8 seconds: Bull riders trying to hang on

Victoria Sun

Friday, Oct. 26, 2001 | 11:25 a.m.

Eight seconds is less than the time it takes for the ball to drop in New York's Times Square during the city's annual New Year's Eve countdown.

But for a bull rider, eight seconds is the difference between winning and losing, and sometimes life and death.

The top 45 bull riders based on money won qualified to compete in the PBR Bud Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center that started Thursday and concludes Sunday.

Each rider must stay on a 1,500-plus pound bull for a full eight seconds to receive a score.

Michael Gaffney, the 1997 PBR Bud Light Cup World Champion, likens a bull ride to a running back being handed the ball in football because his job is single-minded.

"When the gate cracks open, as soon his first leg breaks the plane of the chute, the clock starts and then it's eight seconds from that point," Gaffney said. "As soon as that eight seconds is up they blow the horn, whistle and it's time to get off.

"It's a pretty simple process. Whether it be the third second of the ride or the seventh second, you're doing your best to keep your hand on the rope, squeeze tight and be in position. And you're waiting to hear that whistle."

When former UNLV student Justin McBride is on a bull, he joked that he is just hanging on for dear life.

In reality, McBride just hopes he's prepared for anything the bull might do during those eight seconds, which can often seem like an eternity.

"There's a certain move for each move the bull has," McBride said. "You try to have a counter move ready.

"Some of the bulls have a set pattern, but they're wild animals. They're not going to do the same thing each time. On any given ride, the bull can do something different."

The time before the clock starts, each rider has his own routine.

He lowers himself onto the bull with the help of friends as needed and adjusts his grip until he's comfortable.

McBride admits he is "scared (expletive)less" each time out, so he tries to go over the ride beforehand in order to stay focused.

"For me, it's a situation where I've been doing it for a long time," Gaffney said. "The game plan is usually the same, which is pull out your heart and your guts so to speak and try your best.

"When that gate cracks, you're apprehensive, but you're excited. There's that little bit of fear factor in you to do well and step away healthy obviously so you can do it again."

Once a rider is on the bull, McBride and Gaffney try their best not to be conscious of the clock.

They agree that counting the seconds before the horn sounds can be detrimental.

"It's a situation that, eight seconds in reality is not very long, but when you're on the back of a bull that's moving 1,500, 2,000 pounds, things are happening pretty fast," Gaffney said. "You're not doing a whole lot of thinking. Your mind process is pretty clear.

"We all make the mistake every once in a while of reaching down too soon. You may think that you rode for eight seconds and after years and years of doing it, you may think well, that whistle is in there somewhere."

"I don't think anybody is really counting," McBride said. "I just try to ride as hard as I can.

"I'm not waiting for the whistle or expecting it. Once I hear it, I'm just glad that it's over and I did it."