Gill chasing his rodeo dreams
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Local sports fans, especially those at North Adams, are used to seeing Michael Gill on the basketball or baseball diamond, or lending his special brand of enthusiasm (and his cowboy hat) to the student cheering section, known as the “Pit Crew”. But on Thursday night of the Adams County Fair, Gill will be seen in a much different light, and a much different sport. When the rodeo comes to this year’s Fair, Gill will be strapping up and mounting a bucking bull as he pursues a new dream in his life.
“Most people who knew me in school probably would have never guessed it but bull riding and rodeo was my interest way before baseball and basketball,” said Gill. “Bull riding was my childhood dream but I never seriously thought it might come true someday. When I was young I was always acting like I was riding bulls, pretending I was on an imaginary bull using the arms of a recliner. My favorite movie is “8 Seconds”, the story of Lane Frost, who was one of the greatest cowboys of all time. We watched rodeo whenever it was on, but I kind of pushed my dream away for a decade or so. I got on my first bull before turning 19 and would have much earlier if I had had time with all the other sports and jobs that I was involved in.”
Bull riding involves a lot more than just jumping on a wild animal and hanging on for dear life and Gill had a lot to learn before jumping into the rodeo business.
“I’d by lying if I said I knew all the trick of the rodeo business,” Gill said. “The first time I ever rode I was borrowing gear from a buddy who works with my Dad. He worked with me a good bit, making sure I rode as safe as I possibly could. That night was overwhelming, so much information coming all at once. Since then I’ve watched other riders and what they do to help them succeed, watching them at live rodeos and on the Internet.”
“There are guys at the rodeo who are more than happy to help and give pointers, you just have to be able to take those tips and filter out the ones that don’t work for you. I’m willing to try most things once and if it works, I’ll keep doing it. One trick that sticks in my mind was when I was told that bull riding is like ‘ballerina dancing’. At the time that was very confusing but it was very helpful for me to keep that in mind to help with my feet placement and angle to keep my spurs in the bull.”
Gill is still somewhq5 of a novice in the bull riding arena, but is continuing to gain experience and with that the knowledge he needs to be successful, and you can tell in his conversation that he is moving in the right direction.
“Rodeo is like a track meet,” Gill says. “You have several different events that make up the sport, broken into categories of rough stock and timed events. The rough stock is your bucking bulls, bareback broncs, and saddle broncs. The timed events are the roping and barrel races. Most of my rodeo knowledge is of bull riding but I try to understand all the other events. Steer wrestling and team roping are two of my favorites to watch. Actually, mutton busting was the first rodeo event I was ever in, riding a sheep for two seconds when I was younger.”
“I’ve been on 25 bulls over a course of two years. I ride several weeks in a row and then either get hurt or a pandemic breaks out and I have to take a break. I have heard the buzzer after eight seconds of riding three times. Bull riding is such a luck of the draw sport. Once you get signed up you get assigned a bull at random. I’ve been on bulls that barely buck and I’ve been on some that were the best in my division. I always go in with the attitude that I can ride any bull that I get drawn for. The key to success is riding the bulls that you should and working to get better until any bull is the one you should ride on any given night.”
Anyone who has ever watched a rodeo, especially the bull riding competition, should quickly realize the inherent dangers of the sport. Pain and injury are nightly occurrences and Gill recalls some of the times that he may have been a bit scared or in a bit of pain, but also times when he felt success.
“ I rode in a big traveling rodeo that came to a city near where I was going to college. It was very exciting to go to a giant barn with tons of people from all over in attendance, along with some-of my college friends and teammates from the baseball team. It was early in my career, the fourth or fifth bull I was ever on. I was the last ride of the night and didn’t get nervous until I saw the first bull come out. They were way more powerful and explosive than anything I’d ridden before. By the time I was up, I was back in my zone and managed to ride three or four bucks before I came off, but it was such an exciting ride.”
“I can only recall one time being truly scared. It was the first rodeo that my parents ever went to and I came out and rode the bull 6 1/2 seconds. It was after the ride when the scare took place. I was laying on the ground as the bull continued to buck around me and I was trying to find the direction I needed to run to get out of harm’s way and all I saw was the bull’s hind legs coming down towards me in the last place a man wants. I didn’t have time to move and just braced for impact. The bull missed me but got both my pant legs inches from the zipper, literally ripping the pants off of me. You live and learn and now I always take an extra outfit.”
“One of the most painful rides I remember was when I got stepped on,” Gill continued. “I rode for four or five seconds and hit the dirt and the bull stepped right on my lower vest and my side. The hoof ripped my shirt and left me a big bruise but not near as bad as it could have been. My vest saved at least a couple of ribs but I was beat up and sore for a few days but nothing a little pain medicine and a visit to the chiropractor couldn’t fix.”
Though Gill has some exciting and adventurous rides, his most thrilling ride is yet to come and one he has been looking forward to, this Thursday night in front of the home crowd at the Adams County Fair.
“Riding at the Adams County Fair is the most important ride to me,” said Gill. “I have so many friends and lots of family who have never seen me ride. I like the idea of showing people what my passion is in life plus around here rodeo is not very common so for people to come out Thursday night and see a familiar face might drum up more interest. Rodeo is like a big family. Everyone is there with the same goal and wanting to help each other get better. I probably stick out in a crowd for wearing my big boots and cowboy hat most places I go so I see the fair rodeo as an opportunity to show people that I do more than just dress the part. I just want to put on a show for the hometown crowd and perform to the best of my ability for everyone that knows and those who don’t.”
Though Gill’s rodeo career is still in its early stages, he has hopes and dreams for what the future might hold in a sport he has the passion for.
“Granted riding bulls is a pretty short term plan, but there are a lot of other things that can keep you in the rodeo world,” he says. “I am wanting to start being a rodeo bull fighter, commonly known as the clown, to help riders stay safe. With my athletic background and familiarity with rodeo and cattle in general, I think that would work good for me. After that it is a dream to breed and raise rodeo stock and train the bulls. Fox Hollow Rodeo in Waynesville, Ohio is a really cool place that has a lot of bulls and an arena that allows them to host a rodeo event every week. I ride there as much as possible and would love to have something like that of my own someday. I would also enjoy getting better with a lasso and getting into some of the timed events but that may be something for after I get a job and some more pocket cash to spend on my rodeo career.”
“To me the thrill of the ride and the pure adrenaline makes up for any cost or danger that shows up along the way. When you hear the buzzer while still on the bull’s back, that makes the feeling a thousand times better.”