Sophomore James Inch attempts to hold on to the bull for a few more seconds, fighting until the round is finally over. However, this is not his first rodeo. This all started when he one day found his father’s old rodeo equipment.
“So my dad decided to do bull riding when he got out of the military back in 1968 I think. When he got out he just needed something for adrenaline, so he started doing it for fun, and I didn’t know this until I found his old rodeo gear, which has inspired me to do bull riding,” Inch said. “I don’t know for sure how many rodeos I have participated in, but if I estimated, it probably would be around 150-200 in total.”
The sport of bull riding presents many different challenges. However, Inch faces the bull by its horns.
“The hardest part of riding the bull was the will to do it, because most of the guys just open their hands as soon as the gates open,” Inch said. “But, the will to actually hang on and stay there for the full eight seconds, that’s probably the hardest part. I once fell off of this bull, then he turned around and got his horns locked around me and pushed me into the ground by the chest. That’s got to be the craziest thing that happened to me.”
Despite the dangers, Inch manages to find a sense of comfort and peace in his mindset while riding the bull.
“The thoughts and feelings behind why I do it are that it just gets rid of everything around me,” Inch said. “I feel nothing when I’m on that bull besides me and the bull. So it just gets rid of all my thoughts and everything. It’s the feeling of being at ease. All my problems just kind of float away, with nothing there except for me, and the bull.”
For Inch, bull riding became not just a hobby, but a community that has changed his life.
“It has affected me in a good way with all the people I’ve met because I started off just riding the bulls, and then I got to know the people who actually own the bulls,” Inch said. “Now they’re taking me to the grand finals in three weeks. So it’s the people I’ve met and the sport in general that has changed my life.”
