Here’s the Beef--and the Big Bucks

The top 30 bull riders in the nation will ride some of the meanest and toughest bulls in the country Saturday night at the Long Beach Arena as part of the Bull Riders Only competition.

Cowboys from all over the country will compete for $20,000 in prize money in three rounds of competition beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Bull riders are scored on a minimum eight-second ride by two judges. Each judge awards a maximum of 25 points to the cowboy for his riding expertise and 25 points for the bucking ability of the bull.

Bull riders competing in Saturday’s event will include Tuff Hedeman of Bowie, Tex.; Michael Gaffney of Lubbock, Tex.; Jim Sharp of Stephenville, Tex., and Clint Branger of Roscoe, Mont.

More than 60 bulls from five different stock contractors will be ridden during the competition. The bulls are discovered by a bull scout who searches for the roughest bulls in the industry, said Bull Riders Only spokesman Shaw Sullivan.

Tickets to the Bull Riders Only competition are $19, $24 and $28. Information is available at Ticketmaster outlets.