The two most recent books for my Rodeo Rebels series (Arizona Cowboy Feb 2012 & A Cowboy's Duty Aug 2012) contain elements of women's bull riding. I did a lot of research for the books just to understand what makes these women tick. Of all the information I came across one thing stood out—these women have worked hard and sacrificed much to earn the respect of their male counterparts. And as you can imagine they've experienced their fair share of bumps and bruises along the way.
I came across a blog called World CowGirl. The blogger interviewed Polly Reich, the first female professional bull rider.
According to the interview…..
Polly started bull riding when she was 29 years old, an age that many bull riders have already hung up their chaps and rope. She was working as a dog groomer in Deerfield, Illinois and raising her twelve-year old daughter when friends took her to a rodeo to get her out of the house and her mind off of a break up with boyfriend of six years. Polly had never been to a rodeo before and was not excited by any of the events until the last event of the night – bull riding. Polly was captivated by the sport and left the rodeo thinking, “I could do that” a thought few others leave a rodeo thinking. Without telling her friends or family, including her daughter, Polly sought out a mentor to teach her how to ride bulls.
The interview delves into much more detail but the following paragraph was a real eye-opener and made me cringe when I thought of how much Polly sacrificed to blaze a trail for future female competitors.
Not everyone was excited about Polly competing as an equal with men. Some of her competitors on the IPRA circuit tried to intimidate her in very upsetting ways. While she competed on the IPRA circuit her dog, Sproket, was poisoned and died, the hood of her truck was deliberately unhinged-so it blew off of her truck while she was driving down the highway, and she was physically beaten by a group of unidentified men who ambushed her at night. If Polly was tough enough to ride bulls, she was also determined not to be “bullied” out of bull riding by her competitors. Her new teacher Lyle Sankey convinced her to leave the IPRA and ride in the more prestigious Professional Bull Riding Association (PBR) circuit instead. Fortunately for Polly the bull riders in the PBR behaved like gentlemen toward her and became some of her dearest friends.
I won't go into the gory details of some of Polly's injuries…you can read about them in the blog but suffice it to say she is one incredibly brave and lucky woman. You would never guess in a million years how her career ended….
Polly’s career ended in an abrupt and unexpected way. She was in Fort Collins, Colorado, riding her bicycle to warm up for a bull riding competition. As she cycled by the football stadium she was hit head on by a motorcycle policeman who was chasing a truck full of college students drinking out of a keg of beer in the truck bed. (There was a football game that day). He was driving the wrong direction in the bike lane with his attention was directed toward the truck and never even saw her coming. Polly’s shoulder was severely dislocated from her body because of the accident. Her career ended so suddenly and silently that there was a rumor circulating on the bull riding circuit that Polly had died.
After all my research I've concluded that women who ride bulls aren't so different from you or me…they just have an insatiable thirst for excitement and challeneges and proving know-it-alls wrong.
Care to share a time when you were told you couldn't do something because you were a girl?
Marin Thomas
Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)
A Cowboy's Duty (Aug 2012)
4 comments:
Oh, those were the days...
When I was sixteen my father requested I quit school and get a job until I got married. The money I made could help pay my brothers' college expenses. Education was wasted on girls cause they just got married and had babies. He even wrote to the student loans people to tell them not to waste their money on me. I worked my way though college as a waitress. He was always so disappointed I graduated and took a job that a man might have had.
Wow, where to start. I grew up with a brother and I had two step-brothers.
1. Girls can't play football or any sport as well as a boy can. I did used to out shoot them when we playe HORSE
2. I had an earlier curfew than my younger brother, because girls need to be protected.
Kinda...wow. Your father sure was a tough one. I can't believe he wrote the college loan people not to give you money for school. Did your mother secretly cheer you on as you made your way through school on your own? I hope she was proud of you because I sure am :-) What is it the younger kids say these days...you go girl!
Tammy, lol on out shooting the boys I, too had an earlier curfew than my brother...nothing good ever happened to a girl after midnight...I was told :-)
Hey Marin, his attitude was very typical for his time. My mom supported my dad in all things. However, she did feel sorry for him as, from a young age, I took it as my personal responsibility to raise his consciousness and cure his chauvanism. It's that middle child thingy.
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