Event & Arena News

COLUMBUS, OH – The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) brings 45 of the world’s top-ranked bull riders and the toughest bucking bulls to Columbus for a two-day event at Nationwide Arena on Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14 with performances at 8 p.m. each night. The Rocky Boots Invitational is the 29th official stop on the 2006 Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) tour. Tickets are on sale now at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office and through Ticketmaster.

The Rocky Boots Invitational concludes the regular season for the elite BFTS tour and provides the final opportunity for bull riders to qualify for the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler in Las Vegas on October 27-29 and November 2-5. Topping the list of competitors coming to Columbus is current BFTS leader Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) along with 2005 PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.), two-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.).

Tickets are $10, $25, $50, $75 and $100 (plus facility fee). Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (614) 431-3600. Tickets are also available at the Blue Jackets Zones at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North.

About the PBR:
More than 104 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on NBC, FOX, OLN and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With over 500 hours of prime time programming annually PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over one million live event attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure which includes the marquee Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR's governing board of directors is comprised of renowned bull riders who have developed the event into a stand alone sport which is experiencing unprecedented growth in global popularity. The PBR is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has over 600 athletes competing in more than 100 PBR sanctioned competitions.

About Nationwide Arena:
For more information about upcoming events at Nationwide Arena, visit www.NationwideArena.com or call (614) 246-2000. Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets and the AFL Columbus Destroyers, is an SMG-managed facility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to more than 170 venues controlling over 1.46 million entertainment seats worldwide.