Bull rider doesn’t let injury throw him off

January 19, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

For most folks, eight seconds is, well, eight seconds.

For a professional bull rider like Cody Ford, eight seconds – which is how long he’s hoping to stay on top of a 2,000-pound beast – can feel like an hour.

“It just depends,” said Ford, calling from Hermiston, Ore. “If it’s going right, and you’re doing everything good and correct, it’s really quick. But if it’s going wrong and nothing is working, it can feel like an eternity. Some of the best bull rides I’ve ever made and some of the highest marks I’ve received were actually the easiest bulls I ever rode.

“And some of the lowest scores, actually, I thought should have been a lot more. It’s a mental clock. At about 10 seconds in, you know you’re good to go. It’s a good feeling, especially if you get out of there without getting ran over.”

Add a cheering audience to that constant risk of injury, and bull riding is easily the most extreme of extreme sports. Ford said it’s an adrenaline rush unlike any other. There’s also the opportunity for Professional Bull Riders (PBR) participants to walk away with a heavy payday.

That was the case for Ford in 2009 when, as a young and cocky 19-year-old, he enjoyed the ride of his life. That night in Glendale, Ariz., he scored a 93 for a memory he’ll never forget.

“Scoring 90 is like hitting a home run in baseball,” Ford said. “I won $83,000. It was a pretty good night. I was on tour a lot the year before, but I was 18 and really young and naive. And then 2009 came around and I did really good and won a lot of money and sponsors.

“It was a really good year. Since then, injuries have taken their toll.”

While he qualified for the PBR finals twice and has a 10-year career earning total north of $345,000, Ford suffered a horrific injury in 2012 when world champion bull Asteroid threw him to the ground, and in the process snapped his hip.

Today, Ford also has constant shoulder issues, which when he hangs up his gloves for good will require surgery. Father Time may be chasing him, but Ford is still hopeful for another big payday when PBR’s “Velocity Tour” comes to Youngstown’s Covelli Centre on Friday and Saturday.

“Last season I had a decent year,” Ford said. “I just barely missed the finals. I was actually healthy enough to come back and rodeo for a year.”

For those nonrodeo or bull-riding fans, the notion of sitting for hours watching guys get thrown around may not sound entertaining. However, Ford said there’s more to the experience.

“The thing about PBR is you can bring the whole family, even if you’ve never been before or don’t know about it,” Ford said. “There’s bull riding and the cowboy atmosphere, but there’s pyro, lights, fireworks, good music and entertainment. It’s a really, really good time.”