Word: rodeos
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Heck, why should youngsters be the only ones allowed the pleasure of getting kicked in the head by irritable livestock? That's the attitude of Naldur and his 850 rugged colleagues in the National Senior Professional Rodeo Association, a group of 40-and-up cowboys and cowgirls. The N.S.P.R.A.'s seven-month tour hits such cities as Buckeye, Ariz., and Twin Falls, Idaho, and culminates with a national championship in Reno, Nev., in early November. The tour pits cowfolk from three age brackets (40s, 50s and 60-plus) in events such as bronco or bull riding, steer wrestling, calf roping...
...extending the original. "I feel just as good throwing a steer now as I did when I was 25, and believe me, the cattle are not any easier," says Dan Stringari, 54, a steer wrestler from Gallatin Gateway, Mont., who sports the unofficial rodeo uniform--denim shirt, Wranglers and boots. Some participants say the weekly activity keeps them fit. "It's either this or sit at home and die of old age, so I'm not quitting until I'm 6 ft. under," says barrel racer Linda Short, 52, from Dayton...
Discussing the limitations of age is passe to Short and her rodeo colleagues. "People tell me to quit all the time," says Mario Ciucci, 58, a bareback rider, "but I feel as good as I did at 35." Still, it's impossible to ignore the reality that a group of grandparents are dodging bull horns and bronco hooves--especially since the animals make no allowances for age. Injuries are guaranteed. In Redmond, a particularly ornery bull shatters a rider's leg in a serious accident that rodeo veterans refer to as a wreck. Most wrecks are not that severe...
...chance, Johnson met up with amateur surfer Garrett Dutton, lead singer of the college rock act G. Love & Special Sauce. The two surfed and jammed together, and Dutton liked Johnson's song Rodeo Clowns so much that he asked Johnson to record it with him for the 1999 album Philadelphonic. When Rodeo Clowns became the album's only hit, Johnson found himself on the radar of several major record labels. "I had a pretty good gig, the surf-film gig," he says. "I had a lot of fun, and I could pay my bills, which is all I was really...
Part of the motivation for Dragila, who has competed in everything from rodeo riding to gymnastics, is the perception that women can't manage such a challenging competition. "People were saying women shouldn't even try this event," says Dragila, who is an assistant track coach at Idaho State University. "These days we're still breaking barriers." Dragila has done her part: this spring she broke her own world record with a vault...