Ask almost any die-hard rodeo fan at the Stampede who their favorite cowboy is, and they’ll rattle off a name.
“Clint Cannon.” “Wade Sundell.” “Trevor Brazille.”
It only seemed right that I would have one, too. To choose from the many heroic and tougher-than-tough would be no simple task for me. One day I was in awe of one, the next day in awe of another. Bravery and decency were everywhere, making the decision that much more technical. Could I really choose a fave?
By Finals Night, I was sure I’d have my name. It was, contrary to prediction, a full house, even with three other major things going on within the Treasure Valley. Idahoans do love their rodeo.
Once again I marveled at the tenacity of everyone involved in the rodeo life.
When a Stampeder met with an accident, the lights went up, the music stopped, and the crowd watched and hoped for that rider. Many of us were practically in tears, we felt so bad for her. Our announcers, ever cool and calm, asked us once more to pray as a group. It felt like we’d been doing that all week; just the night before, we’d seen a man injured by a bull; the second to be knocked unconscious during this Stampede season.
“Uncurl your toes from the bottoms of your boots,” we were quietly told, “This isn’t the time to panic and clench up. It’s not going to do this girl any good. She needs your prayers and she needs your calm.”
We tried to do as advised, and applauded as is custom when she left the arena on a stretcher.
The Stampeders, with all the true grit they could muster, rode around the arena once or twice, waving to their fans. Although they are well-trained performers, it was hard for them to smile when they were so worried about one of their own. Understandable. Still, they smiled anyway. Incredible.
Minutes later, it was encouraging to see Joe Gunderson bareback bronc riding again after Wednesday night’s ride, where the horse he was riding threw itself onto its back to rid itself of him.
Davey Bayes, the Emmett cowboy, had a horse called Silver Lining Herbs that bucked so violently is flung the halter off.
When Brian Bain finished his ride, I was surprised to find myself on my feet, cheering wildly. I wasn’t alone; everyone around me was doing the same thing. The arena thundered with applause. Talk about an exciting display of skill.
“I have goosebumps!” said the friend sitting next to me. I looked down at my arm to find that I did, too. Could this be…my favorite cowboy? It seemed likely.
When Levi Berry’s gate was opened to begin his ride, we watched expectantly, but instead found a frustrated rider astride a horse named Mullen Hill that had wedged itself defiantly between the sides of the chute. It wasn’t going anywhere for anyone. Of course, this inspired comments about the horse being a female from the announcers; something they’d been doing all week long.
“You’re going to get a letter from some of the ladies in this audience,” one announcer told the other.
“Don’t I know it,” was the reply.
Some of those bucking horses had no qualms about rubbing their riders right into the gates, with other cowboys scrambling to get out of the way.
The program on Saturday was longer than the others; this was the night they had to wrap everything up, and determine the best of the best.
I continued to learn life lessons from the cowboys:
When dealing with a creature that’s crabby and difficult, the last thing they’ll attempt to do is change the creature, or that animal’s nature. That would have been a waste of time and effort. What they do is try to learn to ride what IS, and try not to get thrown until it’s time to get off. Instead of wasting their days wishing for the trip to be easier or smoother, they adjust themselves, and learn new tricks for coping with the situation. Wouldn’t we all do well to do the same?
When radio personality Dave Tester with Rodeo on the Radio had Brian Bain approach the media table for an interview, I was sitting in the seat right behind him. Since he was my new favorite rodeo cowboy, I had my photographer friend take a picture of us. Brian gamely matched my ‘thumbs up’ pose with his thumb, which was surrounded by an ice pack. Not only was he talented, he was very nice, with obvious manners that are great to see in a celebrity. I was satisfied. Everyone else had a favorite, and now I did, too. Brian Bain. Yep. He was my favorite. I could cross that off the list.
When Wade Sundell rode Lunatic Fringe the crowd was cheering so loudly that we couldn’t hear the eight-second buzzer go off. It was a ride that won him the title.
Justin Rumford entertained us once more with his antics, stripping off his usual garb to reveal the Evil Knievil suit beneath, which bordered on obscene. Only Justin could pull something like that off. (But just barely!) When his cowboy volunteers were lying beyond his mini-motorcycle ramp one more time, preparing to get jumped over, they threw clods dirt at Justin at every opportunity. I loved the passive-aggressive flavor of that. After Justin’s jump, they stole his mini-motorcycle and rode off with it, to the delight of the crowd.
We didn’t hear or see as much from Justin Rumford that last night, as he was busy filling in for bullfighter Will O’Connell, who was injured, knew it, and laid there for help while his partner Cory Wall put himself in harm’s way and as payment got slammed into the gates not once but twice in a bone-crushing manner. There was no way that guy didn’t have several broken ribs. Still, he kept on, and moved just as quickly as before to help his friends. Every now and then, he doubled over a bit, but stood ever-at-the-ready when it was time to spring into action.
Our Stampeder and Will O’Connell weren’t the last of the injuries on Finals Night; one tie-down roper twisted his knee sideways in a completely unnatural way. He knew all too well what had happened, and he wasn’t about to try to get up without help. We’ve had more than the average amount of mishaps this year; the nature of the beast, quite literally.
The beasts got it, too. When a steer charged with his horns toward a cowboy, the cowboy ducked and the steer did what looked like a dive-forward-roll into the dirt, looking like it landed on its head and neck. The cowboy rushed to its side and immobilized its neck, holding firmly to its legs as it struggled in an attempt to get up, which would have been the very worst thing for it at the moment. This big tough cowboy stayed with the steer until help arrived. The announcers said what we were all thinking:
“---And people say that we don’t treat our animals well. If anyone has any doubts after tonight that we love and care about our animals, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
It was evident. The steer got the same treatment that as anyone else who’d been hurt during the duration of the rodeo.
The report came back that Will O’ Connell, after his run-in with a massive bull, was stable but did not know where he was. At least we had that. Cory Wall, quite literally, had saved his life.
I felt my mind shift allegiance. Sorry, Brian Bain. I was going to have to change my pick.
For five nights I’ve watched the married father of a one-year-old risk life and limb for his friends. I’ve seen him get into the face of an angry bull so that cowboy after cowboy could escape terrible harm. On Finals Night, I saw him take blow after life-squelching blow from a devil of a beast, and still keep going like nothing happened, even though he had to have been in horrible pain.
When the Stampede was over, and people filed out for the party outside to dance, eat, and visit with friends, there stood Cory Wall, signing autographs and smiling a tired smile. Aware of who pays his bills, he wasn’t about to let his fans down, either, just like he didn’t let his riders down all week long. This is a man that can be depended on, no matter what. This is the sort of person that our children can look up to. This is my kind of hero.
Cory Wall is, by far, my favorite cowboy.
The Snake River Stampede was better than ever this year, because of men like him.
See you next year, Cory.
See you next year, Stampede Fans!
To see photos, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_larson/sets/72157627277614832/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_larson/sets/72157627153349361/
No comments:
Post a Comment