The Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series is in town this weekend for its second stop of the 2011 season. In conjunction with the appearance, the PBR held a media hour on Thursday afternoon where I had the opportunity to meet and interview Bull Rider McKennon Wimberly.

Also in attendance was Zorro, a 25-year-old, 1,700-pound bull. More on him later.

I met Wimberly in the Kings store. The 5-foot-9-inch, 150-pound Cool, Texas, native was wearing a black banded cowboy hat that matched his boots, blue jeans, a light brown vest (that matched the band on his hat) and a collared shirt which read Neckover, a brand of horse trailer, down the sleeve. He looks every bit the professional bull rider.

His manner is befitting his hometown, and he speaks with a laid-back Texas drawl that becomes less so when he's excitedly discussing his chosen career. The man clearly loves what he does, and he's good at it. Over the course of his career, he's made more than $400,000. Through one event this season, he's 12th in the BFTS standings. But jaded professional athlete he is not.

As someone who learned everything I know about bull riding from the Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland classic "The Cowboy Way," I kept the questions fairly elementary. For a more in-depth breakdown, try the PBR website.

The Sacramento Press: What would you say to someone who is kind of thinking about going, but has never been?

McKennon Wimberly: I'd say somebody that hasn't been to bull riding, but is thinking ’bout going, I'd say you need to go. Any sport you've ever seen, there's nothing like it. There's no other sport where it's man versus beast. It's a great show, too. It's not just a bunch of redneck cowboys hitting around and . . . bucking bulls, you know? It's a good show. We have the best entertainment in the business: great bull riders, some of the best fans . . . It's pretty exciting. There's good music, a lot of pyro – it's a show for sure.

SP: Is bull riding something that's just in your blood? I know your dad did it. . .

MW: Yeah, my dad was a bull rider, and I always just wanted to be like him, you know? Then once I got old enough to make my own decisions and stuff, I loved the sport, and that's what I always wanted to do.

SP: How would you describe riding a 2,000-pound bull that doesn't want you to be riding it?

MW: Ah, there's nothing else like it. I'd say maybe getting on the wildest roller coaster you've ever seen, without a seat belt. That's about the closest thing I can come up with.

SP: Yeah, I was watching a couple clips of you man . . . I saw a clip of you on Charlie?

MW: Charlie Bullware.

SP: Yeah. Do you want to talk about that? That was kind of hard for me to watch. . .

MW: (Laughs) Yeah, it was actually . . . other than getting bucked off – and it cost me winning that event – it was actually kinda fun. It's all an adrenaline rush, you know? That bull bucked me off about four or five seconds and, uh, I got hung up. My hand was tied to my rope and wouldn't come out, and he was slinging me around . . . I just kinda looked like a rag doll on him.
There wasn't much I could do. You just try to get your hand out and stay in control, but . . . when the bull’s bucking that hard and moving that fast, it's hard to stay in control. Aah, it was still a little bit a fun.

SP: How do you feel about helmets?

MW: I wear a helmet. I think they are a great idea, especially for young guys coming up. It's not just the danger of the bull jerking you down. They step on your head, they throw you into a fence, in the bucking shoot they might hit you on the fence – there's always something. There's so many dangers in this sport. Some of the guys think it's not tough to wear helmets, well, gladiators wore helmets when they were fighting. What's not tough about it? We're riding bulls. I mean, we're not in a cage fighting somebody, it's a completely different deal. We have a protective vest that . . . when a bull steps on you it kinda absorbs the pressure and spreads it out. I think the helmet's a great idea. I've seen a lot of my friends get their heads stepped on and live through it, and I've seen a couple without the helmet, and it's been bad.

SP: A couple friends wanted me to ask if you have any extra protection down in the . . . uh. . . groin region?

MW: Actually, no, it wouldn't help you out any. If a bull stepped on you there, it'd just crush the cup and go on about it. And, as far as riding, it doesn't bother you like people would think, you know? I mean, there's times that it . . . catches wrong . . . but for the most part, it's all good.

SP: I was wondering about what kind of injuries you have had? Is it hard to wake up the next day?

MW: You know, sometimes it's a little rough getting out of bed, even at 22 years old. I've broken my leg twice, I've dislocated both shoulders, broke my elbow, broke my jaw and broke my back.

SP: And you've been riding how long?

MW: I've been riding professionally for four years, but I've been riding all my life.

SP: Most Sacramento Press readers (I went out on a limb here), the closest they've ever come to riding a bull is a mechanical bull ride. Does that compare in any way? Do you ever ride ’em?

MW: Yeah, I do it some. It's a little bit similar just by, you have to put out the effort to stay on top, but it doesn't really feel like a bull. If you get on a bull that feels like a bucking machine, you're going, "What the heck?" (laughs) It just feels completely different. There's no forward motion, there's not that power, that big strong jump yanking you . . . it's just kinda little short, quick yanks. But, I have a bucking machine at my house, and some of us use ’em for practice. They're a little different than the ones you might see at the bar, but, still, anything that you ride is good practice.

SP: How long does you're average bull riding career last? With how rough it is and the beating you take. . .

MW: It depends on the guy, and it depends on the injuries. Back in the day, it used to last a lot longer. The bulls just weren't . . . well, they had some that were just as bad, but there just weren't as many as they have now. Now, there are stock contractors from all over the world, and every guy brings his best five or 10 bulls. It's great bulls from all over, and it's hard to stay healthy. The average career for a bull rider nowadays is probably around 10 years.

SP: So then you’ve got another six left?

MW: Yeah. I might even have more than that. I just really love the sport. Even if I retire from professional bull riding, I could see myself probably still getting on bulls at the house just for fun, you know?

SP: Is there a particular bull . . . Charlie, we talked about . . . that is the badass?

MW: There's one called "Bushwacker" that's gonna be bucking here. He's a pretty tough one. He's unridden. I look forward to drawing him. I like to be the guy . . . the first one to ride him. I think a few guys have let him slip through their fingers. I'm not gonna be that guy.

When I agreed to do the interview, I had no idea that the story would end with me "riding" (struggling to mount, clinging to for dear life and eventually dragging myself to a seated position atop?) a bull in the parking lot. Even when Casey, my Sac Press liaison, later mentioned the possibility, I kind of thought she was joking. "I get on the bull? Sweet. 'Fat kid falls off bull.' This story writes itself."

As soon as we finished the interview, Alex Sigua, a public relations coordinator for Maloof Sports and Entertainment, made it clear that Casey had not been joking.

"Hey, Lindol, we've got the bull outside, are you ready to ride?" he asked.

"Seriously?"

Jack Carnefix, who's Senior Manager of Public Relations for the PBR, sensed my trepidation and made it clear that I didn't have to ride the bull if I was nervous about it, but in his next breath mentioned that a nice young lady had just ridden Zorro that morning.

Gauntlet thrown. I knew then what I had to do.

I had to tame the mighty beast.

We walked out to the parking lot where Zorro was waiting. As Dennis, Zorro's handler, brought the bull out of his trailer, Wimberly mentioned that whereas the young lady had three fellas offering to help her on to the bull (and one actually doing so), I would have no such luxury.

Upon seeing the brute, I had two thoughts: "OK, think I can do this," and "Man, I wish I had a stool."

The latter was far louder in my mind than the former.

 Zorro stood about chest high on me, a wee (good?) bit higher than I can comfortably swing myself. It would take every bit of my prodigious 3-inch vertical jump to catapult myself atop him, and, to be honest, I wasn't sure that would be enough. Also, crediting myself a 3-inch vert may be generous at this point.

Two tears in a bucket . . . I reached across Zorro’s back, grabbed hold and swung my 230-odd pounds up as high as I could . . . and Zorro took off.

Now Zorro isn't as young as he used to be (who is?), so when I say "took off," I mean "walked off."

It wasn't a rampaging bull situation by any stretch of the imagination, but my hold upon him was tenuous at best(see image #6). Despite my arms and legs both being wrapped around the beast, for a moment I was facing the very real possibility of being "bucked" and ending up tossed to the asphalt.  

Although I was not fearing for my for my safety, I was in terror for my pride.

It didn't help that every person in attendance was already laughing heartily. Maybe a little with me, but mostly at me.

Did I mention Zorro was sopping wet?

Right when I was sure I was done for, Dennis was able to stop Zorro's progress, and in the calm I was able to yank myself up to an awkwardly seated position. 

Eventually I was even able to offer a double thumbs up for what I thought at the time was the only picture taken of the fiasco.

It was only when I got home that I realized Alex had gotten the full play-by-play on film.

It was then that I realized how silly it had been for me to be fearful of hurting my pride.

Needless to say, I have a newfound appreciation for bull riding.

 The PBR BFTS begins tonight, Friday January 14th, at Arco Arena at 8pm and continues tomorrow beginning at 7pm.  Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased here.