Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Ironwood — The rodeo came to town Sunday, and the crowd enjoyed the show at the Gogebic County Fair in Ironwood.
Temporary bleachers surrounding the pen were filled to the brim. Backed up pick-up trucks and a small number of chairs accommodated more folks while many people opted just to stand.
Announcer Caleb Claybrook, from Minnesota, warned viewers to stay 3 feet away from the fence line in case one of the animals happened to knock down any portion of it.
He described the activity as “the most dangerous sport in the world.”
The Rice Bull Riding and Rodeo Company of Medford, Wisconsin, provided the show with a variety of categories, including bull riding, bronco riding, barrel racing and several types of calf roping.
Claybrook worked in tandem with Jelly Bean the clown to entertain the crowd between divisions. They told a number of stories, and Jelly Bean stayed active, running around the rodeo pen to interact with the audience while clapping, waving, pantomiming and dancing along to peppy music such as Pink’s “Get the Party Started.”
Jelly Bean also organized a boot scramble for the kids, which required them to enter the arena and surrender one boot, shoe or sandal that went into a pile. The clown then threw many of the shoes across the arena and ordered the kids to run from one side to the other while stopping to find and put on their missing shoe.
After the show, barrel racer Sherri Wright of Gilman, Wisconsin, said she learned her art through “a lot of practice.”
The 51-years-old said she’s been competing in barrel races since she was 5 years old.
“I’m leading now,” she said and credited her quarter horse, Dixie, as well.
“I trust her even when the ground is not good,” said Wright. “She’ll figure it out.”
Wright said she’ll head to Hayward, Wisconsin, next after having just come from Illinois and Iowa for other competitions.
Ty Davidson, who rode the bull Ready Red, said he also has a “full-timish” job making composite decking in Fennimore, Wisconsin, but added that he wishes he could compete in rodeos full time.
At age 28, he’s been bull riding for a decade now and was roping for years prior.
At the time he spoke to The Globe after the show, all of the horses and bulls stood calmly in their pens, with Davidson stopping to pet one as though he were a really large dog.
“When they get here they get amped up,” he said of the animals that can be more than 1,500 pounds. “They love it. They’re built for this. They know their job.”
When asked how it feels in the moment of the ride, Davidson said, “It’s hard to describe. It really is. Everything’s out the door.”
He admitted that it’s tough. “I’ve dislocated my knees. I’ve broken my fingers, my arm. I’ve been knocked in the head more times than I can count.”
Christina Rice, who owns the bull riding company with her husband, Dave, confirmed by phone on Tuesday that Davidson earned no points due to being thrown before reaching 8 seconds.
“But he had a really tough bull,” she said of “Ready Red,” who is of national champion status.
Rice also explained that some riders were in the junior division, which means they can earn points, but they will not be counted officially.
Mya Schraufnagel, the only female bull rider, won 67 points, which were unofficial due to her being a junior. She is from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and rode “Longhorn Larry.”
Rice said that smaller bulls are used for the junior division and described the animals as “gentle as can be — you can go right in the field with them.”
The show included some unexpected moments, such as a horse breaking into the arena before its rider had a chance to engage. There also were some hard falls by riders of bulls or horses, but Linda Nelson — a Gogebic County Fair Board member who worked to get the rodeo here — said Monday that everyone was fine.
Resolving any and all issues were “pick-up cowboys” who rushed in on foot or on horse to gather runway animals and to work with Jelly Bean to keep riders safe.
“I’d really like to bring the rodeo again,” said Nelson at a Monday meeting of the Fair Board. “I think that was huge. I think it was very, very well received.”
