Saturday, Aug. 24, is the big day for rodeo fans at Thunderbird Arena as Bremerton is once again a stop for the Xtreme Bulls tour. That’s when some of the top Bull Riders in the country come out to compete for the $10,000 per event, $80,000 total purse in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Xtreme Bulls competition.

The action gets going at 3:30 p.m. and tickets are $20 for general admission (it’s $15 for seniors 60 and over and kids aged 6-12, children under 5 are free), $26 for arena floor tickets and $36 for box seats.

Riders are competing not just for the prize money, but also for points towards qualification for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas

The PRCA will also hold a number of other rodeo events over the course of the first three nights, Aug. 21-23 at 6:30 p.m. These events include:

Barrel Racing

A horse and rider try to complete a pattern around barrels set out on the course in the fastest time. This event showcases both the horse’s ability and the skills of the rider to safely make their way around the course.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Bronc riding involves a contestant trying to stay on a horse that is attempting to “buck” them off. This competition is much tougher today because horses can be bred for this specific event, giving them greater strength than an average horse.

Bareback Riding

A rider mounts a horse that is released from the gate of the bucking chute. As the horse bursts out, the rider has to stay on the horse for eight seconds only using one hand. The rider must keep the heels of his boots in contact with the horse above the shoulders before the horse’s front legs reach the ground. Both the rider and the horse are scored in this competition.

Team Roping

This event features a steer and a team of two riders, one known as a “header” and one known as a “heeler.” The header is responsible for roping the front of the steer, typically, but not always, around its horns. The header then must wrap the rope around the saddle horn and turn the steer. Once this happens, the heeler ropes the steer by its back feet. This team event is noteworthy because it is the only rodeo event in which men and women compete both head-to-head and in mixed-gender teams.

Steer Wrestling

In steer wrestling, the cattle typically weigh between 450 and 650 pounds, and are sometimes three times the weight of the wrestler. The competitor is known as a bulldogger must wrestle the steer to the ground. This process typically takes between three and ten seconds among professionals. Bulldoggers and their horse must remain behind a rope barrier until the animal is released from the chute, and is the steer falls to the ground in a manner having nothing to do with the effort of the bulldogger, he must either wait for it to get back up or help it up himself.

Tie-Down Roping

This event is also known as calf roping, and it is a rodeo event that features a rider mounted on a horse and calf. The rider must catch the calf with a looping rope, dismount from the horse and restrain the calf by tying its legs together.