“Happy Valentine’s Day Everett, I firmly believe there is no event on earth more romantic than taking your partner to dinner and Professional Bull Riding.” That’s a direct quote from professional bull rider Aaron Williams who will be competing this Friday and Saturday night in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour at Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett, Washington. “It beats the heck out of dinner and a movie.”
This weekend, Seen in Everett will be taking photos during the Professional Bull Riders Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour. Tuesday we had a chance to chat with Aaron who has overcome injury and is having a pretty good start to 2025 with a second place finish in Portland and a third place finish in Bakersfield.
Aaron Williams started in rough stock events at 3-years-old riding sheep in mutton busting events. He attended Junior Bull Riding and started raising calves as a kid building up his own herd of cattle looking to develop mammas that produce winning stock. At 18 he turned pro, riding bulls while going to college for a Dairy Science Degree.
Aaron is now 28 years old and pretty matter-of-fact for a man who has such a dangerous job. “It’s just bull riding,” he told us. “No different than nine-to-five, just going to work, nervousness for me doesn’t sink in.”
During the week he likes to get into the practice ring and work on his skills. On Thursday he’ll arrive in downtown Everett and check in at Angel of the Winds Arena. Friday, the weekend’s first round starts at 8:00 PM and he’ll ride his first bull. He’ll come back for round two on Saturday for his second ride of the weekend and if his combined scores from those two rounds put him among the top ten riders, he’ll take a third ride in what they call the short-round for the money. In order to score he needs to stay on the bull for eight seconds.
“Time is relative,” Aaron explained. “To the crowd watching, the eight seconds streaks by but eight seconds to me feels like 10 – 15 minutes, I can break it down to the millisecond.” “To tell you the truth,” he added. “The most peaceful time I get in my life is when I’m on the back of that bull.”
The score for a perfect bull ride is 100 points, but as a rider Aaron is only scored up to 50. The bull is responsible for the other 50 points. Judges are watching to see how hard the bull bucks, how soon and how much the bull spins, how high it jumps. The rider is tracked for intensity, control and form.
“The hardest part of this is staying healthy, one-hundred-ten-percent,” Aaron remarked. “Maintaining confidence in your job.”
It’s also important for the bulls to be healthy. Aaron’s wife is a sports rehabilitation specialist for bovine athletes. “These are the most cared for animal athletes the world has ever seen,” said Aaron.
Tickets for the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour are on sale at the Box Office at Angel of the Winds Arena, at Ticketmaster and on the PBR website. You can purchase Friday night, Saturday or a combo for both nights. Friday’s show starts at 8:00 PM with Saturday’s show kicking off at 7:00 PM.