45 truckloads of dirt: How Spectrum Center transforms into a bull riding ring for this weekend’s PBR event

The Professional Bull Riders tour rolls into newly-named Spectrum Center this weekend with the Built Ford Tough Series Charlotte Invitational. It should be an exciting event for all who attend, full of non-stop action.

But how does an arena that usually hosts basketball transform to host a bull riding event? I took some time to learn what it takes to turn the bland, cement arena floor into a grand stage for the best of the best in the bull riding business. It’s an involved process, to say the least.

First, the floor has to be cleared of everything. Since it’s summer this is easy — it’s not like there was an NBA game last night. Then the stagehands set the audio and sound equipment over the arena floor.

Next its time to play in the dirt. Forty-five truckloads of dirt are brought in, each carrying 12 yards of dirt per truck.

It is brought in through the loading dock area on the side of the arena, and dropped into place from front to back. The dirt has to be 8 inches thick, covering the entire floor.

Each arena is basically the same, so the crew has a set amount of time for setup and break down. The dirt laying process takes 6 hours. When that is completed, the in arena workers set up the chutes and railings lining the ring. When I visited Thursday workers were in the middle of set up, but you can see the whole process start to finish in this video from last year’s event.

This crew is as pro as you can get. Each facet has to be completed in a timely fashion so the next part of the process can be completed.  It’s a well-oiled machine.

Professional bull rider Tyler Harr, 26, is from Arkansas and has been riding bucking bulls since he was 7. Tyler says the tour is the best adrenaline rush going. He is actually getting over some injuries suffered last weekend when he was knocked out cold by a bull, but he still plans to ride this weekend.

There are 3 Bull riders with local ties, including JB Mauney from Statesville, who currently ranks third in the world standings.

For more info and tickets, go here.

Photos: Jonathan Lee (set up photos); Courtesy of PBR (riders and time-lapse video)

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 11:15 PM with the headline "45 truckloads of dirt: How Spectrum Center transforms into a bull riding ring for this weekend’s PBR event."