, so we’re definitely Arizona fans. To have the best coaches and the best team behind it just made it easier to be a fan. It’s been great to support them since the beginning.”

Having attended the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Championship last fall, they immediately purchased tickets to the 2023 iteration, quickly realizing that the season-culminating showdown was next-level entertainment.

“Desert Diamond Arena back in Glendale is such a fabulous arena. They are so great to the team and the fans,” Nicole shared.

“But the Teams Championship last year … that environment was 10 times better than even UTB Finals. It was just so much more amped up and exciting and it was such a vibe that we were like ‘Okay, we’re definitely coming back next year.' 10 of 10, no questions.”

Just under 300 miles away from their team’s home arena, it wasn’t too far of a drive for the Payson, Arizona, residents to travel. After seeing the team conclude the inaugural contest in second place after coming alive and making a historic run, T-Mobile Arena should practically feel like home for the Yuteslers and Ridge Riders alike.

Now with two trips to both Ridge Rider Days and the PBR Teams Championship under their belts, the Yuteslers, and fans around the world, are witnessing just how special the 5-on-5 is and can be.

“The Teams concept in general, really watching the riders grow through each season has been really interesting, too. The first season, everybody was kind of figuring things out, but you could sort of see the evolution of the riders changing and really getting better in tune with the whole thing. To now see it in year two and see the guys get it now, watch them work together and kind of become that team, it’s been super cool. Great format to compete and fun to see them do it,” Nicole added.

“I think that the PBR’s current process in what they’re doing to forward the industry and the game, they’re doing a good job of it. I like the Teams concept, I like the way they are promoting bull riding, they’re just doing a good job all around.”

Talented individuals, now tasked with sharing the glory, and paychecks, with others.

A majority of the tour’s riders are good men, humble by nature.

Technically, most of these guys can ride bulls in their, or a good friend’s, backyard. They love riding bulls, and providing for their families by doing so, but that doesn't hide the truth.

Half of the fun is putting on a show for the best fans in Western sports.

“It means a lot to us to have support and have the fans behind us. Especially the guys, they thrive on that kind of stuff,” Yates admitted after the visit.

“That’s everything. That’s our future. That’s the trajectory that our sport is on because of the fans. I truly feel like we have enhanced the fans that we already have, but we’ve also welcomed a whole lot of new fans, and that’s a big thing for us. It’s what this sport needed.”

Recognizing the brightest lights in the industry aren’t just a spectacle to those watching on, but to the men inside the locker rooms just the same. A true opportunity to shine.

The unique postseason event is the real deal. For everybody from the guys in the chutes to the coaches selecting the bulls to the wives watching on and fans locked in, rooting for their favorite squads.

“An event like this, and we felt it last year, because man, I swear to everybody up and down, this was the absolute best … When we were at this event (last year) on Championship Sunday, the whole day, that’s what a professional sporting event is supposed to feel like,” Yates concluded.

“You felt the fans, bigger than we’d ever felt them before, and that says a lot about what this team sport does and can do and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Photo courtesy of Arizona Ridge Riders