Arkansan Cates among professional bull riders

When the world's top 35 professional bull riders compete in what's tagged the "Toughest Sport on Dirt" at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock this weekend, there will be an Arkansan among them.

Reese Cates, 27, who hails from El Dorado, is hoping to hang on at the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series "Bad Boy Mowdown." Those who can make the eight-second whistle have a shot at winning a share of the $140,000 total purse. They also secure valuable Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world standings points that serve as credit toward the overall $1 million 2016 PBR World Championship title at the conclusion of this year's finals competition, Nov. 2-6 in Las Vegas.

Cates, named the 2008 Rookie of the Year, literally grew up around bull riding in his south Arkansas hometown.

"I rode my first calf when I was 3 and then moved up to bigger calves, steers, and then junior bulls, finally the bigger bulls," says Cates, whose father and grandfather, also from El Dorado, professionally rode bulls in their youth.

"It's definitely a young man's sport," he says. "It's a short career with most bull riders retiring shortly after the age of 30."

All 35 riders will compete in two rounds over the weekend -- the first one on Saturday, the second on Sunday. After the second round, the two-day scores are tallied and the 15 riders with the highest cumulative scores immediately return for the championship round. The rider who has performed the best and gathered the most world standings points throughout the weekend will be declared the winner of the weekend event.

It's a profession that takes its toll on those who pursue it. To date, Cates' riding has resulted in a long list of injuries.

"I've broken my hand, leg, jaw, a couple of ribs, suffered a punctured and collapsed lung, concussion, had my shoulder reconstructed," he says. "And a lot of little other things, but being young and healthy, you heal quickly."

He had three crushed ribs, a collapsed lung, and a dislocated shoulder with torn ligaments after getting on a practice bull in June 2013, which kept him out of competition for the rest of that year. He missed six months of competition in 2014 after undergoing surgery to stabilize his shoulder.

"Thanks to a lot of innovation with how we practice and are treated, a guy's body can last a lot longer and withstand more than it did in the past," Cates says.

Despite all the physical wear and tear, he remains passionate about the sport and for now, considers it to be his sole profession: "It's the greatest job in the world. A guy can make a good living riding bulls; most of them make six figures a year."

He says he has no concrete plans in place for the day when it's time for him to retire from the sport.

"Right now, I'm just focused on winning the world title," he says. "When it comes time for me to retire, I'll figure it out." To date, his career earnings surpass $579,000.

For now, he's looking forward to competing this weekend at Verizon.

Cates' stepbrother, 23-year-old Chase Outlaw of Hamburg, who currently lives in Tilly, had hoped to compete as well, but an earlier injury still has him sidelined. In 2015, he was ranked 10th in the world before dislocating his right shoulder and tearing his rotator cuff during an event in Kansas City, Kan.

"I'd love to be riding in my home state," says Outlaw (and yes, that's his real last name). "But I still have four more weeks before I'm completely healed. In this sport, it's not a matter of if you'll get hurt but instead when and how bad will it be."

Outlaw, whose career earnings currently exceed $545,000, says he will attend the North Little Rock event this weekend.

"I'll be there to cheer on my buddies," he says. "I'm looking forward to seeing all these guys who I consider to be my family after having been out on the road with them 52 weeks out of the year."

The North Little Rock competition, the 13th stop on the 2016 Built Ford Tough Series schedule, is being led by two-time and current PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney, who won the 2015 PBR World Championship in Las Vegas in October. Others scheduled to compete include PBR World Champions Silvano Alves (2014, 2012, 2011) and Mike Lee (2004), and fan favorites Ryan Dirteater, Ben Jones and Gage Gay.

For avid fans, newly offered PBR Elite Seats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the bull riding circuit. The VIP experience, which costs $302.50 person, includes early entry, a catered reception, an hour-long backstage tour, a presentation of the sport, a visit with some of the bulls and the chance to meet and greet top PBR riders before and after the event. For Elite Seats tickets, contact the Professional Bull Riders customer service department at (800) 732-1727.

Weekend on 04/07/2016