Behind the scenes with UT Martin rodeo team bull rider
MARTIN, Tenn. — The thrill of eight seconds is what inspired Ryan McDaniel to pursue his dream.
“My whole entire life, this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do,” McDaniel said.
Ryan has been injured on several occasions, breaking his shoulder blade in three places, but he says, he doesn’t let the fear of getting hurt stand in his way.
“You gotta be tough in this sport because, I mean, nicks and getting stepped on and getting banged around a little bit, being sore, that’s all part of bull riding,” McDaniel said.
The only protection between a bull rider and the bucking hooves of an angry, 1,700-pound bull is a protective vest, a mouth guard and a helmet with a face mask.
“I had braces when I was a kid, and Mom and Dad’s like, ‘when you start riding bulls, you’re going to ride in a helmet and a face mask if you’re going to ride them, because we didn’t pay all that money for you to get your teeth fixed for you to get them knocked out,'” McDaniel said.
Ryan went from roping calves in his backyard in Huntingdon when he was 7 to being second in the region and bucking his way to a degree in animal science.
Bull riding requires a lot of practice, preparation and mental training. All of the time and effort culminates at events like the UT Martin Rodeo held once a year at the Ned McWherter Agriculture Complex in Martin.
“There’s bareback riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, goat tying, bronco riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing,” said John Luthi, head coach of the UT Martin Rodeo Team.
But bull riding remains a favorite for rodeo spectators.
“Everybody loves the bull riding. There’s no question, because it’s something that I could not do. They are better men than I am,” rodeo attendee Don Baker said.
When Ryan is ready to put his skills to the test, it all comes down to the buzzer.
“Nothing will make a man sicker than riding for seven seconds or seven and a half, because it don’t matter if you’re 7.9,” McDaniel said. “If you’re not eight seconds, it don’t matter.”
When it’s all over, fans big and small gather to meet the courageous riders. To young bull riding dreamers, this is what he would say.
“Philippians 4:13 tells you, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” McDaniel said. “And if it’s your dream and that’s something God put in your heart for you, that’s what you desire to do, then go for it.”
Ending his sophomore year second in the region, in June Ryan will head to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.
