Dakota Buttar partners with Cup Series Production Manager to bring event to Kindersley
By Covy Moore
One of Canada’s most decorated riders, Dakota Buttar has teamed up with Canada Cup Series Production Manager Peter Gebraad to host the first-ever PBR event in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, this coming September 5, the Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, at the Kindersley West Central Event Centre.
Kindersley is the home of two-time PBR Canada Champion Buttar, and while he now lives nearby in Eatonia, much of his entire upbringing was there – hockey and rodeo, he did it all in Kindersley.
GET ‘YER TICKETS! The first-ever PBR event in Kindersley is coming September 5. The Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational at the WCEC will feature 25-30 of the best professional bullriders who will compete in the long round and then the top 10-12 riders will move on to the championship round. The winner will be the high score on two rounds. This will be a first-class professional event that you don’t want to miss. As of August 20, there were still 370 tickets available. They can be purchased at Kindersley Castle Building Centre. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
PHOTOS BY COVY MOORE, Click for larger images and captions
With an annual Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA) rodeo inside the same venue, the CCA was a step of Buttar’s rise to the pro ranks in bull riding. But it has been more than a decade since the now 30-year-old has ridden in his hometown.
“The last time I rode there was 2013, and last time I rode there I won the rodeo,” Buttar said. “That is something everyone wants to do. You always want to win your hometown rodeo. And that is the last memory of riding there. Let’s hope I can continue that on with the bull riding there, too.”
After winning the first ever $100,000 PBR Canada Champion bonus in 2023, Buttar says that his focus for the 2024 season was on being competitor, and the idea of bringing the PBR to Kindersley was that of Gebraad.
Gebraad has been the PBR Canada Cup Series’ Production Manager since its inception in 2016, and with his own unique connection to Kindersley, the pairing seemed obvious.
“Pete has a lot of connections to Kindersley. He has family there, his in-laws are there so it makes sense, too,” Buttar explained. “And with me being from there, I still have lots of family and friends there, so it works out great.”
“Even up until the last couple of years, I haven’t really felt that it was on my bucket list. I never had the itch to do it. Pete is really the force that pushed me towards it, and he is great to work with and just working with him on it has made me very excited for it.”
Buttar said that the experience so far with Gebraad has been educational. Buttar has been making his living inside the arena the last 12 years of his life, but admitted he is learning a lot about the production side of the game, giving him a new appreciation for producers everywhere.
“The first walkthrough with Pete at the arena, he had so many questions that I wouldn’t even have thought were things we needed to know. The building’s exhaust, how the lights work, the plexiglass. So many small things, it’s small to us riders, but it involves a lot of work.”
“We will pull all the plexiglass out of the arena, that is a huge job,” Buttar continued. “But it is something that really makes the experience for the fans that much better. All things that I never thought of, and for Pete these are all really big important things.”
Gebraad is a true pioneer and asset in the production world. With decades of experience behind massive events with nearly all of the professional “stick and ball” sports, his passion is unrivalled. In addition to his professional life, Gebraad runs an orphanage called Gems of Mazatlan in Mexico, handling nearly the entire operation with his partner Melinda.
Buttar says getting to know Gebraad has been a highlight of his time on Canada’s top PBR tour, but his appreciation for him has only grown in understanding what goes unseen in the sport.
“He always has something going on,” Buttar said. “He does a lot for us on tour each and every weekend, a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff that we as riders never really know about. Him and Tiffany [Beaton] do a lot for us.”
With tremendous backing from the business community in Kindersley, Buttar said he has been humbled to see his own hometown have the same buy in as him and Gebraad.
“So far it has been awesome. They have made it pretty easy for us so far. The amount of support is amazing. Official word wasn’t even out yet and people were approaching us about jumping on board. It makes things great for us when there is this much support,” Buttar continued.
“It ramps up the excitement for us because we know we are going to put on a great show for Kindersley. I think we deserve it in Kindersley, too. We have never had anything at this level come to town, and I know this town will enjoy it.”
Buttar has said that while he has been in some pressure moments, he is starting to feel the pre-event jitters ahead of getting to nod his head at his own hometown PBR.
“I think there are some butterflies. I have always enjoyed having my friends around when I ride. I do better when friends and family are there. But it’s going to be a lot more than just a couple people this time, it’s going to be the whole building that has known me since I was a kid.”
“It is going to make it that much more special. I don't really feel the nerves for it, it’s more excitement for me,” Buttar conclude. “It is so cool to be able to bring this home to everybody to see what I do that they don't get to see very often.”