Battered bull rider gets back in the ring

By John Benson

entertainment@vindy.com

CLEVELAND

When the Professional Championship Bull Riding and Barrel Racing event comes to Cleveland on Saturday, one of its competitors will be Jay Morrow.

For most audience members, the Iowa native will look like every other bull rider that evening. That is fearless, athletic and, well, a bit crazy. Without disrespecting any of his competition, there’s a good argument to be made that Morrow may have the edge on the crazy considering what he’s been through in recent years.

“I started riding bulls in 2000 and bought my pro card in 2004,” said Morrow, calling from somewhere in Iowa. “So this will be my seventh year, but actually I’m just coming out from injury. I’ve been out the last year and a half. I got stepped on and broke my hip. And when I did, I also broke my pelvis down the middle, and that tore my groin, my pelvis floor and my abdominal [wall], and they had to go in there and fuse, screw and plate it all together. Basically, I broke my whole core. I had four surgeries in 2010, and I’m just now breaking out here in 2011 again.”

In fact, Morrow returned to the ring earlier this month, but that’s not the whole story, He actually first returned to bull riding a mere five months after his initial surgery, but on the first bull jump he tore open his wounds and had to go through the entire medical procedure again.

If you’re asking why he continues to ride, the simple answer is he loves the sport. A deeper look reveals it’s the family business. His dad rode bulls for 19 years. For Morrow, the competition is something he misses. Considering he ended up No. 28 in the world in 2008 and was No. 1 in the world at the time he was injured in 2009, he feels there’s unfinished business.

“If you’re going to be successful and top of your game, especially in this league, you have to take the good and the bad,” Morrow said.

“It’s the competitive drive. I like to compete against bulls, and I have that drive to win. In bull-riding terms, it’s called being tapped off. That’s when you’re in the middle [of a ride] and they’re spinning one way or another, and you know you’re tapped off; you know your spot; you know you can’t get bucked off and you will not get bucked off. At that moment, I can’t hear the announcers. I can’t hear the crowd. You’re in a bubble, and there is no better feeling. That’s the part I live for — being in total control, and there’s no way he can get you off. The bull is dominated.”

Considering all he’s been through, the idea of coming back and riding seems, well, unwise. However, Morrow said he has the support of his family and friends. So does he understand why people think he’s, again for lack of a better word, crazy?

“Not in my eyes,” Morrow said. “The crazy part would be if I had a family, but I’m single, 28 years old. I’ve seen two people die in an arena, and my dad was pronounced dead twice when I was riding with him, and they brought him back. So it is a dangerous sport, but it’s not crazy. To me, it’s my livelihood and the way I live life.”

Not surprisingly, the way he lives life includes other extreme sports and experiences. Not only did he skydive for the first time last year, but he also swam with sharks in Mexico. He’s even up for bungee jumping in the future. So is there anything that scares him?

“I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I don’t like snakes,” Morrow said. “So I guess when it comes to snakes, I’m out.”