Charlie ’ s 2.5 Second
Seventy-one year old bull rider Charlie Simmons coming out of the chute .
Ride
A Seventy-One Year Old Cowboy Takes On The Most Dangerous 8 Seconds in Sports
Charlie , " Les " Simmons is long legged and slender for his seventy-one years . He has long gray hair , shaves on a regular basis , wears jeans and western shirts and sports a cowboy hat and boots . Saturday , June 8th he rode a bull , hoping for eight seconds on the back of a mean muscle bound bruin .
Over the course of the week after a few of the old timers found out about his quest to ride a bull , they have tried to talk him out of it . One professional gave him what he termed a good four hour lecture on the insanity , saying men half his age wouldn ' t even consider it .
According to Charlie it isn ' t about the purse , he figures he isn ' t going to win the five hundred dollars . It is on his bucket list , and he is hell bent on having a go at it .
Bull riding is a tough sport , and sport it is in Montana . Charlie says it is all about the adrenalin .
Charlie ' s father , you know he is in the next world because Les talks to him looking up , told him when he was young to get a real job and stay out of the world of professional rodeo . You can tell it never sat well with Les . His seventy odd years hold numerous careers including a recording in Nashville . He has a score to settle , and is the first one to say what he is considering is nuts
To ride a bull , you have to get in a chute on the back of the bruin , and fasten one hand to a long braided rope . When the chute opens its time to see if you can meet the American tradition of staying atop the bucking bull for eight seconds , where the eight second rule came from is anybodies guess . Bull riding has its direct roots in Mexican contests of equestrian and ranching skill ; according to Wikipedia the early Texas rangers adapted many Hispanic techniques and traditions . Charlie is a Texan .
The rider and bull are matched randomly before the competition . Les drew # 703 , a brindle around 5,000 pounds . Les got 2 seconds out of the chute , before going off the back end of the bull . He stood up after hitting the ground and didn ' t even brush off his nice red western shirt . He wanted another go at it . I told him he was lucky to be walking and talking .
On a final note , bull riding has the highest rate of injury of any rodeo sport accounting for approximately 50 % of all traumatic injuries to rodeo contestants .
From Western Gal Speak blog at : http :// thewestoldandnew . wordpress . com
The West Old & New Page 14