Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.3

@Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.3

Written by Makoto Sekido
Translated by Randy S. Reese Jr.

SEP 21, 2001

Howdy folks! The long awaited (?) Mac Rodeo Magazine is back, after a one year hiatus. I arrived in Martin, TN, and am staying at the home of Mr. Kitagawa, a friend of mine from college, who is currently studying in the States. The result of many complications, I have arrived quite a bit later than I had planned, and my stay this time has been cut to a mere month. I will be riding at 8:00pm on the 21st, in the Mid-South Fair & Rodeo in Memphis, TN. Since my injury last year, I have had no chances to practice, and will have to shoot from the hip on this one. On top of all that, it is another PRCA show, so I am a bit nervous to say the least, but I will do my best on my way to 8 seconds.

As for my schedule after this, I will be heading to Texas after the show for some practice and a show on the weekend. Next week I head for New Jersey for a World Cup Bullriders event there.

I expect to send my next report on Monday, so stay tuned!

SEP 23, 2001

The Sunk by the Titanic...

Yesterday, I entered my first rodeo in a year at Memphis Mid-South Coliseum. The festival was huge, the rodeo grounds equally big, and Brad Paisley had a showing of over 1,500 at his concert prior to the show. There were seven rounds of preliminaries in four days alone, and this was definitely the largest event I had participated in to date.

My bull this time was "01 Titanic." The biggest bull in the pen, the Stock Contractor said he was quite a site at last year's event, stretching my nerves to the breaking point.

Unfortunately, while the Kitagawas cheered on in the stands, I fell victim to the bovine and was sunk by the Titanic.

However, I felt no fear I thought I may have from my last injury, so I intend to get in some practice to get the feel back, and get ready for the Comal County Fair Rodeo in New Braunfels, TX next week.

Stay tuned!

OCT 1, 2001

Howdy! This week, I am once again at Mr. Gibbs' ranch in Jarrell, TX, who took real good care of me last year when I was down this way.

I was unable to join in on the practice at the Gibbs Arena because my luggage didn't arrive on time, but Wednesday I rode in Austin, and on Thursday in Belton for a total of 5 head. I had lost a bit of confidence after Memphis last week, but I was able to cover three out of five head and sense my feel coming back.

However, at the open bullriding held at the Gibbs Arena, I drew a bull called "93" that bucked off Tuff Hedeman in 1998. On my way off the bull, he stuck me and broke another of my ribs. I won't know the details until I am examined at the hospital on Monday, but because of this little bump, I was unable to ride at the New Braunfels rodeo.

For the time being, I intend on getting some rest, and readying my self for the New Jersey event on October 6th & 7th. Until next time...

OCT 12, 2001@

How y'all doin'??!!

As I reported last week, I can't say I am well, but I only broke one rib, and the doc says there was no threat to my guts. So, on Tuesday, with two heavy bags and a broken bone, I embarked on a 50 hour bus trip to Boston, MA.

I grabbed a drink in Nashville, TN, then a bus driver was killed along with six passengers, bringing all the buses to a halt. As a result, it was a long three day trip with no bed or bath. As a side note, I had seen the guy who killed those people, so one wrong step, and I would have been along for the REAL long ride.

Thursday, I hooked-up with Jinichiro "Jean" Shibahara at the Boston Air Port where we were picked up by Ken Churchill, President of the World Cup Bullriders (WCB) and headed to nearby Brockton, MA. 40 riders from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Guatemala and Japan showed to ride at the New Jersey event. At the entrance ceremony, each representing rider carried the flag of his country, which was pretty spiffy. It just seemed a bit long to me though, and maybe because I had just come from Texas, I felt extremely cold. It was cold enough in fact, that it snowed on Monday.

The event was a very high-quality one, with riders from the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) also riding. On the first day, I drew a bull called "Spanky" of the J Bar W company, lost my balance in a spin and was bucked off in 2 or 3 seconds. The second round Jean drew Spanky, and I drew Ugley Fred, and overcome by his power I was launched on the second buck. Though Jean put a lot of try into his rides as well, he encountered some problems, and was unable to cover both times as well, resulting in a very sorry finish for Team Japan.

This week I am again at Mr. Gibbs' ranch in Jarrel, TX, but maybe due to the long travel, I have been feeling some pains, and am unsure what I am going to do. I am supposed to return to Japan next Tuesday (OCT 16), so this is probably the last report from the U.S. for this trip.

'Till later..

Written by Makoto Sekido

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@Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.3

@Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.3