I had an opportunity on Saturday night to be near the bull riders' prep area. It is a reminder of the dangers of the sport and the age of these young men. A couple of riders are in their 30s. Jess Lockwood, from Montana, is only 19 and has 2017 winnings of $189,000 and some change. Six-Eight of the 35 are from Brazil and two riders are from Australia. One was a South Dakota boy.
I found a web site that explains the role of the bull rider's apparel & equipment, the role each plays in his safety:
PBR Guide to the Gear
Alex Marcillo, Brazil, the rider
knocked out cold after landing
EMTs, PBR staff, protecting him from the crowd
he required 13 stitches which were done at the rodeo grounds
he later appeared and was awarded a helmet
he is one of the few who wears a cowboy hat
the role of the man standing on the gate
is to pull on the braided leather rope used by the
bull rider to stay on the bull
he pulls and pulls it tight and hops off the gate
before the rider shimmies forward
one hand holds the rope, keeping him on the bull... maybe
notice the red mouth guard
he wraps it around his gloved hand a couple of times
then he shimmies forward closer to the front strap
nods to the gate man
and he is off for an 8 second ride
the ungloved hand is held in the air and can not
touch any part of the bull during the 8 seconds
Here are few videos of the rides from Friday and Saturday night:
Stormy Wing on Friday night's 8 second ride
unknown rider
watch the dismount
this ride got Gage Gay to the Championship Round
again, watch the dismount
Gage Gay rode all 3 of his bulls
his Championship Round ride
he won first place at this PBR event, $7100
The videos show what these men go through each time they get on their bulls. It is not a sport for old men. You also realize it is a sport for younger men based on their names: Koal, Slick, Cody Rodeo, Keyshawn, and Stormy. Those are the US riders!
I have one more post about the rodeo. This one is a human interest story. No, the romance writers were not back in Deadwood. This story is about the Safety Man.