Bronc and Bull Riding at the Cody Stampede
Last week I went to my first rodeo, the Cody Stampede in Wyoming. Every night at the Stampede the ring announcer, a true smooth talker, led a prayer for the “athletes who perform on the most dangerous playing field in professional sports.”
I’ve seen boxers take pretty good beatings, but after a few nights at the rodeo, I don’t think that the announcer was overdoing it. Livestock are powerful, and mean when tormented.
The most dangerous events at the rodeo involve riding the bucking horses and bulls. Horses are ridden both saddled and bareback. Bulls are ridden bareback.
The format is the same in all riding events; the gate opens, the animal bucks, and the rider tries to stay on for 8 seconds. Two judges score both bull and rider, giving each up to 25 points. These scores are added to make up the rider's total score, out of 100 possible points. The more the animal bucks, the more difficult the ride, and if the rider stays on for the full 8 seconds, the higher his score. The winning bull rider at the Stampede was Clayton Williams. His score of 86 won him $11,229.
To make the animal buck, handlers tie on an irritation belt and prod it in the chute before the ride. And during the ride, the cowboy spurs it. Most times this treatment makes the animal buck wildly, sometimes throwing the rider before they are out of the pen. But sometimes the animal’s performance is lackluster.
If the rider stays on for a particularly weak run, he’ll get a chance to re-ride. But most times a mediocre performance means he's out of luck and out of the money. A rider’s score depends on the performance of the livestock just as much as his own performance. The riders and animal are randomly matched.
The stockmen that produce quality livestock are revered. In Cody, the prominent stockman is Ike Stankey. Many of his animals are used at the Wrangler National Rodeo Finals, held in December in Las Vegas. At the Stampede, Stankey himself works in the chute preparing his bulls and horses.
At this year’s Stampede, no riders were mauled or gored. A few were kicked. And almost all of them were thrown around like rag dolls- they really fly; the riders tend to be built like gymnasts.
Almost every rider wears a flak jacket. Some wear helmets, but most only cowboy hats. One bull rider told me that getting hurt was not a matter of "if" but "where" and "when." They were lucky at the Stampede; every man left the arena under his own power. The only paramedic is a guy with wearing a Cowboy hat and latex gloves. Since western wear is required inside the arena, it was hard to tell his qualifications.
After watching Italy advance to the World Cup finals, I was struck by the lack of histrionics at the rodeo. Once and again the winner pumped a fist, or a rider knelt after getting thrown and having his wind knocked out. These guys are tough. After a ride, successful or not, they walk away, drink a Bud Light, and drive to the next rodeo.
I’ve seen boxers take pretty good beatings, but after a few nights at the rodeo, I don’t think that the announcer was overdoing it. Livestock are powerful, and mean when tormented.
The most dangerous events at the rodeo involve riding the bucking horses and bulls. Horses are ridden both saddled and bareback. Bulls are ridden bareback.
The format is the same in all riding events; the gate opens, the animal bucks, and the rider tries to stay on for 8 seconds. Two judges score both bull and rider, giving each up to 25 points. These scores are added to make up the rider's total score, out of 100 possible points. The more the animal bucks, the more difficult the ride, and if the rider stays on for the full 8 seconds, the higher his score. The winning bull rider at the Stampede was Clayton Williams. His score of 86 won him $11,229.
To make the animal buck, handlers tie on an irritation belt and prod it in the chute before the ride. And during the ride, the cowboy spurs it. Most times this treatment makes the animal buck wildly, sometimes throwing the rider before they are out of the pen. But sometimes the animal’s performance is lackluster.
If the rider stays on for a particularly weak run, he’ll get a chance to re-ride. But most times a mediocre performance means he's out of luck and out of the money. A rider’s score depends on the performance of the livestock just as much as his own performance. The riders and animal are randomly matched.
The stockmen that produce quality livestock are revered. In Cody, the prominent stockman is Ike Stankey. Many of his animals are used at the Wrangler National Rodeo Finals, held in December in Las Vegas. At the Stampede, Stankey himself works in the chute preparing his bulls and horses.
At this year’s Stampede, no riders were mauled or gored. A few were kicked. And almost all of them were thrown around like rag dolls- they really fly; the riders tend to be built like gymnasts.
Almost every rider wears a flak jacket. Some wear helmets, but most only cowboy hats. One bull rider told me that getting hurt was not a matter of "if" but "where" and "when." They were lucky at the Stampede; every man left the arena under his own power. The only paramedic is a guy with wearing a Cowboy hat and latex gloves. Since western wear is required inside the arena, it was hard to tell his qualifications.
After watching Italy advance to the World Cup finals, I was struck by the lack of histrionics at the rodeo. Once and again the winner pumped a fist, or a rider knelt after getting thrown and having his wind knocked out. These guys are tough. After a ride, successful or not, they walk away, drink a Bud Light, and drive to the next rodeo.
1 Comments:
Great stuff, Nick. Who are the rodeo stars these days? Were any big names riding in Cody?
And what type of swag do they sell at the rodeo? Can you get, like, a big foam finger, for instance? Or a pennant that says "Rodeo"?
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