Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.4

Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.4 FEB 5 - 10, 2003

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

FEB 5 - 10, 2003

Howdy folks! The long awaited Mac Rodeo Magazine is finally back. This time I am in Texas for a story by CNN. I was a bit nervous being that this was my first time to be on TV, but I was able to enjoy my self because it was filmed at the Gibbs Ranch where I have spent a good bit of time and there was a Japanese interpreter with the crew.

I met up with the crew on Wednesday, who had flown in from London, and finished the day going over the project. I was told it was to be a documentary, so I thought I would just ride a few bulls and be interviewed a time or two, but it turned out they wanted to film a reenactment drama of past MRMs.

Filming started right away on the second day with them shooting my entry and a few bullriding shots. There were a good number of folks at the ranch too; drawn by the jackpot that was to be held that day. Shots of me warming-up; shots of me preparing in the chute; all were shot separate from the ride, so it was difficult to keep my tension up. The tendon in my knee I had hyperextended back in October had yet to heal completely, and perhaps also due to the nervousness of being in front of a camera, though I took three tries at the same bull, I was unable to mark eight seconds. On top of this, they wanted to shoot a scene where I was supposed to throw my hat in glee after the last ride, regardless if I made eight or not, but instead, I managed to get my knee stepped on when I fell. I went to the hospital on Thursday to get it checked out, and though I was able to get by without a cast, I had hyperextended the tendon again, and as an added bonus, I had somehow broken two ribs to boot.

On the third day, they had chartered a full-size Greyhound bus (with driver) for half the day to film me traveling down the road. There were portrait shots of me standing around in an old barn, and shots of me looking around in a Western ware store, which was in fact an empty house they had fixed up just for the shot to resemble a store. The last shot that day was one of me climbing into the bed of a pick-up, drinking beer and shooting the bull with some other guys. Once the filming finished, we all went out to a
local bar for a bit, and hit the rack early in preparation for the next dayfs filming.

On the last day, amidst the first snow in over a decade, they filmed me watching some kids practicing to ride on a barrel, and a scene of me thinking back while standing in a bar. They went the whole nine yards in the bar and even set-up rails for the camera to roll on. This concluded the three days of filming, but due to the fact that I am not used to doing this kind of stuff, this wore me out more than riding a bull ever did. But, the director/cameraman is the same guy who filmed Bechamfs Adidas commercial, so I guess you could say I now stand shoulder to shoulder with Becham (though I am sure there is a significant difference in the number of zeros on our paychecks). All in all it was a great experience.

The date it will air hasnft been decided yet, but it is supposed to be an episode of CNNfs gPersonal Journey.h Next time I hope to make it on TV as a result of my accomplishments, and will keep striving forth to that. This issue of MRM may have been a bit tame for those of you who are reading it for all the rodeo action, but I intend for it to come back bigger and better in the summer, so stay tuned. At that time I may utilize my experience and rename it MHM instead of MRM. If anyone can guess what MHM stands for, drop me a note. I will send a goody to one lucky person with the right answer. Well, thatfs about it, so Ifll see you next summer.

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Mac Rodeo Magazine Vol.4 FEB 5 - 10, 2003