Bull riding is like dealing with an affair... - 11/12/09 07:00 PM
The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) just crowned their 2009 World Champion in Las Vegas this past weekend. Kody Lostroh out lasted J. B. Mauney having entered the finals with a slight lead over Mauney and Brazilian rider, Guilherme Marchi.
Mauney kept up the pressure, riding eight bulls in eight rounds and winning the event itself. Lostroh was able to edge him out at the end by virtue of matching him in all but the final round and notching the top score in three consecutive rounds.
Bull riding is much like dealing with an affair. First of all, you find yourself actually climbing onto the back of a bull of your own free will, straddling his flanks and hanging onto a rope that is wrapped around the bull�s midsection and held in place only by the grip of your hand. Hanging on depends entirely on how well you are able to hang on.
Once you think you�re as ready as you�re going to get, you nod your head, the gate opens and that is when the real fun begins.
The bull suddenly explodes from the chute. He leaps into the air. He spins. He kicks; he rolls. He rears his head trying to smash your face with his horns. An animal that can weigh as much as a truck and can jump as high as Michael Jordan, run as fast as Michael Johnson and changes directions faster than Michael Vick fleeing a double corner blitz does all that he can to dislodge you from your seat and dissuade you from your goal.
It only has to last eight seconds but only the best and toughest in the world can make it that long. The average person would be sent flying through the air to land in the middle of the arena, face down, hurt and dazed as a 2300 pound angry bull attempts to make him pay for the effort with his very life.
And when the bull leaves the arena and you�ve escaped with your life, for now, you pick yourself up, dust off your chaps, gather your wits and prepare for the next round. You see this is the World Finals and there are 7 more rounds for those who hope to prove they have what it takes.
The best of the best study the bulls they are going to ride. They look at tapes of those who have ridden the same bull in the past. They ask for advice. They prepare themselves mentally for the challenge. They lift weights, exercise daily and build the strength they will need for the eight second whirlwind known as Chicken on a Chain, Scene of the Crash , Ground Zero or Depths of Despair.
Sometimes you ride, get off and get away. Sometimes you get to feel what it�s like to be a Yard Dart. Some times you get hurt. Sometimes you get stomped and sometimes you get run over whether you lasted till the buzzer or not.
Once the ride is done, you aren�t finished. With luck the bull chases one of the bull fighters for a while and leaves you alone as you figure out where you are and where the fence is to get to safety. With a little less than the best of luck you find yourself running from a freight train praying for someone to pull you to safety.
It�s the wrecks that take their toll. It will be those times when you find yourself sailing over the center of the arena knowing that your landing in the dirt from 15 feet in the air is going to take the wind out of you, zapping your strength and the ability to run from the bull that is sure to see your weakness. It will be the landing on your feet after an easy ride with the cheers of the crowd in your ears, ready to take a bow and bask in the glory of your success only to be hit from behind by Voodoo Child as he runs you down at 30 miles per hour, being sure to land each hard hoof in the small of your back as he passes by. With luck one of the bull fighters will attract his attention long enough for them to carry you out, get you patched up, your wounds bandaged, that broken leg taped up and the dislocated finger or shoulder popped back into place so that you can try it all over again.
And the worst wreck of all is when your hand hangs up in the bull rope and you simply don�t seem to be able to let go. The bull spins and kicks and tries to gore you as you are dragged around feeling completely helpless, praying that this nightmare ends before you have breathed your last.
You see, the bull doesn�t really want you dead; he only wants you to leave him alone�
To do the things that bulls do�
When you ride bulls for a living you have to ride the bull.
No guts, no glory.
No pain, no gain.
No ride no pay.
Cowboy up.
Mount up.
Strap up.
Hang on.
It�s gonna be a wild ride�
Or you could just go work at McDonald�s�
Mark
Mauney kept up the pressure, riding eight bulls in eight rounds and winning the event itself. Lostroh was able to edge him out at the end by virtue of matching him in all but the final round and notching the top score in three consecutive rounds.
Bull riding is much like dealing with an affair. First of all, you find yourself actually climbing onto the back of a bull of your own free will, straddling his flanks and hanging onto a rope that is wrapped around the bull�s midsection and held in place only by the grip of your hand. Hanging on depends entirely on how well you are able to hang on.
Once you think you�re as ready as you�re going to get, you nod your head, the gate opens and that is when the real fun begins.
The bull suddenly explodes from the chute. He leaps into the air. He spins. He kicks; he rolls. He rears his head trying to smash your face with his horns. An animal that can weigh as much as a truck and can jump as high as Michael Jordan, run as fast as Michael Johnson and changes directions faster than Michael Vick fleeing a double corner blitz does all that he can to dislodge you from your seat and dissuade you from your goal.
It only has to last eight seconds but only the best and toughest in the world can make it that long. The average person would be sent flying through the air to land in the middle of the arena, face down, hurt and dazed as a 2300 pound angry bull attempts to make him pay for the effort with his very life.
And when the bull leaves the arena and you�ve escaped with your life, for now, you pick yourself up, dust off your chaps, gather your wits and prepare for the next round. You see this is the World Finals and there are 7 more rounds for those who hope to prove they have what it takes.
The best of the best study the bulls they are going to ride. They look at tapes of those who have ridden the same bull in the past. They ask for advice. They prepare themselves mentally for the challenge. They lift weights, exercise daily and build the strength they will need for the eight second whirlwind known as Chicken on a Chain, Scene of the Crash , Ground Zero or Depths of Despair.
Sometimes you ride, get off and get away. Sometimes you get to feel what it�s like to be a Yard Dart. Some times you get hurt. Sometimes you get stomped and sometimes you get run over whether you lasted till the buzzer or not.
Once the ride is done, you aren�t finished. With luck the bull chases one of the bull fighters for a while and leaves you alone as you figure out where you are and where the fence is to get to safety. With a little less than the best of luck you find yourself running from a freight train praying for someone to pull you to safety.
It�s the wrecks that take their toll. It will be those times when you find yourself sailing over the center of the arena knowing that your landing in the dirt from 15 feet in the air is going to take the wind out of you, zapping your strength and the ability to run from the bull that is sure to see your weakness. It will be the landing on your feet after an easy ride with the cheers of the crowd in your ears, ready to take a bow and bask in the glory of your success only to be hit from behind by Voodoo Child as he runs you down at 30 miles per hour, being sure to land each hard hoof in the small of your back as he passes by. With luck one of the bull fighters will attract his attention long enough for them to carry you out, get you patched up, your wounds bandaged, that broken leg taped up and the dislocated finger or shoulder popped back into place so that you can try it all over again.
And the worst wreck of all is when your hand hangs up in the bull rope and you simply don�t seem to be able to let go. The bull spins and kicks and tries to gore you as you are dragged around feeling completely helpless, praying that this nightmare ends before you have breathed your last.
You see, the bull doesn�t really want you dead; he only wants you to leave him alone�
To do the things that bulls do�
When you ride bulls for a living you have to ride the bull.
No guts, no glory.
No pain, no gain.
No ride no pay.
Cowboy up.
Mount up.
Strap up.
Hang on.
It�s gonna be a wild ride�
Or you could just go work at McDonald�s�
Mark