SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Freedom, the state’s first professional bull riding team, is kicking off a three-day home stand at Amerant Bank Arena this weekend as part of the PBR Team Series.
While the arena is home to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, it’s also now a venue for the high-adrenaline world of team bull riding — a format launched by Professional Bull Riders in 2022.
The Freedom, now in their second season, will compete against nine other teams in head-to-head matchups.
Each matchup features five riders from each team, with the team earning the highest total score emerging victorious.
“It’s still the most dangerous eight seconds in sports,” said Florida Freedom head coach and Hall of Fame rider Paulo Crimber. “There’s 10 teams, five riders, five bulls. They’re going head to head, and the teams with the most points at the end of this will win.”
Crimber, who had an illustrious career as a rider before moving into coaching, believes his current squad has what it takes to be the best in the league.
He also shared what it feels like behind the scenes, just moments before a rider enters the arena.
“It’s really like an adrenaline rush because all the bulls are already low and you can feel their like the warmth and it’s just like the energy and everybody — the stock contractors, riders — you know, they’re all moving around and have focus,” Crimber said. “For me, I leave that part already and I try to stay, you know, get some of that to calm me down and get my nerves a little down, you know, for a coaching part.”
“It’s just really amazing. You have to experience that to, to know how it feels. It feels almost like you’re riding the bull,” he added.
As part of the event setup, bulls are brought into the pens and staged ahead of the evening’s rides. Crimber emphasized that crowd energy plays a critical role in performance.
The event begins Friday at 7:45 p.m. and continues through the weekend.
Click here for more information on how to purchase tickets.
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