26-year-old Chicago cowboy Aaron Baxter received a special invitation to compete, representing his city in the hometown competition.
"I'm actually blessed to be invited to participate in the show because I'm a Chicago kid. And I'm really trying to be hungry and get after it and ride bulls," Baxter said.
The South Shore neighborhood native spends much of his time training horses and coaching youth basketball, but he has always dreamt of becoming a professional bull rider.
The shows will start at 7:30 on both Friday and Saturday night, January 31 - February 1.