3 minute read
Eight-Second Riders
Story & Photos by Felicia Frazar
A light breeze flows through Vic’s Arena, giving life to an American flag in the back of a truck, kicking up a little dirt and all of the smells that go with it. Slowly people gather into the stands and around the chutes waiting for them to open. As the national anthem finishes playing, the chutes liven up with bulls and riders ready to take a chance.
For almost 50 years, people have gathered at Vic’s to take an 8-second ride — amateur and professional alike.
For a small fee and the signing of a waiver, anyone can take their chance on the back of a bull. Riders from all over — some regulars, some first-timers — clamor at their opportunity.
Some former riders and long-time fans of the sport gather around to help get newer riders situated.
Former rider, Johnathan Bierstedt, jumps in the shoot a couple of times to give a new rider a visual of what they need to do.
Once the two switch places and the rider is set, he raises their arm and gives a nod with a “let’s go!”
The chute opens, the bull spins out and begins bucking to rid the person on its back. Some make it to 8, others barely out of the chute.
“The adrenaline rush is something you will never get out of a drug, I guarantee it,” Bierstedt said. “It is like when you nod your head, there are so many things running through your mind, and you have to stay focused. You know that could be the last time you said yes, or nodded your head. It is just the price you have to pay to play the game.” Bierstedt was 16 the first time he hopped on a bull.
Unbeknownst to his parents, he purchased rigging gear, snuck it out of the house, headed to Vic’s Rodeo Arena in Marion and made his first go.
“It was always something I wanted to do,” he said. “I went out there and got on my bull for the very first time. I was hooked.”
Now, at 38 years old, a wife and two kids later, Bierstedt no longer gets in on the action, however, he offers his know-how to those who find themselves in the position he was once in, itching to take the 8-second ride.
Bierstedt continued riding in high school and college. However, a practice ride in college sidelined him with an injury. He rode in a few open pro shows but never made it to the main arena.
“I wish I would have taken it more seriously when I was that age and taken it a little farther,” he said. “That was what I wanted to do. I’m not a professional, I’ve never claimed to be, but I love the sport.”
Bull riding was placed on the back burner for family. However, Bierstedt recently found his way back to the sport at Vic’s by sharing his know-how with younger riders, including 18-year-old Cameron Long, who recently made his first ride.
Having worked at Tejas Rodeo in Bulverde for a few years, Long was familiar with the sport, but not intimately. A chance meeting Bierstedt gave Long someone new to talk to about bull riding and a contact for when he wanted to make a go of it.
“It is something I’ve wanted to try for a while,” Long said. “My dad and my uncle rode out there (at Vic’s) when they were 18, and I know a lot of people that have been out there and done it. I’ve been out there before, but I’ve never been on one.”
Long’s first time on the back of a bull was a little nerve-wracking at first, but Bierstedt behind the chute with him eased his nerves.
“It made it a little bit easier to have someone there that knew what they were doing,” he said. “I think that is what calmed me down. I wasn’t just getting on there by myself; I had someone there who knew what was going on.” Bierstedt hopes to keep the tradition of bull riding alive. “Just want to help out the younger generation. Bull riders are like a dying breed,” he said. “No one wants to play the game; no one wants to get hurt. We didn’t either, but we enjoyed what we did.”