THE old bulls are set to show the young bulls how it is done at the National Rodeo Finals at Ipswich this weekend.
In a unique addition to the national finals events, seven former bull-riding champions aged in their 50s will compete in a Legends Bull Ride on Friday and Saturday night.
All are either former Queensland, Australian and/or World Champions, and have spent the past six months working hard to get back into shape for their return to the rodeo arena.
The seven riders - Lance Anderson, Bernie Wallis, Mitch Deans, Graham Heffernan, Shane Connolly, Col Wilson and Danny Salgado - were all going round in the 1970s and 1980s before most of the current crop of bull-riding stars were even born.
While plenty of contact sports feature competitions for older players, it is very difficult to convince a 1000kg bucking bull to take it easy and show respect for a rider just because he has a few more years on the clock.
However, these competitors have no intention of taking it easy. On the contrary, they have each gone out of their way to select bulls that they are sure will buck for the full eight seconds to ensure their two rides on the Friday and Saturday night are the genuine article.
Legends rider Graham Heffernan said the former champions had been working hard to prepare for the rodeo, focusing mostly on stretching to get some suppleness back into their 50-year-old-plus bodies.
“A bull has a lot of power, when you get over the age of 50 your body doesn’t stand the strain that it used to,” Mr Heffernan said.
“It is not a marathon event, it is only eight seconds, so fitness doesn’t have to be all that high, but flexibility and strength is the real issue.”
Mr Heffernan said the former champions had participated in a rodeo in Melbourne in May to gauge their level of readiness for this weekend’s national rodeo.
“No one disgraced themselves and a couple of guys rode some really good bulls,” he said.
“From the first jump out it was just that little bit strange, but then it didn’t take a split second for it all to come flooding back and you’re back making the moves to stay in the middle.”
The young bull riders were supportive and respectful of their older counterparts, he said.
One of the key changes that has occurred in the sport since the legends retired has been the introduction of safety gear, something Mr Heffernan fully supports.
“We didn’t have the safety jackets and helmets they have these days but they are a definite improvement.
“A really good friend of mine was killed riding in America and if this sort of safety gear was around then he probably would not have been killed.”
The Legends Bull Ride will feature as part of the National Rodeo Finals in Ipswich at the Briggs Road Sporting Complex from 6-10pm this Friday and Saturday, Sep 18-19.
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