FEATURE Sports Complex Getting Bucked: A Rodeo Bull Rider's Risks and Rewards Jim Provenzano | August 30, 2004 Bull rider Sammy Van Galder competing in Sacramento - photo by Matt Bowers Along with the two-stepping and rustic festivities, gay rodeos have been stirring up the dust all summer, with more to come this fall. In between the Western-style parties, some seriously athletic competition goes on. Twenty gay rodeos in the United States and Canada make up the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), which began in 1976. The grand championship will be held Oct. 14-17 in Omaha, Neb. (www.igra.com). Other upcoming events include the Atlantic Stampede, held in Washington, D.C., Sept. 10-12 (www.asgra.org), the Greater San Diego Rodeo, held Sept. 17-19 (www.sandiegorodeo.com), and the Capital City Rodeo, Sept. 24-26 in Austin, Texas (www.tgra.org). Most rodeos include steer and bull riding, chute dogging, bareback bronc riding, and other races. IGRA president Colin "Black Bart" Smith estimates that about 55 percent men to 45 percent women will compete in this year's events. Smith himself is a longtime rodeo participant. "After watching my first gay rodeo from the stands in 1990, I decided I should try steer riding," he says, "I was truly clueless and unprepared – and yes, you really can see stars swirling around your head if you fall flat on your back!" Bull rider Sammy Van Galder recently competed at the Sierra Stampede, held in Sacramento. Born and raised on a farm in Colorado, he didn't take to riding animals for years. "I was always the scaredy cat, afraid to ride a horse," says Van Galder. "But as I got older I got over my fear." He competed in saddle clubs and youth horse riding groups as a teen. While becoming aware of his sexual orientation, he never thought the two worlds of the GLBT and rodeo communities could coalesce. After moving to California and watching a gay rodeo in 1991, Van Galder set his sights on competing. He started at 1992 events in Palm Springs and San Diego, where he says he got a lot of help from veteran competitors. Starting on smaller animals, Van Galder, now 37, built up to riding steers and bulls. "Steers are much smaller, and also castrated, so they don't have as much aggressiveness," he explains. Gay rodeos aren't exclusive. Straight participants are a regular part of the events. Of the gay cowboys and cowgirls who compete in mainstream rodeos, Van Galder says, "They may play it a little more cool. But with their talent at that level, people respect them more than for their lifestyle." Unlike the larger rodeos, gay rodeos don't offer prizes, except for coveted belt buckles. In fact, most are nonprofits that raise funds for others, like the Southern Spurs Rodeo, held in Atlanta, which has so far given $70,000 to local charities. With most in the GLBT community concerned about human rights, it's understandable that the gay rodeo circuit has a few detractors concerned about animal rights. Some activists allege cruelty at human/animal competitions, and a few have protested outside recent rodeos. "Gay amateur rodeos are much more cognizant of their treatment of animals (than mainstream rodeos)," counters Van Galder. "Some of the misinformation animal-rights activists use leads to an emotional side." He says the bucking is not produced through abuse, but through training. "Rodeo animals know they're supposed to buck a person off. You don't have to encourage them to do anything." Van Galder has also competed in the more lighthearted "camp" (drag) events, including the Wild Drag Race, where one of the human competitors must don a wig and skirt of questionable style, and Goat Dressing, where both man and beast become equally fashion-impaired. Lacking a bull of his own, or even a mechanical one, Van Galder says his training time is limited to workouts at the gym and horseback riding. Injuries play a frequent part in this rough riding event. Most male riders wear a protective cup, yet Van Galder has pulled both groin muscles and broken a few bones. In one particularly memorable tumble, he even split his lip on a bull's horn. While rodeo is a competitive sport, few are able to commit fulltime; Van Galder works as an accountant, and considers his bull riding what he calls "a special hobby." It's also a serious - and risky - hobby. Van Galder will compete in Washington, D.C.'s Atlantic Stampede again this year, two years after a bullpen accident killed a fellow competitor and friend, Dean Berkan. "You never know what can happen," recalls Van Galder, who witnessed the accident. "The steer became agitated in the chute and pulled him down before he even got out." An IGRA fund started in Berkan's name supports safety and equipment needs at rodeos. The Rodeo Contestant Crisis Fund (www.rccf.org), a mainstream rodeo nonprofit, lists more than 70 recipients who suffered serious injuries in the past decade. Although more competitors have taken to wearing mouth guards, helmets, and protective vests, none of these safety devices are required. Until crash-proof Stetsons are made, there may be some resistance to the armored look. "Safety equipment is optional," says Van Galder, "but we promote it and try to encourage people to be as safe as possible." Jim Provenzano is the author of the novels PINS and Monkey Suits. Read more sports articles at www.sportscomplex.org Related stories Heroics: Carrying a Torch for Gay Olympians [16/08/2004]