I Should have been a Cowboy

I should have been a cowboy...I should have learned to rope and ride... as Toby Keith sings about wanting to be a cowboy, Chuck Van Avery* knows what it is like to "rope and ride". After twenty years of riding rodeos around the country, he has seen the ups and downs of this sport.

Rodeo has been around since the early American settlers began moving westward. It began as a way for cowboys to blow off some steam after a long day wrestling cattle. Most of the events in rodeo are a natural outflow of their daily duties; such as breaking horses or rounding up steer. But bull riding was just a way for the cowboy to match his strength against the powerful bull.

Chuck rode in several rodeo events and was considered an "all-around-cowboy". He rode bull riding, saddle bronc, and bareback events. At the peak of his career in rodeo, he found himself competing in some of the largest rodeos; including Cheyenne Frontier Days and Calgary Stampede (Canada).

Van Avery said he "got interested in the sport when he heard some guys at church talking about riding". Soon after, he decided to tag along and try his hand at the sport. It didn't take long for the adrenaline rush to get him hooked on rodeo, especially bull riding.

Chuck would agree that bull riding requires balance, flexibility, coordination, quick reflexes, and a strong mental attitude. In this event, the rider ties a flat braided rope around the bull's chest just behind the front legs and over the withers. The tail of the rope is threaded through a rope pad and tightened around the bull. The other end is wrapped around the riders hand. The rider then slides forward so he is almost sitting on his own hand; this gives him better balance and control.

Once the gate is opened, the rider must stay on the bull for eight seconds while holding on with only one hand. If the rider touches the bull with his other arm or hand (or if he should be bucked off before eight seconds) he is disqualified. Both the rider and the bull are judged on a fifty point scale, with 100 points being a perfect score. The cowboy with the highest score wins the event.

Because of the aggressive nature of the sport, it requires the rider to commit to a high level of training and perseverance. Chuck stated that he spent a lot of time training for weight and endurance even to the same level as a boxer would train. Bull riders need to be ready for a hit. Chuck walked away from his

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