THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411180167
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ROBYNE R. COOKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
RANDY SMITH'S HEAD slammed hard into the ground and sent up a cloud of dust. But Smith got to his feet, brushed off his cowboy hat and walked, with a slight limp, away from the bull and out of the arena.
Smith and other would-be rodeo cowboys had come to the Circle P II Ranch on West Road to try to stay on the back of a bucking bull while a Sunday-afternoon crowd of onlookers cheered them on.
Stephanie Prince, a friend of Smith's, said she still gets nervous when she watches him ride. ``It's something he wants to do though,'' she said.
It's a desire that many of the participants have a tough time putting into words.
``It's a natural high. It's better than any drug,'' said Gary Martin, a 26-year-old Chesapeake resident. ``You don't really feel scared, but more like respect. I've ate my share of the dirt,'' he said as he strapped on his spurs.
``Oh, Lord!'' he muttered under his breath when he heard which bull he would be riding. It was Paintbrush, the same bull who bucked him off last week and a favorite of the crowd. ``I hope to do better.''
Martin's wife, Della, and their 4-year-old daughter, Shannon, waited nervously for Martin's ride to begin. Shannon sported a Texas T-shirt and cowboy boots. ``She loves to watch her daddy,'' Della Martin said.
Smith has been riding at the local event since it started about three years ago. He's been testing his skill against the bulls for more than 14 years and rides year-round at several other rodeos. ``I mostly do it for the money,'' he said as he pulled off his elbow brace with shaky hands.
The Newport News resident, who shoes horses for a living, spends most of his weekends riding. He views the weekly event as good practice.
Randy ``Cool'' Proffitt operates the rodeo operation, but the farm is owned by Randy's father, Woody Proffitt, who buys and sells horses.
Bull-riding participants draw lots to see which of the 18 bulls they will ride. They pay $15 for a practice ride and $25 to compete. The goal is to stay on for eight seconds, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Not often is there a tie. If they win the jackpot, they get half of the entry money as a prize, according to Proffitt.
Dressed as a clown, Proffitt stays in the arena for much of the afternoon, protecting fallen riders by drawing the bull's attention away.
``If a cowboy gets hung up, we jump in,'' Proffitt said. ``You break a lot of fingers, but it's mostly bruises and scratches.''
Participants, mostly male, range in age from about 10 to 64. Less ferocious bulls are chosen for young or inexperienced riders, he said.
Mike Mason's 17-year-old daughter, Jennifer, talked him into trying his hand at rodeo riding. Mason had never been to the rodeo, but his daughter is a regular there.
``You have to try everything at least once,'' said Mason with exuberance. ``Talk about a thrill!''
His hands were still shaking 10 minutes after his ride was over. ``I was apprehensive. At 45, you don't want to get hurt. But you can just feel the energy in the bull. I'll definitely do it again,'' he added.
Mason is hardly a regular on the rodeo circuit. The Chesapeake resident works for a local sporting goods store. ``As I went in, someone told me you either hate it or get addicted to it,'' he said.
Jennifer Mason, a senior at Great Bridge High School, said she plans to try it herself sometime soon. ``A lot of people have it in their minds that it's just a man's sport,'' she said.
Steve Brown remembers his father riding bulls when he was growing up in Oklahoma. That inspired the 28-year-old Navy man stationed in Norfolk to pursue the eight-second thrill for himself.
After a successful ride from which he dismounted with a huge grin, Brown said, ``I've had eight seconds before, but this was a good ride.''
``I'm planning to go on the circuit next year. This is a good place to practice because the bulls aren't too mean,'' he said.
Jon Scruggs, who comes up from North Carolina to ride, gets ready for his turn by rubbing glycerine into his bull rope, which wraps around the bull and provides a handle for the rider. It cost him about $180. Most of the riders use their own equipment. Some sport fancy leather and suede chaps with designs or initials. Scruggs wore a pair of cream-colored chaps with silver and gold decorations. ``Chaps do nothing more than look pretty,'' he said.
Scruggs, who recently completed his training to become a police officer, said. ``Riding is fun. It's a rush. It's in the blood. And golf's just too passive.''
Not everyone who attends the event rides the animals. Pickup trucks, which account for more than half the vehicles there, circle the ring with their beds facing the action. Deer meat and barbecue cook slowly near a horse-riding ring and after the event, many people will eat dinner there, almost like a family-style barbecue.
``It's a nice crowd of people,'' said Gary Martin. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Color on the Cover: Shawn Blankenship and other would-be cowboys
don't have to travel west of Chesapeake to find out what it's like
to ride on the back of a raging steer. They can experience the
thrill at Woody proffitt's place on West Road most any Sunday
night.
Randy and Craig Jarrell climb a fence to get a better look inside
the rodeo ring.
LEFT: A contestant is tossed in the air by a bull as he tries to
hang on for the full eight seconds that would make him a winner.
BELOW: Randy ``Cool'' Proffitt, manager of the Sunday afternoon
rodeo competition, runs alongside a bull rider.
Jimmy Townsend rides a bull out the gate at the Circle P II Ranch on
West Road.
AT A GLANCE
Bull riding begins between 2 and 3 p.m. every Sunday at Circle P
II Ranch, 1201 West Road, Chesapeake.
For more information, call Woody Proffitt at 487-5170 or Randy
Proffitt at 1 (919) 358-1588.
by CNB