Bulls for beginners: Organizers use class to coach novice riders, fighters

PALMER – The Alaska State Fair and Rodeo Alaska organized a school last week for one of the most dangerous sports in existence: bull riding.

A handful of people interested in both bull riding and bull fighting received instruction from professional teachers June 10-12 at the fairgrounds on how to improve their performance. Gary Leffew, a former world champion bull rider, pro rodeo hall of famer and owner of the premier bull riding school in the nation shared his expertise with both seasoned and first-time riders.

Participants analyzed video footage of bull riding, performed bareback exercises on horses and went through multiple practice rides, all to learn how to consistently stay on a bull for eight seconds, and as if that wasn’t enough already, how to also make the ride entertaining for a crowd.

Leffew stood at the highest point of the arena at the fairgrounds grandstand, hollering commands and advice to class participants on what to do with a bull before they broke out of the bucking chute, and what they needed to work on after they were finished riding.

“Come on now, give me a couple jumps this time, make him jump,” Leffew yelled to a rider, just before the bucking chute opened.

Despite being aimed at experienced riders, the school was not in any way exclusive. According to Jesse Stubblefield, the Alaska State Fair representative who helped organized the class, the instruction was available to anyone interested in bull riding, no matter his/her age or background in the sport.

Stubblefield said that coordinating the event was a natural product of public interest. He organized enough riders for a school and was able to bring Leffew up from California, as the two used to teach bull riding together. Not only does a school provide an instructional avenue for novice and experienced riders alike, it also helps improve the growing rodeo scene in Alaska.

“We know that we have people who want to ride,” Stubblefield said. “This is my way of investing in the community.”

By offering a professional school like the one last week, bull riding in Alaska improves dramatically in quality, Stubblefield added. Most of last week’s participants will now compete in a Rodeo Alaska circuit that will travel around the state, from Ninilchik to Fairbanks. The top scorers from that showcase will win themselves a chance to ride at the championship event, which will take place early September during the Alaska State Fair.

The returns of putting on this school, and the popularity of the rodeo scene in Alaska are both immediately evident, according to Stubblefield. This weekend’s show at the fairgrounds was so popular that tickets were eventually sold for standing room only.

“It was the largest show I’ve seen…we’re still counting how many attended,” Stubblefield said.

For more information about Rodeo Alaska, visit rodeoalaska.com.

Contact Kaden Weaver at 352-2270 or kaden.weaver@frontiersman.com