How to make a lot of $$ in 8 seconds

If it sounds too good to be true, it's because it's a matter of sheer luck and timing whether you win the $100,000-pot prize and the Extreme Bull Championship. At least, that's my view, after watching the Extreme Bull riders this evening.

Thirty two buff cowboys tried their luck, twelve of them made it to the finals, and one finished a winner and collected the most cash, nearly $10,000.

It’s all quite simple: you need to remain on the back of a bucking, angry bull for 8 seconds, while holding on with one hand.  And while you try valiantly to stay on the back of this 1,600- plus- pound animal determined to shake you off, judges score you on your form and on how well you manage to control the angry, bucking animal while your body undergoes convulsive contortions.  

bull rider flung off the bucking bull while the three bullfighters distract his attention
away from the fallen rider

If you are lucky, you make it to the 8 seconds, but more often than not, you end up thrown to the ground within the first few seconds. And if you are even luckier, you manage to evade the bull’s rearing legs as you scramble away to safety once you get your breath back.  The three bull fighters are there to protect the bull rider from injury as they distract the animal.

holding on for dear life while the judge in the white shirt watches and scores
the rider

The winner is the one with the top score who also managed to avoid being thrown off for 8 seconds.  What I did not know is that the animals also receive a score, some ranking as the top animal athlete on the rodeo circuit. 

I watched, fascinated.  For some, even those most experienced in the circuit, the ride lasted less than 4 seconds.  Others landed on the ground just shy of the 8 seconds, for a "no score." And for those who made it to 8 seconds, the audience cheered and clapped, and fireworks were set off.

I would run in the opposite direction if I saw one of these ..

trying to coax the angry bull towards his gate

There were several mean bulls tonight.  One in particular had no intention of leaving the arena after ridding himself of his rider.  He ran around the arena, officials and rodeo staff jumping up on the wall to avoid him.  He was so angry, that this animal athlete dared to charge the two cowboys whose job it is to round up the riderless animals and coax them towards their gate.

I kept wondering why anyone would even consider attempting this dangerous feat.  Surely the risks of riding a wild bull for 8 seconds aren't worth the slim likelihood of winning a large pot of money?  We saw one rider being taken out on a stretcher when he hit the ground at a bad angle. Others had serious head injuries in previous competitions. The announcer sang the praises of one rider who in a previous competition had fallen, broken a rib that punctured his lung, and had it not been for speedy medical help, would have died as his lungs filled with blood. This same bull rider was back tonight, the crowds clapping and cheering in pure admiration in a sold-out arena.  

Perhaps the collection of serious injuries is a cowboy's badge of honor.

It did cross my mind a couple of times that this atmosphere could be very similar to being a spectator at the Colosseum in ancient Rome....

As for Extreme Bull riding.... "Absolutely nuts" is what I think.  But then, I am not a cowboy, and I am not brave, a real man with grit and gumption, one who bounces back despite all odds and challenges, one who pushes to extreme limits on extreme bulls.

What I noticed, is that many of these bull riders are neither tall nor big, beefy men. My instinct would be to run like the wind in the opposite direction from a massive bull, yet these bull riding cowboys seemed to welcome the challenge to sit bareback and control one.  In fact, it seems that the meaner and larger the bull, the better.

Skill, athleticism, courage, extreme bravery….. or sheer nuttiness?  You be the judge.  I  know my answer and can well imagine the inevitable result as man pits himself against beast.