The Rattlers’ Long-Term Investment in Athlete Development Is Designed to Optimize Rider Recovery and Performance While Advancing the Team’s Competitive Future
The Ariat Texas Rattlers, the 2023 PBR Teams Champions and Dallas-Fort Worth’s professional bull riding team, announced the official details surrounding a first-of-its-kind, dedicated athlete Performance Center in Decatur, Texas. The facility is designed to bring to elite bull riders the integrated training, recovery and development resources common across major professional team sports. The dedicated 3,000-square-foot space within the Fit-N-Wise Fitness and Wellness Center will establish a second home base for the Fort Worth-based team in one of the sport’s most prominent athlete communities.
The long-term lease agreement and buildout represent a significant investment by the team in the high-performance training, recovery and performance optimization of its professional bull rider athletes. The Center will combine a private Rattlers team environment with Fit-N-Wise’s existing sports strength and conditioning resources, creating a comprehensive performance and recovery model built specifically for a professional bull riding team.
The centerpiece of the Rattlers’ dedicated space will be an approximately 2,000-square-foot main training and recovery area designed to accommodate all team riders simultaneously. The facility will also include team lockers; a dedicated physical therapy and rehabilitation area; nutrition and film-review spaces; coaching and management offices; and specialized bull-riding equipment, including a barrel used to simulate riding scenarios.
A separate recovery room will feature hot and cold plunge tubs, providing riders with a dedicated space for post-training and post-competition recovery. Riders will also have access to individualized strength, mobility, rehabilitation and recovery programming through the team’s athlete performance staff.
The Center will also feature the “Snake Den,” a public-facing team storytelling gallery celebrating the Rattlers’ championship history and connection to Texas. The space will include historical team photography, framed specialty jerseys, Cowtown-inspired elements and a replica of the team’s 2023 PBR Teams Championship trophy buckle.
“Through the first four seasons, we’ve distinguished ourselves as a championship team and one of the league’s top-performing organizations. The Rattlers Performance Center is an investment in the infrastructure our athletes and coaches need to keep pushing forward both our squad and the sport,” said Chad Blankenship, President and General Manager of the Ariat Texas Rattlers. “While we’re headquartered in Fort Worth, we’re establishing our Performance Center in Decatur because it’s a primary hub for more professional bull riders than anywhere else in the country. It’s home for many of our team bull riders, as well as our annual PBR Ride for Decatur charity bull riding event and legions of Rattlers fans. We look forward to deepening our community presence in the years ahead.”
The Rattlers’ investment comes as PBR continues to deliver growth among its live event and TV audiences. PBR Teams drew a record 272,315 fans in 2025, while broadcasts on CBS and CW Network reached more than 28 million viewers nationwide.
Against that backdrop, the Performance Center is designed to support both the Rattlers’ team goals and its athletes’ long-term careers. The team estimates that more consistent access to structured workouts, rehabilitation and recovery could yield five to ten percent more qualified rides per season.
“In a sport where only a handful of ride scores can separate the top teams, even a small improvement could fundamentally change the trajectory of our season. It could mean a stronger regular-season finish, more advantageous seeding heading into the Championship and greater earning opportunities for our riders,” said Riley Lambert, Assistant General Manager of the Ariat Texas Rattlers. “We know the more time teams spend together, the more cohesive they become. With our coaches’ offices connected directly to the locker room, riders and coaches will have consistent, face-to-face communication, while training, recovery and film review can become a more regular part of how we prepare our athletes to earn scores and win games.”
The Ariat Texas Rattlers Performance Center ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on August 27, 2026 at 11AM at Fit-N-Wise Fitness and Wellness Center (901 Medical Center Dr, Decatur, TX 76234), in Decatur. City and business leaders, community members, the team and members of the media are invited to attend.
For more information about the Ariat Texas Rattlers, to set up an interview, tour of the facility, or to RSVP for the ribbon cutting please contact Ivy Lopez at ivy@hollandcollective.co.
ABOUT THE ARIAT TEXAS RATTLERS
The Ariat Texas Rattlers are Dallas-Fort Worth’s professional bull riding team, competing in the PBR Teams league. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the Rattlers will host their 2026 Rattler Days homestand Oct. 2-4 at Dickies Arena, bringing three days of world-class bull riding to the heart of Cowtown. Led on the dirt by Head Coach and PBR co-founder Cody Lambert, the Rattlers etched their name in the history books as the 2023 PBR Teams Champions. The Rattlers are owned by the Fisher Family and Fort Worth entrepreneur and civic leader Leonard Firestone.
The Fisher Family’s investments span footwear and apparel, real estate, timberland and forest products, education, and sports, including ownership of the Athletics (MLB) and San Jose Earthquakes (MLS). Through its Ariat brand, the Official Boot of PBR, the Fisher Family has been a longtime supporter of PBR. The family is also actively involved with several philanthropic causes, including SFMOMA, The KIPP Foundation, and UCSF.
Leonard Firestone was a co-founder of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, producer of the highly regarded TX Whiskey and TX Bourbon brands. A former Fort Worth City Councilman, Firestone currently serves on the Board of Managers for the John Peter Smith (JPS) Health Network, serving the healthcare needs of Tarrant County.
ABOUT PBR TEAMS
PBR Teams is an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five games, leading to a Team Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During the 2026 season, the league’s fifth, each of the 10 teams – Arizona Ridge Riders of Glendale, AZ; Austin Gamblers of Austin, TX; Carolina Cowboys of Greensboro, NC; Florida Freedom of Sunrise, FL; Kansas City Outlaws of Kansas City, MO; Missouri Thunder of Ridgedale, MO; Nashville Stampede of Nashville, TN; New York Mavericks of Belmont Park, NY; Oklahoma Wildcatters of Oklahoma City, OK; and Texas Rattlers of Fort Worth, TX – will host a three-day homestand. Neutral-site games in Anaheim, CA and Fort Collins, CO are also part of the 2026 season.
PBR Teams, launched in July 2022, builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. Each event day, all teams compete in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent. Each game features five riders per team squaring off against another team. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders is declared the winner of each game. Full team rosters are composed of seven riders on the Protected Roster and three Reserve Roster riders.
PBR is part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
ABOUT FIT-N-WISE FITNESS AND WELLNESS CENTER Fit-N-Wise Fitness and Wellness Center is more than a fitness facility—it’s a destination designed to inspire movement, promote wellness, and bring the community together. Located in Decatur, Texas, our expansive 72,000-square-foot center offers thoughtfully designed spaces for every stage of your fitness journey.
Members enjoy multiple group exercise studios, including a dedicated Yoga and Pilates studio, as well as three aquatic venues: a lap pool, an exercise pool, and a seasonal outdoor pool. After your workout, relax and recover in either our dry or steam sauna before refreshing in our spacious locker rooms, featuring six large showers, private dressing areas, self-locking lockers, and ample room to prepare for the rest of your day.
The mezzanine level features an expanded cardio area and an indoor walking/running track overlooking our versatile two-court gymnasium. Families will appreciate our supervised Child Center, where children can enjoy a safe, active, and engaging environment while parents focus on their health and wellness goals.
At Fit-N-Wise, you’ll find everything you need to move better, feel stronger, and be part of a healthier community—all under one roof.
Fit-N-Wise is proud to be the home of the Ariat Texas Rattlers Performance Center.
