Pro Bull Riding anyone?

1. 62

   Junksterposted 16 years ago

   I woke up on a saturday here in the UK after a rather heavy night on the Guiness and started flicking through the TV channels to find something entertaining to complement my hangover and came across the Extreme Sports Channel.
   
   Expecting to see the usual skateboarders collapsing onto concrete or even better, the beloved steel hand rail to the groin (the old ones are the classics) but no, what do I find?
   
   Pro Bull Riding!  Now I've seen this a couple of times in my youth on the TV, I've even seen a mechanical bull in  a few bars when I went to Boston and New York (god knows where one of them was in Manhatten, I forget)  but anyway I was surprised how entertaining the sport was.
   
   Aside from huge beasts trying to throw the tiny texan off his back and then said Texan having to dart for the exit it was really good to watch.  I'm not some kind of sadist who wanted to see the guy get flung off and horse-kicked in the face, I genuinely enjoyed watching ti and the beauty of the sport is that it was really easy to get the hang of what was going on.
   
   I got the markings for both bull and rider, the rulings and what was allowed and what wasn't in a matter of minutes.  Even knowing when to be worried as a bull that's "Buck off" time (awesome name by the way!) is under two seconds and hasn't been ridden for 12 showings can spell doom ofr the unlucky rider
   
   I was just wondering if anyone else had seen this or if anyone wanted something fun to watch then they should check Pro Bull Riding out, as I said over here in the UK it's on the Extreme Sports Network around 11 in the morning, chances are it's more popular in the USA  But I'm quite interested on where and when it's mostly done as when I'm next in the USA I'd definitely be up for seeing it in person.

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2. 69

   elisabeth reidposted 16 years ago

   It can be fun to watch...it's a test of athleticism and is frequently underrated.  Rodeo, in general, can be fascinating but the bullriding is the big draw...the risk is higher, I think, and Americans love to watch people take risks.  Some of the other events featured in a rodeo require more skill and finesse than bullriding, but nothing else in that sport really compares to the power of the animal in the ring.

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3. 62

   Junksterposted 16 years ago

   What else happens at a rodeo then? I'm a complete novice to the subject to be honest, I just thought that bull riding was rodeo in entirity. 
   
   I've been watching this four weeks on the trot now, it's really fun and you're right it's a definite test of athleticism balance and rhythm.  Great stuff!

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4. 69

   elisabeth reidposted 16 years ago

   Oh, there's barrel racing and calf roping and bronco riding -- I can't recall what else now.  There are several events and I'll check when I get to work tonight.  Like any other, it's a seasonal sport and there's a professional circuit but some of the best, I think, are the locally organized, more amateur events.  They tend to be smaller and feature more down-to-earth competition.

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