NFR: For 8 seconds, fans get big thrill

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 1:14 a.m.

Eight seconds on a beast that weighs a ton attests to either the foolish, or fearless, chromosome that makes a cowboy tick.

Considered a main rodeo attraction because of the extreme danger that exists in every ride, bull riding leaves crowds in awe.

As in bareback and saddle bronc riding, the bull rider is only allowed to use one hand. A touch of himself or the bull during a ride results in immediate disqualification.

Bull riders are not, however, required to "mark out" their animals. Spurring can add to a cowboy's score, but riders are usually judged on their sole ability to stay aboard the ferocious animal.

To stay aboard, the rider holds a flat, braided rope, which is wrapped around the bull's chest just behind the front legs and over its withers. A rider commonly weaves the "tail" of the rope through his fingers for security.

A nod of the head later, the chute gate opens and mayhem is unleashed. A fury of spins, jumps, kicks, darts and circles is unleashed, and a ride is considered complete once eight seconds elapse.

Blue Stone was one of only two bull riders who was able to complete six of the 10 rides at last year's NFR, in which he led everyone with $93,529.

That gave Stone, 25, his first world title in his second NFR.

Terry Don West, 38, is shooting for his second title. He won his first in 1996, and he set a regular-season earnings mark by making $150,376 in 2003. Not even a 10-stitch gash from one bull's horn made him pause this season.

Two Wisconsin boys (including the helmet-wearing B.J. Schumacher) and one from Illinois occupy three of the top five bull-riding positions, and Jesse Bail, Zack Brown and Myron Duarte lurk as darkhorses.

West, though, is primed to end the most lucrative season on the sport's biggest stage.