THURSDAY, MAY 16
Rodeo
It was late Friday night between commercials for Built Tough Ford Trucks and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee sour mash whiskey and those Kawasaki UTV’s with four seats — I think they are called Teryx 4s.
Sean Willingham figures he’s racked up more than a half-dozen significant injuries during his bull riding career.
In most circles, hazing is not only frowned upon but punishable by prosecution. But in pro rodeo, hazing of a different sort takes place at every rodeo, and it’s crucial for a steer wrestler’s success.
Imagine the New York Yankees breaking out an updated version of their classic pinstripes, the gold standard of sports uniforms that have adorned the likes of Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter across two centuries.
As soon as I was told by the great writer Joe Kusek of the Billings (Mont.) Gazette that Wrangler National Finals Rodeo first-time barrelman J.J. Harrison was a former schoolteacher, I was intrigued.