The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-10-23

AND
Tomorrow
RODEO
Frank Parker St"ckridee

New Workers, who think of the
West as starting on the other side
of the Hudson river, are having
this belief verified at the srodeo If
Madison Square Garden where
cowboy from New Jersey is
among the competitors in the
bronc riding contest. The cow
boys, New Workers are saying
come from Texas, Oklahoma, New
Jersey and places like that.
But wherever they come from
they bring real thrill to east
ern business men who are always
talking about taking the bull by
the horns" but never, except dur
ing the annual rodeo, get chance
to see what that expression real
ly means.
The rodeo is probably the most
exciting event witnessed in New
York. Most other spectacles
planned to thrill BroadWayites
have an artificial flavor about
them because audiences know
ahead of time that they consist of
professionals who have perfected
their acts and scarcely ever make
mistakes. The performers in the
rodeo, however, are amateur cow
boys and coWgirls who have come
from the West in the hope of win
ming big money prizes in competl-
ton with one another, and the au-
dience never knows what will
happen.
WRESTLING steers
By far the most exciting event
at the rodeo is the wild steer
wrestling contest.
In case you haven't seen one,
this act is as simple to explain
as it is dangerous to perform. "A
wild steer, with blood in his eyes
and horns that look sharper than
daggers, comes rushing full speed
out of a pen. A cowboy tears at
ter him on horseback, gets along
side of him and suddenly jumps
from his horse to land with his
arms firmly around the steers
horns. If he lands right-then 1t
becomes a question of matching
his brute strength against the
steers in wrestling the steer to
the ground. It's a tough wrestle,
but the experienced cowboy US
uallv wins. But if he lands wrong
on the jump If the steer gets
loose-then it becomes a matter
of scrambling out of the way be-
fore the steer can turn on him
and gore him with those dagger
like horns.
Many a cowboy has been killed
in this dangerous pastime of the
West. But it is an excellent dem
onstration of the American type
of craftsmanship, as compared
with bullfighting in other coun-
tries. For in bullfighting the odds
are all against the bull, but IN
steer wrestling, the animal scarce
" ever gets hurt. It's the cowboy
who takes all the chances while
the animal just goes through a
slight discomfort.
PHOTOGRAPHERS news
The rodeo is definitely a west
ern thriller, but several eastern
ers did themselves proud IN the
arena: namely, the news photo
graphers.
Ordered by their newspapers to
get thrilling action pictures, sew
eral photographers, with large
cameras and pockets full OF flash
bulbs, were in the area from the
beginning to the end of the show
| facing wild bulls one minute and
bucking broncs the next. Their
game seemed to be to get as close
as possible to each animal when 1t
was acting up most-and many OF
them turned to snap pictures on
the run while being chased.
The photographers were a lead
ing topic of interest and excite
ment throughout the show and
more than one piece Of camera
equipment was destroyed by a
bull before the evening was over.
It was the general opinion Of the
audience that one of the cash priz-
es should have been put up for
the most daring act of a news
paper photographer.
The newspaper photographers
wanted pictures and more pic
lures, because the rodeo offers
their annual opportunity to give
eastern newspaper readers a taste
of the West. When the outstand-
ing performers of the great open
spaces gather together within the
confines of one New York build
ing-that's news.
AUTRY Rogers
The star of the rodeo this year,
according to the program, was
Gene Autry, famous cowboy of