In just a few days, the Peavey Mart Centrium will be home to the world’s best bull riders.
On Saturday for the second year in a row, Red Deer will host the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Cross Country Canada Classic as part of PBR Canada’s Elite Cup Series.
The event, featuring some of PBR’s best Canadian and international riders, marks the beginning of the calendar season for the Canadian division and will begin at 7 p.m.
Those taking part in the event will compete to accumulate important national points in hopes of becoming the 2023 PBR Canada Champion.
Of those competing in the action-packed event at 7 p.m. on Saturday night is Calgary native Nick Tetz.
Tetz was crowned the 2022 PBR Canada Champion knocking off regular-season No. 1 Dakota Buttar within the final stretch of the season.
Tetz said he’s feeling great ahead of the season opener after competing in the United States for a few months. Tetz had a lot of success last season but looking forward to this year he doesn’t want to think about the past too much.
“The more I think about it the worse I do so I’m just going to go out and have fun,” he said. “Enjoy getting back into some Canadian events and hanging out with all my buddies. I know a lot of them I grew up riding with so I’m just excited to see them and the rest of the PBR Canada crew because it’s like a little family we’ve got going on.”
Despite this, Tetz explained the PBR Cross Country Canada Classic is a big deal to come away with points and separate yourself from the competition.
“Especially with it being one of the cup events, there’s a lot of points at those… It’s always important to get as many points as you can at the bigger events where they’re handing out more points toward the standings,” he said.
Tetz grew up in Calgary but lives approximately 40 minutes west of Leduc and is looking forward to taking part in an event so close to home.
“It’s nice to not have to hop on a plane it’s just a short little drive but I’ve got lots of family in around the Innisfail, Olds area. I’ve also got lots of family in Calgary that might come out too. It’s always nice when you get to visit with family especially when you’re bull riding,” he added.
Red Deer held the same season-opening event at the Peavey Mart Centrium in June 2022 and had a significant amount fans in the stands.
Performing in front of a big crowd he added never gets old.
“When you step off [a bull] and you see you’re 80 or 90 points on one and you’ve got the crowd and all your buddies on the shoots going nuts, it’s a pretty unreal feeling,” he said.
Throughout the winter he’s stayed busy competing in places like Portland, Denver, and Reno. However, the way he looks at it is the more he’s riding the better he’ll get at it so he doesn’t take much time off throughout the year.
It may take a toll on him mentally and physically but he’s ready to take on the 2022-23 season.
“I always find when I’m having fun I do a lot better,” he said.