JDW Photos and Life

This is the last set of Gene Ratliff's bull ride. I am hoping that 9 photos don't kill your e-mail. I feel like I have dragged this ride out long enough. I probably should have started this series with a note that Gene appeared to be OK afterwards. He walked away from this ride with a limp and less breath in his lungs. The last photo yesterday had the bull starting to turn into the cowboy. The photos today show what happened in the next second or so. From my first photo of this ride to the last, the time stamps changed just 7 seconds during which time I took 68 photos of this ride. To get a score for riding a bull, you have to stay on it for 8 seconds. I'm guessing these cowboys wear chest protection in addition to the helmet but Gene takes a couple of BIG hits to his chest that throw him around like a ragdoll. In the first few photos today, you can see just how high he was thrown by looking at the height of his hips - and this is mitigated due to his hand still attached to...

At the end of my last set of photos, our cowboy, Gene Ratliff, was getting into trouble after losing his seat but couldn't free his hand. As you see with photos today, his night didn't get any better. There is a lot to see in these photos if you like looking at details. I have so many interesting photos of this ride that it will take one more e-mail to wrap it up. These next two photos are painful where you see his feet getting stepped on by this beast. Riding a bull is bad enough but getting under a bull is a nightmare. To add to the violence, the bull turns into the downed cowboy to put more hurt on him. Look closely and you see the bull's front right leg is outside of Gene's body. The bull is now riding the cowboy. This bull is really worked up at this point. You can see slobber and slot flying. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Another early e-mail as it will be another early morning tomorrow. More photos of Gene Ratliff and a bad bull. The last photo shared yesterday was bad enough with the bull about to drive Gene into the rails but it didn't get better. The bull took a sharp right turn causing him to slip down to his knees making Gene hit the bull with is free hand - a disqualification. You also see in this e-mail that his left hand got stuck in the rope and he could not get away from the bull. The rodeo clowns are looking for their opening to help. Things are getting serious in this post! More coming in the next couple of days. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

The final event was bull riding - keeping the crazies to the end! A&M had a single entry and his ride was the last and wildest of the night. It will take more than a single e-mail to share this one. Meet Gene Ratliff and one mean bull. That bull was nasty in the chute and things got worse. That turn back into the chute with the cowboy looking at rows of metal pipe is a super difficult start to a ride. Even the bull took a head butt into the iron. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

This is Tylie McDonald. She did not have a great run but I'm sure it will be better the next time. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

This is Josie Gerdes. I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said. Fast, intense, pure competition. I hope I don't break your e-mail with 8 photos. I couldn't cut out any more. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

As the rider enters the arena, she has a choice of which barrel to approach first. In the post yesterday, Chesney's first turn was at the barrel nearest me. Emma Smith, the rider for the post today, used the far barrel as her first turn. The two approaches result in slightly different photography angles with pros and cons. The direction traversing Barrel 1 to Barrel 2 is either running away from my camera (yesterday) or racing towards my camera (today). Exiting the turn at the second barrel is one of the most intense moments as the second to third barrel leg is long and you see a lot of acceleration. I didn't get very good shots on the barrel closest to me due to the rail. From my position, I like when the near barrel is the first barrel. Like most things in photography, you can't do it all from a single position. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

The second (and final) TAMU contestant was Madalyn Richards. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/