The injuries included a bro-ken wrist, a broken thumb, a torn rotator cuff and whiplash. A car wreck? Not quite. More than 10 Flathead students clash with beasts that can weigh as much as a small car, though, in a series of indoor rodeos lasting from the first part of November to the end of March at Carpenter’s Arena. Over the long season, the athletes feel the wear of the event. “I’ve had the average bumps and bruises,” said senior Cody Williams, a bull rider. “Sometimes you get kicked and stepped on.” Senior Marisa Larson went head-to-head with a 1,200 pound beast — and lost. Larson was headed by a bull Jan. 3 in the rodeo at Carpenter’s. The accident left her with broken blood clots and torn muscles in her left knee. “I got a rank (temperamental) bull in the chute, and they had to squeeze the chute on him,” said Larson. “I didn’t tell them I was ready to go — the bull turned in the chute and twisted my leg.” Larson tried to continue her ride after the injury occurred in the chute. “I was making a good ride, but you have to use your legs so much (that) when I went to use this leg the pain was too much,” said Larson. “So I jerked my wrap and let go.” With her injury, Larson won’t be able to ride for a month. “It is hard to watch other people do things that you can’t — when you are used to not being helpless it is hard,” said Larson. “You’re used to being able to do things on your own.” Even with injuries so inher-ent with the sport, riders say it is often family and friends who give them the first exposure to the traditional sport of rodeo, which bases its events on the skills required by traditional cowboys. Williams, who has ridden “better than 60 bulls” in the three years since he started, began riding when a friend introduced him to the sport. “A good friend of mine was in the rodeo,” said Williams. “He was my idol, so he got me interested. Senior Shayne Saylor has been riding bareback horses since he was in fifth grade. He became involved in the contest after spending summers on a ranch with his uncle and cousins. “It’s a challenge,” said Saylor. “It’s a lot of fun to try to do the best you can.” Larson has ridden 16 bulls in the past three years, but was introduced to watching bulls as a grade-schooler. “My dad used to take me to rodeos when I was little,” said Larson. “I saw it and I just wanted to do it.” Larson said her wish is that bull riding would be respected by people as a difficult sport that requires skill. “A lot of people think it’s easy, that you can just jump up and ride,” said Larson. “But it’s hard. Unless you’ve tried, you shouldn’t judge people.” Williams hopes to turn professional after finishing his post-high school education. He said he seeks the thrill he feels after a ride. “I like to get high naturally,” said Williams. “Even if you get bucked off, you come up feeling on top of the world.” |
