...
...Eight seconds can feel like forever.
Once the gate rips open and the bull charges out into the ring doing its best to vault the rider off its back, there’s a team waiting to make sure the rider gets out of the ring alive — and Roman Kevin Ellis said he can’t imagine not being a part of that team.
“I love fighting bulls. A lot of people don’t realize that there are still cowboys out there,” said Ellis. “I’m a cowboy.”
Click here to see video coverage of Friday night's action.
With a wry grin, Ellis said he got into bull fighting “by accident” and that he’s not funny enough to be a clown — but to be a bullfighter “you gotta have a sense of humor.”
He said it’s especially important when you have to take a hit to possibly save a life.
“I’ve had to get hit a lot of times,” he said. “
Five-year-old Hayden Wilkelman puts on his boots Friday after riding a mechanical bull at The Forum. By Ryan Smith / RN-T |
Sometimes it’s not as bad; sometimes it’s like being hit by a Mac truck.”
Ellis said that when the eight seconds begins so does his job.
“What I’m going to watch a lot of is the body position of the cowboy and anticipate the wreck before it happens,” said Ellis. He and his partner Ben Lee get together before the show to discuss strategy, but when it comes down to game time “we just see it and react to it.”
But the main show at the Three Rivers Bull Riding Invitational, which began Friday and ends today at The Forum, is the rider.
John Mastrangelo got started with his true love and profession — bull riding — when he attended Berry College. Once he got on, he was hooked.
“It’s the best feeling ever — you get on and are just riding it, and everything is just so easy,” said Mastrangelo. “You have to be on the bull eight seconds. After that you try and get off as safely as you can.”
He said the good days are effortless. He spurs the bull for extra points and throws peace signs at his buddies.
On the bad ones, he said, “You grit your teeth, hold on and hope something gets better. There’s no point in riding if you don’t try.”
Either way, after that eight seconds is over the rider has to get off, but Mastrangelo said he doesn’t worry about that before the ride — it’s just business as usual. “Some people start slapping themselves to get ready,” he said. “I usually get tired and start yawning.”
Also starring at The Forum is award-winning rodeo clown Keith Isley. From a seemingly endless bag of tricks Isley entertains with a dog, a horse, a little crowd participation, some rope tricks and some old-fashioned humor.
He said the tricks are fun, and he really likes the pay, but the kids in the audience are really what makes it worth it. As to his awards, he said — with a humor that seems to come naturally — “I’m the only one in the category; that’s how you win these things.”
But the job of the rodeo clown isn’t just to bring smiles; he is also out there in case things go wrong. His job is to position a large barrel to protect the bull rider and the bull fighter if necessary.
“The rodeo clown will position the barrel to protect the bullfighter,” said Ellis. “It’s the island of safety.”
If you go
What: Three Rivers Bull Riding Invitational
Where: The Forum
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
How much: Tickets range from $14.02 to $18.69 for adults and $9.35 for children
