A Photographic and Cinematic Adventure On The Creative Frontier
Castello di Amorosa is a little winery in the Napa Valley. Apparently the proprietor not only loves his wine, he loves his castles. So much so that he used the materials and artisans from Italy to build a full sized castle in his vineyard to host guests, banquets, wine tastings and jousting tournaments. I’m not totally sure about that last thing, but I’m pretty sure I saw a dragon while we were there.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed last week series The Bull Riders. I have a big week lined up for everyone, including the debut of my newest movie, ‘Contrast’, so let’s get to it!
If you have been a regular here for a while, you know last year I did a story on a little town called Crescent Valley. It is a mining town smack dab in the middle of the richest counties in the US. During the week I was there, I got to know a lot of the residents. One of them had a cool collection of cars that he restores when he’s not at the mine. He invited me to come by one evening to photograph his shop. What I found was a little history in American muscle cars.
The Complete Story of ‘The Bull Riders’
I interviewed quite a few cowboys over the 3 days I was at the PBR, but the guys I talked to the most were Austin Meier (left) and Ryan Dirteater (right). They were actually the first guys I talked to. I showed up early, hoping to get a lay of the land, and they were hanging out in the stands tweeting with their fans. Those guys gave me a good 1/2 hour to chat about training and the sport of bull riding. Good guys to follow, you can find them here on Twitter.
Today we are going to take a look at those hours before the riders get on their bulls to compete. However, before we do that, I want to take a second to let you know what Austin shared with me about how he trains off the bull. Of the guys I spoke to, Austin seemed to have one of the most focused and regimented programs. Here is what he does to improve his bull riding.
After the riders arrive and the area, send out a few tweets, and get a meal in them, they unload their gear and start their preparations. Here is a quick look at what happens before the chutes open.
1) They rosin up their gloves and rope. Heat quickly turns a dry piece of tree sap into a natural adhesive.
2) They texture and fray their ropes, ensuring they won’t slip.
3) They seek the medical services provided to them by the PBR. A riders condition is shared by medical staff at different venues. They are always looking out for the best interest of the rider. Although, as one rider left the medical offices, he jokingly said….”bull riding is not in my best interest”.
Francisco Morales prefers to perform his own medical duties. He learned how to splint his arm from the PTs on staff, now he does it himself as part of his pre-game ritual. There isn’t much time to heal in a 10 month season. Remember, these guys don’t get paid unless they compete and win. He’s riding with a hyperextended elbow.
4) They chat with friends and take a look at the arena. Anything to help them relax I guess.
5) They dress their bull.
6) They sit alone in line with their bull as they both make their way to the arena floor.
7) Once they are up, and their bull is in the chute, whoever is standing on deck helps the rider get settled. This involves holding him in place if the bull starts to buck as he gets his grip dialed in. I asked a few riders what is going through their mind at this point. Some like to play it loose and joke with their buddies. Some focus on the game at hand, while others don’t think about a thing….their mind goes blank and they wait for the bull to move.
8) The chute guy gets really stressed out.
9) This guy jumps into the bleachers when he pulls the chute door open.
10) Once that chute door opens, and the cowboy is alone with the bull, years of training and practice turns itself into a finely honed survival instinct.
Tomorrow, we conclude our story of ‘The Bull Riders’ with a few images of these guys making 8!
The Complete Story of ‘The Bull Riders’
Today we will take a look at the Bull Rider’s gear. Surprisingly, it is not a very gear intensive sport. The rider and the bull are pretty much one…well, at least for 8 seconds if everything goes according to plan. Tomorrow we go behind the scenes and follow the athletes as they prepare for event.
The Boot – The bull rider keeps himself on the bull with leg and core strength. Unlike the horse riders, they don’t have stirrups. They simply use the power of their legs to keep them centered over the bull’s back. That being said, they don’t want their boots coming off. A saddle bronc rider will actually put baby powder in their boot so their foot can slide out easier if they are bucked. A bull rider ties his boot on as tight as he can. If a bull rider gets hung up, the rodeo clowns actually have to run out and cut them free as the bull is bucking.
The Protection – More and more bull riders are choosing to wear both a flack jacket and helmet. I would guess about 80% of them are protecting themselves with a helmet. I can’t blame them. I witnessed a rider take a blow to the head, and walk away with a mild concussion. I’m guessing if he didn’t have the helmet on, things would have turned out much worse. If I were ever to win the PBR championship, and they sent me home with a million dollar check, you bet the next day I would have a helmet on. I would want to enjoy the fruits of my labor for as long as I could.
The Rawl – I didn’t know this, but the spur is what sticks out from the boot, the rawl is spiny thing that chimes when cowboys walk into a saloon. Unlike gunfighters and horse riders, a bull riders rawl is locked down so that they can hold on to the bull better. The rawl is also filed down so that it doesn’t harm the bull.
The Rope – Other than balance and the strength of the rider’s legs, the rope is all they have to keep them on the bull. Some riders tie it tight, others keep it loose. Basically, it is has a small handle where they grip it and a bell to weigh it down so that it slides off when they break free. A bull rider’s rope will last between one and three years depending on the rider. Prior to the event, they coat it in a resin (tree sap) and glycerin to make it sticky and easier to hold on to.
The Glove – It is what it is. It keeps their hands protected and improves their hold on the rope. Most of the riders will tape it tight above their writs. Much like the boot, they don’t want it coming off.
You are looking at the Anchorage Museum. It is where you wait for your bus that picks you up to take you to a cruise ship. That is the obvious difference between an Alaskan cruise and a Caribbean cruise. Although I haven’t been on a Caribbean cruise, I’m guessing you aren’t getting cultured waiting for you ship. You are more likely slamming margaritas getting primed to make some bad decisions.
This week I’ll be working on our next story. It will be focused on the world of Rodeo and the athletes who compete in it. I will be posting a lot of behind the scenes images like this iPhone image every night on Facebook/Twitter so give our FB page a like or so you can follow along.
Also, if you have any questions for either a bull rider or rodeo clown tweet them to me or post them here or on FB and I will do my best to get them answered.
