Anchorage Daily News

For some spectators, watching those tight Wranglers swaggering about the arena might be the attraction of a bull riding event. But everybody else knows it's those big, hairy butts that bring the show.

There's no bigger thrill in sport than to see a 1,700-pound bull blow out of the chute, taking a 150-pound man into a violent maelstrom most people would consider madness.

For bull and cowboy, though, it's all in a day's work.

The relationship they share is unlike most in any other competition. Sure, you hear all the talk about a team wanting to beat the other team when they're at their best. But after the game, what you hear is "A win's a win."

Not so for the cowboys. His opponent has to perform well, or he loses. Because it doesn't matter if the cowboy rides his bull for the necessary eight-second count; if the bull doesn't buck up to judges' standards, the cowboy gets nothing but scattered applause.

So when the Professional Bull Riders come to town this weekend, it's worth noting the importance these animal athletes bring to the competition.

It's also worth noting that, like people, they have quirks and tendencies and personalities.

So let's meet seven of the 70 bulls that were gracious enough to board a ship in Tacoma, Wash., and sail here to show their stuff in Sullivan Arena.

The statistics reported here are from PBR events. Some, if not all, the bulls also compete in other circuits, including the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. For more information, fans can go to www.pbrnow.com.

SCORING A BULL RIDE

Two judges score each ride. Each judge can award as many as 25 points to the bull and 25 to the cowboy. A good performance by both cowboy and bull can produce a score in the 80s. A great ride scores in the 90s.

Bulls are scored for ranking purposes on every outing, even if the cowboy doesn't make a qualified ride. So if a bull averages 47 points in a season, he's had a Super Bowl year.

Bulls are scored every ride, regardless of whether the rider stays on the bull for the required eight seconds.

The bull rating is an average of the judges' individual bull scores. The closer to 25, the better.

GETTING TO KNOW THE BULLS

Smokeless Wardance

7 years old, 1,650 pounds

This bull was last year's Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Bucking Bull of the Year and runner-up in the PBR ranking. With those credentials, don't look for a cowboy to score a qualified ride on him this weekend.

Derek Bevington, livestock supervisor for the touring bulls, called Wardance "a timid bull. He won't fight (with other bulls) unless he has to. He likes to avoid confrontation."

That timidity, though, doesn't transfer to the arena.

"He has lots of speed and power." His tendency is to spin left immediately out of the chute. If the cowboy is still on after three seconds or so, he reverses and turns into a right spin, all the while in high-kick mode.

He's a showy bull that fans should enjoy for the short time they get to see him.

Pudd

5 years old, 1,600 pounds

If you laugh at this bull's name, do it from afar.

"He doesn't like people," Bevington said. "He's the meanest bull here. He'll eat your lunch."

He doesn't like other bulls either, so he's most often penned by himself.

"Very temperamental. Some days he'll just pick a fight," Bevington said.

"The bull riders hate him," but not because he's a man eater. His bucking style is just like his personality -- unpredictable. "They (cowboys) never know what he's going to do."

He's also a showy bull that "will stand on his head." A crowd-pleaser.

Last word of caution: "He'll try to hook everybody in the arena."

Pandora's Box

6 years old, 1,550 pounds

"He's very easy to get along with," Bevington said. "Easy to handle. Gets along with the other bulls."

He's a hard one to ride because he has what Bevington calls an uneven gait.

Plus, "he comes hard into the spin, and he's got a little jerk in the spin. Most guys can't get around the corner with him," meaning they have trouble synchronizing with his bucking rhythm.

Get Ya Some

8 years old, 1,400 pounds

Here's another bull that's easy to get along with, Bevington said. He's cordial toward the other bulls, but "he's a ball of dynamite" in the arena.

"He's really small, but he has a lot of power and speed. Real showy."

Another crowd-pleaser, Get Ya generally takes his act out into the arena, where he employs a tight right spin.

"He's rider-friendly," Bevington said, because cowboys often score in the 80-point range on him.

Smokeless Chili

5 years old, 1,550 pounds

Like Wardance, Bevington called Chili a quiet bull. "He's timid toward the other bulls and won't fight unless he has to."

He spins right every time, with a lot of high kick. Another trait he shares with Wardance is that he takes care of business right at the gate.

He's also popular with the cowboys because his bucking style can lead to a lot of points. Bevington said scores are often in the 80s and sometimes the 90s for cowboys who perform as well as Chili does.

Super Jacket

6 years old, 1,900 pounds

This is the Type B personality of the herd: plays well with others.

Bevington says he can walk up to Jacket and pet him with no worries.

"He's a pretty nice guy." That's good, given his 1,900 pounds of muscle.

"He's real fast for his size. Has a right spin with good kicks in the rear, but no air in front."

If after three or four seconds the cowboy is still on him, Jacket will swap ends and go into a left spin.

Come and Get It

5 years old, 1,650 pounds

Here's another of Bevington's quiet, easygoing bulls -- with one exception. Come and Get It doesn't get along with cantankerous Pudd and won't back down if Pudd wants to come and get it.

"He can kick head-high," said Bevington. "He kicks real hard and can spin either way."

Come and Get It bucks by feel, meaning if he doesn't like the way a cowboy is riding him -- winning -- he'll take the cowboy in a whole new direction.

And he does it if for all to see in the middle of the arena, so fans should enjoy that ride.