Added: 07/30/2007 |
Giving It All For RodeoSome of the bravest people involved in any competition today are the men and women that give it all for rodeo. Whether they are tackling a head of cattle or riding a crazed bronco, rodeo athletes are the original extreme athletes. As rodeo gets more and more popular around the world these brave competitors are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve.
Some of the calmer rodeo events are also the ones that you don’t see a lot of in rodeo competition. Barrel racing is a women’s only event that sees the female competitor racing around a series of barrels to try and record the fastest time. There is another variation of the barrel race that involves the bending of poles as part of the course that is run but only barrel racing is actually used in a professional rodeo competition.
Steer wrestling, or bulldogging, is one of the most dangerous events in any rodeo but it also happens to be one of the most popular. The cowboy has to somehow negotiate the jump from his horse that is in full gallop down to a steer, with horns, that he has to wrestle to the ground and tie up with a rope. This is also a timed event and if the steer’s horns don’t get the cowboy then the jump from the horse to the steer just may do the job. It takes a great amount of skill and timing to correctly pull off an event like this and the truly professional rodeo competitors make this event look a lot easier than it really is.
Probably the most famous of all the rodeo events are the bronc riding events and the bull riding events. The cowboy gets on the back of a very upset horse, or bull, and has to hang on to a ride for a pre-determined amount of time. One of the most common times used is 8 seconds and the riders are not just trying to hang on for the timed ride but they are also trying to get style points. Much like a figure skating event, the bronc or bull rider in a rodeo is trying to score as many style points as he can so that he may win the competition. The style points is pretty much where the comparison between bronc or bull riding and figure skating ends.
The rodeo attempts to brand itself and a completely American creation and it attempts to enhance its image as a preservation of the ways of the cowboys of the wild west by using much of the symbolism associated with American wild west cowboys. In reality the rodeo was started in Mexico by the Spanish ranch owners and their Mexican ranch hands. Many of the events in a rodeo are based on the actual day to day tasks of a ranch hand and the danger they pose was also very real in those days as well. As the American west was being settled the wild west shows became popular and they would also include some version of a rodeo. Soon the rodeo show had not only become popular in the United States and Mexico but it has also become very popular in the Canadian west as well. The Canadian city of Calgary hosts a world famous rodeo every year with competitors from all over the world. As the popularity of the rodeo continues to increase so too does the fame of its competitors and also the prizes that they are regularly risking their lives for at each and every rodeo.
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