cowboys are athletes
While I was home over the Christmas holidays a few things changed and I learned a few new things as well. One night while visiting the Jones family at their home in Delburne, AB, I realized something that was pretty obvious but I didn’t fully understand until that night. What happened was that while we were talking about the rodeo and all the things that happened last year, we got to the topic of fitness and how it affects us rodeo participants.
When it comes to fitness, most of us are pretty fit when we start our rodeo career. Starting the rodeo can be much more difficult when you are not physically fit. Once you figure out a system, it becomes much easier. I see more young contestants having more success in rodeos in the future when fitness, flexibility and eating are more highly valued. The different transitions also play apart.
The biggest one I’ve seen in some tough competitors I’m friends with is when they stop being a part of organized sports. I know that when I made the most money riding bulls it was just a month after being on the ice three times a day playing hockey and in the gym on days off. It was easy to do this at the time. I remember being able to do 15 pull-ups and 30+ one leg squats like it was no big deal. I tried it the other day, and I could barely do six pull-ups, and my knee hurt from doing regular squats.
A big difference related to being physically fit involves flexibility and simply being able to be more resilient.
Guess when I started getting injured? Not long after I finished playing hockey. Anyone looking at it from the outside would realize it. It took me breaking my clavicle and dislocating my shoulder a few times to see for myself. For some, it could just be motivation. They think they can get by without going to the gym and just being a cowboy, or being tough about it. Even if you are in good shape and in the best physical condition, it is possible that you could get hurt. The truth is that when you are in good shape, your mind is also in a better state. With all cylinders firing at 100 percent, your chances of getting hurt decrease; therefore, increasing their longevity in the sport.
Being physically fit is a big part of our sport. And physical fitness involves other aspects like chiropractic treatment and massage therapy. Both help keep you at your highest levels of fitness. Chiropractors have been the most helpful I have come across thus far. I dislocated my shoulder on June 19, 2009 in Killam, AB and with the help of my chiropractor I was able to ride back to 100 percent on July 3 in Brazil. However, this was no ordinary chiropractor. If you are looking for someone who can help you in this way, you need to find a chiropractor who does Active Release Techniques (ART).
ART quickly helps you regain strength in muscles that were previously injured or strained from prior trauma. A chiropractor who is qualified to use Graston tools will also be of great benefit.
After the first round of the 2009 WPB Finals, Miles Pennington found himself unable to straighten his back when walking or leaning forward to put on his shoes or boots without experiencing severe lower back pain.
He contemplated going outside because he knew that if he went up there was a good chance that he would probably fall and possibly injure himself more. She made the decision to seek help and find treatment so she could ride the next night. With the help of chiropractor, Dr. Nicole Fox of Red Deer, Alberta, on New Year’s Eve, Miles was able to compete; he even rode his bull that night eventually and took home some money.
Although I am a bull rider, health is my number one value in my life. Without health, I think a person would really have nothing else worthwhile in his life. Now you could say that being a bull rider and having health as your number one value are contradictory values. I see that this is perhaps somewhat true; However, being a bull rider is hard on your body sometimes, but that’s part of the game. I see bull riding as a way to live my life on my own terms. There have been times when I have thought about doing things differently. When I think deeply about it, I think more about what really worries me and realize that a person can get hurt anywhere.
We as cowboys are our own bosses. Unlike other professional athletes, we don’t have athletic trainers by our side at all times of the day to attend to every complaint and pain. It is possible that we have things that bother us and we do nothing about it because we do not have time, or simply do not have time to fix it. Some people think that the way to go is to get up and deal with the pain. I love being a cowboy and a bull rider and I would say I am both. I would also say that I am an athlete. However, since we don’t have coaches waiting for us like other professional athletes in sports like hockey or soccer, we must take matters into our own hands.
There are rodeo cowboys that take care of themselves and then there are those that don’t take care of themselves. We can all make our own decisions at the rodeo. We don’t have a coach or a boss telling us what we should and shouldn’t do, what we should and shouldn’t drink or eat, and whether or not to go to the doctor when something might be wrong.
Those who take care of themselves are the ones who most of the time progress in the sport. I’ve seen a few different people in my short career have to quit because they didn’t take care of themselves when they were my age or younger. You are the controller of your own destiny, the decisions you make ultimately help to follow the course of your life. You can live it however you want.
This article is my opinion. I am writing to inform you of some of the things I have learned that I believe will benefit you. I hope you enjoy reading my articles. I sure enjoy writing them and hearing from some people who have helped me.