Aspiring riders grab a bull by the horns
MARTIN, Tenn. — Adrenaline junkies, bucket list pursuers, and just sports fans alike, are some of the people who enroll in Sankey Rodeo School, where you are able to go from inexperienced to bucking an angry fifteen hundred pound bull under the lights of an arena, in just three days.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see out of the eyes of a bull rider? A class of students were able to do just that this week in Martin.
“It was a little scary. Your nerves are running. You have twenty thousand different things running through your head,” recalled Kody Smith, a student from Alabama.
Lyle Sankey says he takes his school to destinations across the U.S., teaching bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding to people of all walks of life with different levels of experience.
“I’m pretty much an adrenaline junkie, so I like to do stuff that’s dangerous,” said Smith.
“Strangely enough, a lot of people come to rodeo school, and they think it’s just a daredevil thing, you just jump on,” said Lyle Sankey, owner and director of Sankey Rodeo School, “and then they find out, it’s really very technical.”
Many of the students come to Sankey Rodeo School having never mounted a bronc or bull before.
“I didn’t stay on very long. I didn’t make it much past the chute, but as far as getting in the chute, it got that adrenaline pumping. It was a good rush,” said Steven Schall, a student from Indiana.
Rodeo school representatives say they keep students safe, by teaming them up with the right bull along with teaching them the proper technique and equipment.
“It is actually designed with some material that when the bull does hit you or step on a certain spot, it kind of vibrates it through the whole vest, so it’s not just impacting one spot,” explained Smith as he showcased his bull riding vest.
Along with the vest, the school provides a helmet with a face mask. They also teach students technique and form.
“You’re up off your butt. Your chest is out, and your riding hand is going to be up here kind of where you can see it,” demonstrated Schall, “but you’re still going to be looking down at your bull.”
Students WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Amanda Gerry spoke with were from as far away as Vermont and Indiana, but they say they were excited to take the experience back home with them.
“No, I’m not going to brag. I’m going to tell them how hard it is, but I mean, I did get on a bull and they wouldn’t so,” Smith said. “Well yeah, I’ll probably go around and brag a little bit.”
Sankey says besides a sprained ankle and a dislocated elbow, every aspiring rider graduated from class this weekend in one piece. Some of them now looking to pursue a career in the rodeo business.
Sunday was the last day for this set of classes here in West Tennessee. Representatives say their next stop is in Colorado.
If you are interested in learning more about Sankey Rodeo School, you can visit their website at www.sankeyrodeo.com
