Bull Riding 101
story by Anne Beaty, photo by Kristy Reimer
On a sunny April day, more than a dozen enthusiastic people gather just west of Airdrie at Girletz Rodeo Ranch for a hands-on lesson in bull riding. The group - a diverse bunch including a student, a cabinet maker, a farmer, a dental hygienist, a former bull rider and a couple of lawyers - is kicking off the 2010 season at Fantasy Adventure Bull Riding Ltd., the brainchild of Airdrie's Joe Messina, a former professional bull rider himself.
As part of the three-hour Bull Riding 101 class, participants are first treated to a history of rodeo, which was begun in the 1800s as way of improving such ranching skills as steer wrestling, calf roping and bronc busting. Bull riding, however, started on a dare, according to Messina, and it is now North America's fastest-growing sport.
Next, Messina explains the rules and regulations of the sport and introduces everyone to the equipment needed, from boots to ropes to vests. (While a must for the saddle bronc event, chaps are "absolutely useless" for bull riding, he adds.)
He goes on to talk about perhaps the most important tool - the mind. "Train your mind, your body will follow," he says, adding that bull riding is 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical. "When you're in that chute, you just zone out," he says. Then the gate opens and, strange as it may seem, it's a very peaceful feeling. "I can guarantee you you're not thinking of anything else in the world," he says. "Eight seconds feels like an eternity."
Once he finishes his talk, the class heads outside to meet the bulls, which are bred and raised specifically for the sport. "They're athletes, they're not just farm animals," says Messina, who is adamant that the bulls are in no way mistreated or abused. The bulls have a natural bucking ability and "as soon as we put them down those bucking chutes, man, they know [it's] game on," he jokes.
Then the class splits up - half head inside to try to learn style and technique on a mechanical bull and half adjourn to the chutes, where they will each get the opportunity to 'meet their dancing partner' and sit on his back.
When all is said and done, Messina says goodbye to his students, all of whom now have an up-close-and-personal understanding of the sport of bull riding.
At the end of the Fantasy Adventure Bull Riding season, the 30 top graduates get an opportunity to put their newfound knowledge to the test at the annual Calgary Police Rodeo in August. "I get these 30 guys on the bulls for the first time," Messina says.
He may no longer be riding bulls himself, but Messina's passion is evident as he reminisces about his own career (he retired two years ago) and the 'highs and lows' of the sport. "I get chills just thinking about it," he says.
And being able to share that joy with others is what makes it all worthwhile. "It is my passion and I absolutely love it," he says.
