Hard knocks part of bull-rider life

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Patrick Ching, left, Josh Rees and Bobby Joe Carlton help a bull rider avoid trouble during practice for the rodeo in Waimanalo. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser Fourth of July All-Star Rodeo 2 p.m. today New Town and Country Stables, 41-1800 Kalaniana'ole Highway, Waimanalo $12 259-5354

"Power," he said. "Just pure power. He was banging my legs against the rails. "

And that was just in the chute. Once the gate was thrown open, Aina got an even more insightful perspective into the bull's power. The stocky, well-muscled 41-year-old managed to hang on for a respectable two or three seconds before being pitched to the reeking dirt. He also got butted on the head for good measure.

"Heh," Aina said afterward. "I'm still a little dizzy from that one."

Assuming he regains his senses, Aina will be back for a rematch in front of thousands at the Naturally Hawaiian Gallery's Fourth of July All-Star Rodeo.

The event, featuring experienced and not-so-experienced cowboys from around the state, will be the first major rodeo in Hawai'i in more than two years. Proceeds go to Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii and Naturally Hawaiian's Art and Learning Center.

Aina, whose grandfather and great-grandfather were paniolo, joined a handful of other novice bull riders recently at New Town and Country Stables, getting a crash course in crash landing. Stable owner Bud Gibson staged the tutorial.

"The most important thing I try to teach them is to slow down and build their confidence," Gibson said. "There's a high level of danger in this sport, but if you understand the fundamentals, you won't get hurt — that bad."

It was quickly apparent that the most fundamental lesson at Town and Country is to mind the guy with the cattle prod. That would be Gibson.

"When you hear my voice, for what it's worth, you might want to listen," Gibson advised. "I crave seeing guys get hammered, especially if it's because they weren't listening to what I just said."

Gibson assumes a distinctly no-guff attitude toward his rodeo instruction. And he has to. The Brahman bulls he raises are awesome, potentially deadly creatures.

"You have to be an athlete, because these livestock are athletes," he said.

To survive, Gibson repeated often, you can't act like an "urbanite" — that is, you can't overthink. Gibson's rules of rodeo survival are all based on acting on common sense without hesitation.

"When you're a beginner and you get on the animal, the brain goes into a sort of panic," he said. "You can learn to slow that down and recognize what you need to do. Your body absorbs this into its own processes until it becomes instinctive behavior. You just have to keep getting on."

Tony Violett, 23, got back on, even after nearly getting trampled on his first ride.

On his second go, Violett, like Aina, got butted on the head. He wobbled out of the ring with a smear of unmentionable origin across his cheek.

"Anybody want to kiss me?" he asked. No takers.