Crowds drawn to Rawhide to watch bull riders in action

It’s the adrenaline rush that keeps T.J. Spoonhunter coming back for more. “When you stick your hand in the rope, you’re putting your life in your own hands,” says Spoonhunter, 17, whose idea of Friday night fun usually consists of donning a cowboy hat and holding on for dear life to a kinetic 2,000-pound bull as it explodes out of the chute.

The Queen Creek teen is a regular competitor at the Friday Night Bull Riding Series at Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass.

Sponsored by Southwest Professional Bull Riders, the Rawhide series gives pro bull riders and novices like Spoonhunter a chance to hone their riding skills and entertain the crowds watching to see if they’re able to hang on for 8 seconds.

“We tell them good luck and hold on tight,” says Lacey Mercer, president of Southwest Professional Bull Riders. Mercer says even those with no riding experience at all are welcome to give it a try and vie for prize money.

“Anyone who wants to do it can do it,” says Mercer, adding that novices compete against fellow novices and are offered a professional mentor to show them the ropes.

The appeal for fans, say organizers, is being close to the action.

“A lot of the people have been to a rodeo before. The action is a ways away,” says Rob Jenson, Rawhide’s director of entertainment. “At Rawhide you’re close enough to see the bulls throwing dirt, sniffing and snarling.”

During intermission, the sheep come out, giving the crowd’s littlest riders a chance at some riding action.

Spoonhunter says becoming a champion bull rider has been a goal of his since he was a little kid. He says it started at the age of 3, when his dad would take him sheep riding on Friday nights. Through the years he moved up from sheep to calves to steer before graduating to a full-grown bull at the age of 9.

T.J.’s father admits he was concerned when his son first told him he wanted to ride bulls, but he has become supportive. His stepmother still worries, though.

“She gets scared and holds her breath every time I get on,” says Spoonhunter, who admits the sport can be dangerous. On a recent Friday night at Rawhide, Spoonhunter took a hard spill and hurt his leg.

The injury didn’t deter him, says his dad, Terrill. “He’s a little sore but went to the rodeo the next day.”

Spoonhunter says the challenge of bull riding is mental as well as physical.

He says professional riders Dakota Henson and Thor Smith, whom he met at Rawhide, have been great mentors. “They helped me get to where I am at now. They taught me to stay positive and always have a strong mental game and always look for the good moves you have made whether you had a good ride or bad. Without a positive attitude, you will not make it very far.”