Bullridin' Belles

To the average spectator, eight seconds is hardly enough time to swallow that first gulp of beer. But to the athlete, it's an eternity to spend on top of a 2,000-pound, pissed-off animal that wants you off its back. The laws of time will certainly be felt by the participants in the Houston debut of the 1998 Justin Bull Riding Championship. "It's a real adrenaline flow for the spectator, and it's one of the most dynamic challenges in sports," says producer Alan Jacoby. "It really is man vs. beast. Or, in this event, sometimes it's woman vs. beast."

That's right. On this stop -- and this stop only -- on the 23-city Professional Bull Riders/Bud Light Cup Tour, there will also be cowgirls on top of raging bulls -- the elite ladies of the sport like Tammy Kelly and Denise Luna. "We felt that it was very important to showcase the women as well, and the audience really likes it, and they're at just as much a risk as the men are."

While Jacoby notes that rules for the women are different (smaller bulls and less time on top), many are eager to show they're just as tough. "Women are allowed to use two hands to hold on, but a lot of them only use one. They want to show they're [capable] of doing it just like the guys do."

Superstar bull riders like world champion Michael Gaffney, Terry Don West and Troy Dunn will compete to make the November finals in Las Vegas. Surprisingly, the score depends equally on the performance of the bull and the rider. A successful and stylistic ride on a particularly mean 'n' ornery beast will result in a higher overall number, but who really wants to find out? "The best-scoring bulls are the ones that buck the hardest. I guess that's the Catch-22 of it. And they even have their own reputations," Jacoby offers. He also notes that the maximum score of 100 points has been reached only once in all of rodeo history.

Jacoby says that a full staff of doctors, trainers and veterinarians will be present at every stop of the tour. He doesn't anticipate facing animal-activist protests, like the circus and the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

"These bulls are very expensive animals and are taken great care of. They're treated like athletes," Jacoby says, before stifling a laugh. "Besides, it's not the bulls you should feel sorry for. Feel for the cowboys who get thrown off hard, or stepped on."

Gee, no wonder John Travolta liked that mechanical critter so much.

-- Bob Ruggiero

The Justin Bull Riding Championship takes place August 15 and 16 at the Compaq Center, 10 East Greenway Plaza. $15$35. 627-9470 or 629-3700.