Chance and Wyatt Fennig, pictured here at the PBR Classic Thursday at the North Battleford Civic Centre. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Bull riding bros

Riding bull: a Fennig family legacy

Jul 26, 2019 | 2:09 PM

Being thrust back and forth on – and subsequently off — the back of an angry one-tonne animal, may not be the thrill most people are looking for; but for North Battleford’s Fennig brothers, nothing beats the rush that comes from riding bulls.

“It was crazy [there is] lots of adrenaline pumping through the veins when you’re getting on the shoots in front of these big crowds,” Chance Fennig said just moments after his opening run in Thursday’s Gold Eagle Casino PBR Classic. “Especially in the home town; your family’s watching you, your friends, everyone knows your name after you ride here.”

For both Chance and his elder brother Wyatt, there was never much doubt they would be here, riding bulls in front of the hometown crowd as juniors at yesterday’s PBR event.

“It’s definitely a family tradition,” Wyatt said. “I won this event the last two years and then little brother came and beat me this time, so there is going to be lots of nattering tonight at home, but it’s not a bad thing,” he added with a smile.

“Yeah, I told him I’m coming for him [this year], so to watch out,” Chance said. “We both have each other’s back out in the arena. We don’t want each other to buck off, but at the same time, there is that friendly competition.”

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Born and raised in North Battleford, and graduates of the Comprehensive High School, for the brothers, any time they can ride in front of the hometown crowd filled with friends and family, like on Thursday night at the Civic Centre, it’s a special thrill. That thrill, however comes at a price, in the most literal sense of the word.

With friends and family in attendance, Wyatt said he and his brother were on the hook for plenty of tickets, “and at $25 a ticket, it wasn’t cheap,” he said with a laugh.

Following in their father’s bull riding footsteps, growing up it was easy to get into the excitement that comes with everyone’s favorite rodeo attraction. Each of the boys have been riding unruly animals from the time they were just little.

Because their father used to ride, the brothers grew up with great admiration for the sport. The pair began riding sheep at age five, before graduating on to steers, and ultimately, for Wyatt, bulls at age 15.

As for the experience of that first ride, Wyatt said just because bull riding was in the family bloodline, doesn’t mean there wasn’t a few nerves.

“I can still remember my very first bull and I don’t think I have ever been so scared in my life, to be honest,” Wyatt said looking back. “The first one is always the worst.”

For Chance, his first time on a bull was at age 14 in Vermillion. It is an experience he remembers as vividly as the day it happened.

“I had a little bit of a hang-up, so I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to do it,” Chance said. “But my brother didn’t give me a choice and kept making me pound that road with him, then I just got an addiction to it.”

Flash forward to today and Chance, like Wyatt, can’t imagine a life without the rush of the sport. He said events like Thursday’s are special because it gives them a chance to rub shoulders with pros and veterans of the circuit, offering a glimpse into the possibility to come.

“It’s crazy because if you look at them you can see yourself in the future and see what you can be doing in the future as a job,” Chance said. “Doing what you love every day, that’s just a dream come true.”

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1