Backstage at the Rodeo

The coliseum filled with spectators eagerly anticipating what was sure to be another action packed rodeo performance.  While fans are being entertained by the opening ceremony, behind the chutes and under the bleachers all of the rodeo athletes are getting ready for their go round.

Rodeo coordinators scrambled, double checking their events, cowboys are adjusting saddles and putting on chaps, some are having their moment of silence, bull fighters and riders are pumping themselves up like the movie character Rocky before he stepped into the ring.

Weston Rutkowski has been a professional bullfighter for four years now, and says he will continue to bullfight as long as his body can stay healthy and agile. “I used to ride bulls and I wasn’t really as good as I wanted to be, and kind of by the grace of God I got in front of a bull one time, helping a buddy out, and it just clicked, that’s what I’ve been doing ever since,” he said.

Another bullfigher, who dress as clowns to attract the bulls was standing nearby.

“I’m the barrelman, the guy that has the most fun at the rodeo”, Justin Rumford said.  “I don’t have to fight bulls, I don’t have to get close, I just hang out in the barrel and make sure people have fun,” he said through a huge smile. This is his fifth year as a fulltime barrelman. He travels 11 months out of the year, coast to coast.  “This place is awesome. San Angelo's crowd is really great; I already can’t wait for the next one," he said.

Wesley Silcox professionally rides 2,000-pound bulls for a living. Claiming a Professional Bull Riding (PBR) World Championship in 2007, he has his eyes set on the prize again this year. “Hopefully this year, that’s what I’m going for. I’ve been second two other times, and I’m always looking for another one.” This makes the professional bull riders’ tenth visit to the San Angelo Rodeo.

The San Angelo event is unique in that just about anoyone can enter to ride bulls; there are no minimum purse of winnings required like Houston, San Antonio, and Fort Worth's rodeos require.

Buskin Wilson from Jacksonville, Wyoming has been riding bulls his whole life, but has been doing it professionally since 1996. “I don’t have any big titles. I haven’t been to the NFR (National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas) or anything like that. I’ve just been around the circuit finals, and just really been around a long time, and I’d really like to make it here, that’s the goal.” 

There are eight more performances left, so there’s a lot more rodeo to look forward to, heating up competition as the San Angelo finals draw near.