We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Chinook native Ty Simenson demonstrates his moves as a freestyle bullfighter. He works as a bullfighter doing cowboy protection work as well as competing as a freestyle bullfighter in regional rodeos. Simenson lives in Bozeman and has worked as the safety man for the MSU rodeo team for three years. Freestyle bullfighting first was a rodeo event in the late 1970's. Interest in the event waned for a time and now is enjoying new popularity with about 15-20 bullfighting events incorporated into rodeos each season.
Ty Simenson says, "I grew up around cowboys and rodeos, but was always most fascinated by bullfighters." Now he's a bullfighter himself and working on building a career to be a "great cowboy protector and go as far as I can go...and still move." Being able to still move is important as bull fighting is a rough and tumble sport, literally, and "old guys tend to leave the sport in their late 30's." The 2014 Chinook High grad already has a long list of injuries he's endured in his short career, but is totally optimistic about the path he's chosen.
The history of bullfighting as a rodeo event
Bullfighters who do cowboy protection are the guys you see jumping in to distract a bull who just bucked off a rider. Those bullfighters are the safety protection for the downed cowboys and distinguish themselves from rodeo clowns. Simenson said, "Bullfighters working safety for bull riders may wear comic clothing, may even have face paint like a clown, but our job is to protect the cowboys. The jokes and comic routines are for the rodeo clowns."
Unlike protecting cowboys, freestyle bullfighters purposefully enter a rodeo arena to face a specially bred, aggressive bull and spend at least 40+ seconds trying to entertain a crowd by challenging and evading the bull. When freestyle bullfighters compete, they are the show and are trying to score points, just like any other competitor at a rodeo.
Simenson said, "Freestyle bullfighting was popular for a time, then lost some of its appeal and is now enjoying a comeback." The first recorded bullfighting event was in 1979 at a rodeo in Rapid City, South Dakota. Looking for ways to attract more spectators to a new rodeo, organizers added freestyle bullfighting and the idea resonated with fans.
For several years Wrangler sponsored a bullfighting tour with the event included in the National Finals rodeo as well. That all fell off the rodeo calendar in 2000. In 2011, a group of bullfighters and supporters started American Bullfighting, LLC, a new tour that produces 15 to 20 bullfighting events a year. Simenson says he's seeing more interest among rodeo promoters to include bullfighting events in regional and local rodeos.
Working as a professional bullfighter
Like most bullfighters, Ty Simenson does both cowboy protection and freestyle bullfighting. He lives in Bozeman and is the safety guy for the MSU rodeo team. He's been doing that for three years. He explained, "I do a combination of part time jobs and cowboy safety gigs to survive."
He also enters freestyle competitions in Montana and travels to Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming for events. He added, "Sometimes I sleep in my car on a trip to a rodeo where I'm working or competing. The other 'roughies' (rodeo performers who work and compete in the events involving rough stock) and I share rides to events-whether we're working cowboy protection or doing freestyle competition." He added, "Most bullfighting events in this region occur during the summer months. In the southern states, especially Texas, bullfighting is a year round sport."
Asked how one gets started as a bullfighter, Simenson said, "I went to school." He attended the Abrahamson Rodeo Company's program for "bull riding, bullfighting and rodeo clown/barrelman." The school is based in North Dakota and holds its classes at the North Dakota State Fair Center in Minot. The classes are taught by current professional rodeo performers with lots of 'hands-on' practice with the bulls. Talking about bullfighting mentors who inspire him, Simenson mentioned several names that are listed as instructors at the bullfighter school.
Simenson shared some basics he learned in the class, the number one rule for bullfighters being, "Never run in a straight line." And a corollary to rule number one, "Four legs are always faster than two," meaning, "You can't outrun a bull, especially if you're running in a straight line." Several videos of bullfighters on YouTube and on Ty Simenson's Facebook page, give some idea of the techniques and moves that make bullfighting so exciting to watch.
In freestyle bullfighting events both the bull and the bullfighter are scored. Simenson said, "The best bull a bullfighter can draw is one that "everyone else is afraid of." Mexican bulls are the preferred bulls for the freestyle events. Simenson described them as "smaller, quicker and stronger and the smartest bulls out there." He said bullfighters, like bull riders, learn the personalities of the bulls on the circuit. "And some bulls," he explained, "like to show off, like some cowboys. They seem to know when it's 'game on' time."
Bullfighting competitions
Ty Simenson said, "The way bulls and bullfighters are scored is a bit complicated, but basically the judges are looking at three things to judge the bullfighter-the fighter's ability to keep the bull's attention, the fighter's agility and the fighter's ability to 'sell the show.'" Selling the show means entertaining the paying customers. The bullfighter and bull are each scored on a 50 points scale. Simenson said a combined score of 88 would be considered "very good."
Simenson suspects a few spectators come to watch bullfighting hoping to see a 'wreck.' He's had a few wrecks himself ticking off a list of his injuries including broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, five concussions and a horn through the mouth with teeth knocked loose. He added, "Most injuries occur when the fighter 'throws the fake too quickly.'" The fake is a move where the fighter moves one way but runs the other and takes the bull into a spin.
Bullfighters, like any athlete, have to stay in condition to perform at their best. Simenson said, "I run regularly and lift weights to keep, maintain, strength and stamina. And I fight bulls year round to stay sharp." In a competition the bullfighter must stay in the arena and engage the bull for at least 45 seconds. The fighter can stay an additional 25 seconds to score more points.
Ty Simenson is very focused on his chosen profession. Like any professional career track, he knows there are pitfalls and things can fail to go as planned. But one thing is clear, he's committed to what he's doing and is looking to the future and plans to move up the career ladder. Like the bulls, for Ty Simenson it's "game on time" and he's ready.
