SPOKANE, Wash. — Bull riding only lasts eight seconds, but for riders like Wyatt Rogers, each second is a cumulation of skill, focus and year-round preparation.
“I’m comfortable on the back of a bull, there’s no more peaceful place than the back of a bull for me,” Rogers said.
Rogers, who grew up in Oklahoma learning from his father, knew early on that bull riding was the dream he wanted to chase.
“In Kindergarten when all the kids were saying they wanted to be a fireman or a police officer, I always said a bull rider,” Rogers said. “This was just the ultimate goal and it was always something that I was willing to chase and just do whatever it took to live out my dream.”
For Rogers, pursing that dream is a full-time commitment.
“We have to eat right we have to train right and just take care of our bodies,” he said. “We have to recover, do ice baths and there’s just a lot more that goes into our sport than people think.”
When it comes time to ride, bull riding tests everything a rider has learned. Every motion and every detail matters.
“There’s really small details that you think about the last seconds before you nod your head,” Rogers said. “Mine specifically, if I know the bull has a tendency to go left, I’ll just say to keep my elbow down, just some mental notes like that.”
It all comes down to the ride itself, the moment every rider trains for all year.
“Once you nod your head its all reactions, if you’re thinking about it, you’re on the ground,” Rogers said. “While you’re on the bull it’s just kind of a blur, controlled chaos and you’ve worked your whole life for this moment.”
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