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Behind the Scenes at the 2000 NFR    Preview 3

Okay before we got off on the economic issue yesterday … we were discussing the hard feeling harbored by some contestants toward the NFR/PRCA.   Some of the most disillusioned are/were bull riders—some pretty famous ones, in fact.   How come? This may take a while …..

At most rodeos, including the NFR, bull riding takes up more time than any other event.   Why?  First of all it’s dangerous — people die - on a regular basis doing it.   Contestants need to get things right in the chute — not only to be successful but also to be able to see another day’s dawn.   Second, unlike horses, most bulls have a bad attitude.  While a horse’s first instinct is FLIGHT—a bull’s is FIGHT.   It’s a testosterone thing. 

It takes time to present the bull riding event correctly and as safely as possible and MANY bull riders, both past and present, feel like the NFR (whoever makes all the decisions) don’t even try to do it right.  We try to bring the buckinest bulls in rodeo to the NFR and guess what - sometimes they aren’t real domesticated.   They’ll lean… they’ll lay… they’ll bounce your head off the front plug… all kinds of fun stuff.  

I’d imagine that for some folks a bull rider getting bratted in the chute has no more emotional impact than watching a carton character like Wiley Coyote crash.   But see…. the bull rider character actually FEELS it.    It hurts.   When you hear his leg snap - IT’S REALLY HIS LEG. 

I’ve had more than one bull rider (even a world champ) tell me that what REALLY hurt is that they felt like the people hurrying them in the chutes, their bosses, the NFRC, and the PRCA—none of them gave a rat’s behind WHAT HAPPENED to the bull riders as long as they got their precious NFR rodeo over with--right on time.  

I doubt if that is true, but that’s how some of the bull riders felt.   More than once while the BIG WIGS could’ve been patting themselves on their backs because the rodeo got over on time, we were hauling *ss to the emergency room.  That’s when time IS important.

I don’t think anyone at the NFR would purposely get a bull rider hurt.  No one can really know what is in another person’s heart or mind but he CAN know what happens if you don’t give bull riders ENOUGH time.   More injuries.  Riders pressured into making bad decisions.   And giving the event all the production time it requires is even more important at the NFR because guys get sore and banged up and the bulls are usually pretty bucky.

During the season a guy gets sore or banged up - he’ll go home for a while.  At the NFR, if they got any TRY about um—they keep getting on.   They are at higher than normal risk and consideration should be given.

Sorry, I got a little emotional there.  Bull riding is an emotional occupation - it has to be.   Unfortunately, far too often, the only emotion I can detect in lots of people in positions of authority isn’t compassion… it’s anger and cynicism.

Back to business…. the bright lights and commotion of the NFR only magnifies the chute problems, particularly

for bulls that are their herd’s only NFR representative.  That totally freaks out lots of bulls.   Some are scared, some are mad, but nearly ALL are upset to some degree.  And they vent their frustration in the bucking chutes.   And that EATS UP TIME.   

Two little bobbles and a chute boss may panic and award a reride.   If so… that bull can’t be used again at the NFR.  The best bull in the world might never get bucked.   I guess no one every figured out that giving a guy another 30 more seconds to get out takes less time than running up a reride, having the guy get his rope on and get ready, then quite possibly have exactly the same problem with the reride bull.  

Lots of bull riders might tell you there is too much of a “just get it the *ell over with” attitude at the NFR.  Every second is precious.  For example… time it… see how long it takes for a bull rider to hit the ground before some palooka in a sport coat has him by the arm pushing him toward the gate trying to get him out of the arena.  

Less than 15 seconds.   Like they are picking up a pop can… get that trash out of the arena.   It’s degrading for a professional athlete (unless he’s a prom queen) to be escorted by the arm by anyone in suit coat.  

Since time is the #1 consideration at the NFR, some bull riders believe that pressure on the two chute bosses is applied by higher-ups to get the event over as fast as possible.  Bull riders speculate that the chute bosses get get hollered at and they in turn profusely verbalize while the bull riders are trying to get out on their bulls.  

If a chute boss decides that in HIS opinion the contestant is taking too long—he can stick a $250 fine on him.  That fine progressively doubles each time.  What makes the situation even more tenuous is that mishaps in other events sometimes eat up more time than normal.  So then the bull riding event has even LESS TIME.    

As the performances go by, ALL the bull riders get banged up or just plane sore.  Some find their confidence shattered.   Many get more tentative… they get more deliberate… and that takes up more production time.   More hollering, more pressure, more fines, … more bad decisions…. fewer good rides …. more injuries.

I don’t wish for anyone to get the impression that I am down on the NFR chute bosses.  I’m not.  I think if left alone—they could do a good job.   I WILL tell you however that when they used Donnie Gay as an assistant chute boss we had NO problems in the bull ridnig.  Why?  Credibility.   It’s not only that he won 8 World Titles… it’s how he did it.  He never ducked a BAD sucker and he’d take one laying on his belly—and he’d win.  

When an NFR bull rider looks through the slats at Donnie he knows that Donnie has “been there—done that”… he knows as much about rodeo production as anyone (probably more)… he expects them to cowboy up and if they don’t he’ll not only fine them but even worse—they are in for an embarrassing lecture… and he’d never tell them to do something that he wouldn’t do—or would get them hurt.   It’s all about credibility and trust.  A chute boss might say the very same things in the very same way and the bull riders might not accept it.   That’s not the chute bosses fault.

I never asked Donnie why he wasn’t invited back.   I have a pretty good idea.   Donnie’s going to do what’s right no matter what the BIG BOSSES say.   He doesn’t need a job.   You get in his face… he’ll tell you where to stick it.   You don’t like it… he’ll fight (granted—not very effectively—but he’ll ante.)   If Donnie Gay would have been at the Alamo—at the very end—he’da charged.    That’s the kinda guy I would trust with bull rider lives.

The PBR has a good situation with Cody and Tuff being right there.  They have obvious credentials.  They expect guys cowboy-up but they won’t run their mouths or panic and jump up and down all over the chutes looking like they are actually accomplishing something besides adding to the problem.  (It looks good from the sky boxes).   And they aren’t afraid to tell a bull rider what his problem is.   That is far more effective than a fine.

I guess the point I’m trying to get to is this…. bull riding takes TIME… time to give guys who have their frickin’ LIVES on the line a chance to get things right in the chute—time to get things right so they don’t get one-jumped but instead rack up those 90 pointy scores that sell the rodeo and keep people paying $35-$250 for a ticket.   And….the NFR doesn’t allow that to happen.   

I had one bull rider offer the challenge…. “Let um have the NFR without the bull riding.  They’ll have plenty of time then.  Time to dust off all those empty seats.  Time to lower tickets prices down to $10.   Time to reflect on their ignorance.”   Couldn’t have said it better myself.  

Sure …..production time IS important but contestant LIVES are far more important.   I cannot believe we are even having to discuss this.   Someone has their priorities screwed up… someONES.    The idea that a few people could possibly RUIN the NFR experience for a group of contestants (the very best in the world)—makes me sick.   What should be one of their greatest memories… could end up being their worst.   No… actually it makes me mad. I’m already cynical… heck… I may submit a resume.

But for a bull rider… hurrying can end your life.   Guess the good news is…. if you’re dead, bad memories don’t make much difference.   (An assumption on my part).