Contract Personnel

Rodeo announcers have futures in another field: rodeo history.

The amount of rodeo knowledge in one rodeo announcer's head could fill a thick college text book. They must know the rules, the animals and facts about the people involved, including all the competitors. Like announcers for any event, they must be quick on their feet, witty and possess a clear, powerful voice. It is a special job performed by special men. Rodeo announcers sometimes call the action from horseback, though most prefer a perch overlooking the arena.

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Whether it is after a successful 8-second ride or in the midst of a twisting turn just out of the gate, bull riders have to find their way to the ground - and to safety. But the riders don't face this challenge alone. A brave and athletic group of professionals known as bullfighters and barrelmen are essential to the riders' escape.

Though a barrelman’s attire is similar to that of a bullfighter, his presence in the arena serves a much different purpose. A barrelman’s duty is to entertain the crowd during the “down time” that is inherent to the sport of bull riding. When bulls are being loaded or the show is on hold due to unexpected breaks, a barrelman takes over and amuses spectators with impromptu dance routines or comical dialogue with the event’s announcers. The barrelman often can be found hanging around or in a custom-made barrel placed in the arena’s center. The barrel not only protects the barrelman from a charging bull but also provides bull riders with an island of safety if he is bucked off far from the arena fence or bucking chutes.

While they may look like funny-faced clowns in bright tights and baggy shorts, their job is no laughing matter. The mission of every bullfighter and barrelman is to divert the bull's attention away from the exiting rider by whatever means possible. For a bullfighter, that may mean jumping on top of a moving bull to free a bull rider's hand or sprinting jaggedly across the arena to distract a charging bull.

Working from an open-ended barrel, the barrelman serves as a diversion for an angry bull. It may look like the best seat for close up action, but the barrel with the barrelman inside often ends up in the path of an incoming bull - pushed there by the bullfighter in an effort to provide escape time for a downed or injured rider.

These skilled athletes not only risk their lives to save riders, the bullfighters and barrelmen are an exciting and entertaining part of all rodeo performances. They perform tricks and banter with the announcers to entertain the audience.

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Today they still dress like clowns, but they are bullfighters first and most importantly. And they are often the difference between life and death.

Bullfighters are in the first line defense for the bull rider. The bullfighter is responsible for distracting the bull while the cowboy regains sense of direction and escapes to safety after a fall or dismount. Today's bullfighter, far from being a clown, is so serious about his job he routinely places his own life in danger in an effort to protect the cowboy.

The modern bullfighter is also an accomplished athlete, a master of timing and agility.

And fittingly, he has his own world championship to pursue. About two decades ago, bullfighters began informally competing among themselves, challenging each other to push the limit on daredevil stunts against the bulls.

Now, thanks to the Wrangler Bullfight Tour, Bullfighters compete for their own world championship.

On the Wrangler tour, the bullfighter goes one-on-one against the bull for 70 seconds. The bullfighter is judged on his willingness to expose himself to risk and on his aggressiveness. His objective is to stay as close as he can to the bull throughout the fight.

Bullfighters have elevated the sport by employing spectacular maneuvers such as jumping over a charging bull. Like the riders, the bullfighters score higher when the bull is more aggressive.

Bullfight bulls are bred to be smaller, quicker and more agile than those used for riding. They can compete for years and like their human counterparts, learn form their mistakes and improve with experience.

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Look for this cowboy around the bucking chutes.

The chute boss is basically the quarterback of the rodeo production, keeping everything moving and on schedule. His main job is to make sure the rodeo animals are in the chutes in the proper order. He also watches to make sure the contestants are properly prepared for competition. The chute boss is just that, the boss. If he says "jump," someone usually does. Stock contractors often work as the chute boss. It's an important job that requires experience, rodeo knowledge and dedication.

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Like the pickup men, the flankman usually is a cowboy through and through. The flankman knows the animals and how to handle each one. He ensures that the animals are properly and safely prepared for competition. His face is one the animals are used to seeing. He feeds and cares for them nearly every day of the year and generally is a stock contractor's right-hand man.

Because he sees the animals buck every day, he's usually the guy cowboys go to when they want to know what to expect from their draw.

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If rodeo distributed a most-valuable-player award, a rodeo secretary would win it every time. This statement sums it up: Rodeo secretaries are the hardest-working people in rodeo you'll never see. Secretaries prepare entry lists - an impossible job for most people and all men - she tallies the results, and cuts the paychecks when the rodeo is over.

In the meantime, she is generally a wife, cook, and stand-in mother to young cowboys who need help with, a variety of things. In short, she solves all the problems before they become problems. Now, that is valuable.

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Specialty acts are as much a part of rodeo as the cowboys and bucking animals who are more often in the limelight. While specialty acts are used throughout the rodeo industry to fill gaps in the action, these talented performers hold their own in terms of keeping the fans entertained.

A specialty act can consist of just about anything. Elaborate clown comedy skits, magnificently trained animal acts, trick ropers, sharpshooters and death-defying trick riders are just a few of the cast members found in this diverse category.

They're sometimes called the halftime entertainment of rodeo, but their acts can be honed to a fine point.

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