"Ocho secundos," my ass

[Shropshire Slasher]

Please indulge me for a moment of wonder in a niche sport.

Rodeo is an activity that exists in a very thin sliver of the Homeland. I always wanted to cover it more, but local circuits are notoriously either inept or completely hush-hush in publicizing local events.

Recently because of a semi-related news story, I became aware of a version of bullriding called "jaripeo" where riders try to stay on until the bull basically gives up and stops bucking. That sounds badass to me. It apparently originated in Central and Southern Mexico.

The Star Tribune did a good feature on this last year: Experience Jaripeo bull riding

(The only time I ever got on a bull was on a Sunday buckout when I was college age. I was lit as hell — the only reason I got up the first place — and got thrown in a microsecond.)

 

[Driftwood]

I used to love watching bull riding on weekend mornings on TNN as a kid.
A long time ago in (thankfully) a career far, far away, we were forbidden from doing anything - other than paid advertising - to promote or cover a rodeo in our area because the publisher's wife thought bull riding was animal cruelty. I tried to point out that the bulls outweighed the riders 10-fold, and dudes actually died, but no doing.

 

[User 150927]

I went to the rodeo the first time last year. It was a small rodeo but they did have bull riding. And they had four guys riding and three of them got hurt. We think one of them was pretty serious; it looked like a head injury.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I’ve had the chance to cover rodeo fairly regularly … including more than one show in which zero bullriders made 8 seconds.

Bareback bronc riding is harder on the cowboy than bull riding is, though.

 

[Neutral Corner]

I've watched rodeo over the years, from Wide World of Sports thru a little Pro Rodeo on TV and multiple trips to the Houston Rodeo, although that's a civic event/concert/rodeo. Still, you get a good dose of live rodeo, although it's held in a large venue. **** a bunch of getting on a bull's back. Nope. Not this old boy. I like my bones as they are, not rearranged.

I've got a ton of respect for the athletes who do it, from the barrel racing right on up. I don't understand how guys with testicles that large lower themselves onto a bull without hurting themselves.

 

[OscarMadison]

Sweet old horses that follow you around get my vote. I used to pet the bulls before they were kitted up for the Raiders rodeo team practises. Big, docile doofuses in the paddock, danger on the hoof in the ring.

 

[Driftwood]

I've watched rodeo over the years, from Wide World of Sports thru a little Pro Rodeo on TV and multiple trips to the Houston Rodeo, although that's a civic event/concert/rodeo. Still, you get a good dose of live rodeo, although it's held in a large venue. **** a bunch of getting on a bull's back. Nope. Not this old boy. I like my bones as they are, not rearranged.

I've got a ton of respect for the athletes who do it, from the barrel racing right on up. I don't understand how guys with testicles that large lower themselves onto a bull without hurting themselves.

I grew up on a farm. I can't tell you the number of times we "played rodeo" but jumping on the backs of sleeping calves. Most of them were probably less than 200 pounds. We'd sneak up on them in high grass, jump on, hold on around their necks for dear life, and see how long we could hang. Fortunately, the worst injuries were some busted nuts when they started bucking.

 

[Pilot]

Rodeo always proved to be very fertile ground for stories for me. You have a bunch of young men and women who really, really believe they're going to make it big and (in some events at least) put their bodies on the line as many times per week as possible to make it happen, all while traveling insane miles to get to the next ride.

Show up, start listening and you're about 80% of the way to a good story.

 

[maumann]

NSFW. Canadians are awesome.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I remember being in Dallas in '96 for a Pats game and seeing that the Morning News had a weekly Sunday rodeo column. Struck me as the finest possible sportswriting gig were one independently wealthy.

 

[SixToe]

It's interesting how many of the PBR riders list hot yoga, exercise and stretching as part of their favorite activities. Staying in shape and limber seems pretty smart.

 

[Chef2]

@BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo read the thread title and immediately punted his dead cat across the room.

 

[Iron_chet]

Fortunate to live in a city that has arguable the best, if not the richest rodeo in the world. Being a city guy I never thought I would enjoy going as much as I did. Venue here is great and you can get up fairly close.

The cowboys are are great athletes and oh my the girls in their boots and Western gear make it a great experience.

 

[Songbird]

Something Something Cissy and Scott Glenn.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

@BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo read the thread title and immediately punted his dead cat across the room.

Well, we know that doesn't take eight seconds, either ...