PBR

January 2, 2009 - the first event in the Professional Bull Riders 2009 tour was held right here in Baltimore.  It is quite a spectacle - and I realized after the show that Phyllis and I have been following Bull Riding for at least 5 years, although it took a couple of years before we actually went to see it anywhere but on the TeeVee in our living room.

It may seem a bit incongruous that this would fascinate us, but it does.  The bull riders themselves are an interesting lot - cowboys, but not the stereotypical cowboy that we tend to believe we see.  Many of the riders are from other nations (Australia and Brazil being big contributors) but they are just about without exception interesting, and smarter than you might expect someone who voluntarily gets on top of 2000 pounds of beef expecting to stay there for 8 seconds.  There are some really abrupt moves involved, and some fairly specific rules about what may be done in the process of the ride.

One thing becomes obvious in a hurry - they guys are tough.  A ride typically ends with the rider launched from the bull onto the arena floor - sometimes in a high looping arc, sometimes like a lawn dart into the ground.  Broken bones are not as common as in normal people.  Bull riders occasionally get stepped on and sat on by the bulls, which typically weigh from 1300 to 2400 pounds.  I have to believe that when a bull steps on your foot, it hurts - for about a year - but the riders get up and walk away -and come back in an hour and ride another bull.

The bulls themselves, well, they buck.  You have to see it to understand it, and then see that they are not predictable.  The job of the bull is to shed the rider - the job of the rider is to frustrate the bull in that effort for 8 seconds.  Some of the "professional" bulls stop stock still as soon as the rider is gone - their job is at that point finished.  Others continue to dance about the arena.  Some others will chase the unseated rider as if to do him harm - and some manage that.

There are support players, but one of the most important for the PBR is a guy named Flint Rasmussen - he's a clown, a cheerleader, a crowd-pleaser, an acrobat, and lots of other things - and by the look of it, all unscripted.  His comedic timing is amazing, his strength and stamina something to behold, and without his intermission playing, throwing things at the crowd, and interrupting the commentators it might even get a little dull.

The truth of the matter is that on TeeVee you see the ride better - because the video folks have all the cameras, angles, and recorded bits - but on the TeeVee you miss out on Flint and other things that make the live show.

So as unintellectual as it might seem, I remain a fan - and encourage everyone to go once and see bull riding take place live and in real time.  You too could end up being a fan.