Bruce Reichert, Host:
Would you risk your life for a belt buckle or a few dollars in
prize money?

You'll meet some who do when Outdoor Idaho takes you behind the
scenes of a small town rodeo.

Dick Parker, Rodeo Announcer:
We're getting ready down here in the chutes for our mutton
busting event.           

Deward Gill, Stock Provider:
I think it's one of the very few family sports left. 

Like here, you've got a lot of the whole family participating,
like the mutton riders right on through.  
     
Reichert:
And, you'll meet a cowboy on a quest to be the best.
     
Parker:
Shane Law, cowboy here. Shane's kind of on the comeback trail. He
was out of the rodeo for about 10 years. Coming back he's been
doing really good too.   

Shane Law, Bareback Rider:
When they crack that latch and that horse blows out of there,
there's nothing in the world that will stimulate a person like
that does.  It's a rush.

When I'm 50 years old and looking back, I'll never have to say I
think I could have done it.  There won't be any doubt in my mind
whatsoever. 

Reichert:
If you visit any county fairgrounds in the West, you'll find a
reminder of our rural past.  It's the rodeo grounds.

Hi, I'm Bruce Reichert and welcome to Outdoor Idaho.

You know, rodeo probably got its start when one cowboy bet
another he could ride the horse that couldn't be tamed.  Well, in
the small towns of Idaho and the West, rodeo is still in touch
with those humble beginnings.
 
Parker:
Welcome to the 1997 Adams County Rodeo.  My name is Dick Parker,
and it's my great pleasure to act as your announcer.  I'll try to
keep you informed on times and scores of probably close to 300
contestants.  

Reichert:
It's a scene repeated every weekend throughout the West.  Cowboys
and cowgirls competing to see who is the best.  Testing their
skills against horses, bulls, calves, and each other.

They risk injury and even death, just for the chance to walk away
with their share of the prize money; a couple hundred dollars at
most.

Parker:
These small rodeos like Council, there's not enough money
involved to make a living at.  A lot of the people that contest
here at Council own ranches and work on ranches, and these
smaller rodeos they do.  And pert near everybody that contests
here will have a day job somewhere.

Law:
Morning meeting, we start every morning meeting with songs. 
Okay, ready 1, 2, 3.  I'm concentrating on demonstrating and
knocking at more doors...

During the week I go into people's homes, show Kirby vacuum
cleaners to people, shampoo their carpets and ultimately try to
place a Kirby in somebody's home, help them get a Kirby home
maintenance system.  And then on the weekends, I go to the
closet, pull my rigging bag out, my Wranglers, and my sombrero,
and away we go.

I was a junior in high school and my friend got throwed off in
one jump and I said I could do that good.  And I got on on a bet
and I went home, sold my dirt bike, bought a bare back rigging
and it was all sailing from there.

Reichert:
In 1984, Shane Law turned professional and traveled the country
competing in rodeos.

But two years later, a promising rodeo career was cut short by an
accident.

A horse flipped in the chute, crushing Shane's leg and his
dreams.

Law:
You know, I often say, could I have made it to the NFR, was I
good enough to go to the NFR.  The NFR means the world series of
rodeo. It's in Las Vegas.  That will always be there.  I don't
know if I would have made it or not.  But I just wanted to get
back on so I'd be at peace with myself and be able to go to the
rodeos.  

I never went to but two rodeos in the 10 year period that I
retired.  Knowing that I couldn't get on was the hardest part so
I stayed away from it.  And it took like ten years of my life. 
It took me away from what I loved the most.

It's like no other sport.  It's a rush.

When they crack that latch and that horse blows out of there,
there's nothing in the world that will stimulate a person like
that does.

Reichert:
After a ten year layoff, Shane Law decided to stage a comeback.
His goal - be a champion bare back rider.

It's an uphill battle for the cowboy the other riders call
"Grandpa."

Law:
I'll be 35 in September.  I'm a little old for what I'm doing,
but it's something I've got to do to settle an old debt I guess. 

Parker:
John Sample on Rodeo Rose...Whoa boy, hey the bucking horses are
feeling good tonight.

Deward Gill:        
They're like an athlete.  They like it.  The horses and bulls
buck because they like it. Well they're doing it for the sport of
it. They love it.  

The riders know more about where they're going and what to more
or less anticipate, you know.  Sometimes the animal is smarter
than the rider and they'll trap them into thinking them they
know, you know.  And that's always amusing to me. 

If the animal outsmarts them, I love it.  That's part of the
sport. 

Lee Wolford, Bareback Rider: 
Yeah, she bucked me off pretty good. Yeah, just got me tipped out
there and really swooped out from underneath me and kind of left
me hanging there.  She's kind of an eliminator, you know.  Not
the kind of nice ones a guy likes to draw.  But, it's just the
way it goes, I guess.

Law:
The horse I've drawn is a horse by the name of Calamity Jane. 
She can be a little bit hard to ride. She throwed a good friend
of mine off up in Grangeville over the Fourth and hung him up in
kind of a wreck.  But she's just a good, good horse and if I ride
her right and do what I gotta do, then it should be good.

Parker:
Our judges, chosen for years of rodeo experience, Bob Hogg and
Bill Nauman.  They have to make a lot of quick decisions.  They
have to know all the rules about each event that they judge. 
Law:
You have two judges in the arena.  They take 25 points for the
horse and 25 points for the rider on both sides.  The judges are
different.  They vary.  It's an opinion on how hard the horse
bucks, changes in direction, the difficulty it is to ride.  And
then they judge the cowboy on how high in the neck they spur the
horse, and how far up the neck, and much exposure you get, and
how much control you have with your body as well. 

And again, it's an opinion.

Bill Nauman, Rodeo Judge:
The ones that are staying up here close and got some action to
them, those are the ones we're looking for.    

You want a big stout horse.  One that will jump, keep kicking,
not just kick at his belly with his feet underneath him, kick out
behind, get some elevation to him.    

You ain't got too long to look and you got a lot of things to be
looking at real quick.  It ain't any different for us than it is
for the guy on top.  He's got a lot going through his mind too. 

He's got to have his wits about him.  He can't be half asleep or
he ain't going be here when the dinger blows. 

Parker:
Okay, Clell Usher now coming out of Quality Power chute on the
horse called Sodbuster.

Our pickup men for the evening, Jason Schaper and Deward Gill,
Gill Rodeos. 

Jason Schaper, Pick Up Rider:      
I'm a pick up man and I pick up all the bucking horse riders and
bareback riders.  They make the whistle, then I ride up next to
them and grab them off their horse and set them on the ground
nice and easy.

It's pretty important, you know, you've got to, you've got to
really be on your toes and pay attention and really know what the
stock's doing.  And if a guy gets hung up, and gets in trouble,
you've got to be right there to help him and save him and get him
off.  

And I feel so good about what I've done and I'm ready to go onto
the next rodeo and have a good time, where most of these guys,
you know, if they aren't drawing a check, they have a hard time
making it down the road to the next rodeo.   Where me, I can't
wait to get to the next rodeo and doing my job. 

Law:
There's a lot of preparation in taping your arm. I tape my arm
pretty tight so I don't get it yanked.  Just loosen and prepare. 
Get all the riding gear ready and rosin my rigging and rosin my
glove.  Get everything set and everything right. 

A lot of preparation for eight seconds but there ain't nothing
like it when they crack that latch.  I get nervous.  I get
butterflies like any athlete does.  But as far as scared, no. 
Because when you get scared then the horse will sense it and then
you'll get hurt.  And if you get scared then you can't ride with
a clear mind and then you're going to be in trouble. 

Parker:
Shane Law, cowboy here.  Shane's kind of on the comeback trail.
He was out of rodeo for about 10 years. Coming back he's been
doing really good too.  Shane Law.

He got him a big old stout horse that's trying him some.  

Quite a ride by Shane Law.

Law:
I'm getting pretty old for the event that I'm riding in.  You
have to kind of sacrifice to get done what you want to get done
because I don't believe I'll have another year to be able to do
what I'm doing.  When you get off, you're about as white as a
sheet and it's just, it hurts.  But I got it started and I want
to finish what I began.  

I thought I did about as good as I could with what I had to work
with.  Like I said the times I'd seen her before, she really
jumped and kicked really nice right around to the left.  She got
to scooting a little bit on me and didn't buck like she usually
bucks.  Like I said, she might have had a bad day. 

Parker:
Shane Law is leading this bareback riding with 68 points.  

Law:
I'm winning first. They're pretty tight, they're judging them
pretty tight. If they stay consistent, then I should win a check.

John Ray, Bareback Rider:
I had the horse to go out there and win it on, but I kind of went
out there and got hanging off the side and double grabbed and
didn't do too good.  So, I guess there's another rodeo tomorrow. 

Parker:
It's not an easy life for the contestants.  They have to travel
so much and they take such a beating and everything.  But once
they get started doing it, they won't quit as long as they can
get up on another horse or another bull or find one more calf to
rope, why they're going to keep doing it. 

It's like the gold rush or something.  You're always going to
make that 80 point ride or you're going to rope that 5 second
steer or the 8 second calf or whatever.  You're going to hit a
big one.

I've loved rodeo my whole life.  Still do.  

I saw my first rodeo in 1939 at Cambridge and I was instantly
hooked.  I was a rodeo nut from that day on.

When I saw I wasn't going to get any better contesting and then
got a chance to get into announcing, you got a the best seat in
the house and you're still involved with the sport and you get a
check every time you go, that makes it nice too. 
               
It's a chance to get to see the animals and the cowboys and
things.  The wild West shows used to be popular where the cowboys
and indians came in.  You can't do that anymore, it's not
politically correct.  

The old West has an attraction for a lot of people.  Kind of turn
the clock back when you go to the rodeos.

I'm an addict.  If I quit announcing, which someday I will, I'll
help open the chutes or I'll run the roping chute or I'll just
come and watch.  But I'll be involved in rodeo as long as I live.
I like it.  Like the rodeo.  Love to watch.  
          
They start out with the horse in the chutes with the halter and a
rope on him.  They open the chute gate and pull the horse out
into the arena.  Ready? 1, 2, go.

You've really got to enjoy pain to want to get into this event.  

I can just hear wild horse racers talking downtown.  Well we had
fun last night didn't we. Yeah, I lost most of my teeth. Well, I
got a concussion.  My golly, it was a great one.  

We got a man hurt in the arena.  He heard the ambulance pull up
and he's on his feet.  There ain't anything that'll get a cowboy
on his feet any faster than hearing an ambulance pull up along
side of him.

What do you think of the wild horse race folks?  Isn't this
something.  

You guys come on back next year.  We'd be glad to see ya.  You'll
surely be healed up enough by that time.
     
Right now, we're getting ready in the chutes for our mutton      
busting event.
     
Got him a belt with his name on it.  He's got spurs and a big
black hat.  He's got one of the meaner sheep we got.  Here he
come.  Jeremy Morrison takes a low hold on the sheep.  

Long ride.  All right.
          
Gill:
I think it's probably as nice a family sport as there is left.  

I mean the whole family can go and entertain it.  Like here,
you've got, a lot of the whole family participating here in      
this show, like your mutton riders right on through.  And I think
it's one of the very few family sports left. 
          
Parker:
I enjoy watching the national finals and things like that, but I
don't think I enjoy it as much as I do right here.  I like
watching our hometown kids perform, the things they do.  Where
it's my hometown rodeo, I know all the crew that puts it on and I
know quite a few of the contestants.  It's a lot of fun.  It's
great.  The best job I ever had in rodeo.  Sure beats trying to
be a bull rider, I know that. 
                              
Down here in the bucking chute, we got Greg Sams getting down on
the bull called Blackout.               
               
Reichert:
For sheer thrills, few rodeo events can top bull riding, where
cowboys try to stay atop a 2-thousand pound bull for 8 seconds.

Parker:
Those bulls are athletic. Those bulls will test any of these bull
riders.  We'll have some pretty good bull riders coming up this
evening and tomorrow.  And it's going to be interesting to see
them on some of these bulls because some of these bulls are,
they're going to be hard to ride. 

Nauman:
These bulls, I like to see one come out right at the end of the
gate and just crack it back either way and spin or spin both
ways. But the bull that spins both ways, he's a lot tougher to
ride than the one that just crow hopping out and down through the
arena.

There was bulls out that somebody could have set up and rode
them, they'd have marked in the high 80's.  But those bulls,
their rider was all laying back here in the ground when the
whistle blew. 

Parker:
Oh, Panda is going to do his little spin there.  There's the
whistle and Drew Pearson does a nice job.  Turning Panda away
from the rider. 

Drew Pearson, Bullfighter:              
I'm a bullfighter.  Our jobs are to prevent a wreck from
happening so you try to take the bull away from the cowboys when
they are in danger.  Say a cowboy gets in front of the bull, I'm
supposed to get between the bull and the cowboy and take the bull
by the head and get him to follow me instead of going after the
cowboy.  

I used to ride bulls.  I started out riding bulls and I got
injured.  A clown knocked me underneath the bull, and I figured
out you need to have pretty good bullfighter. So after that I
started fighting bulls.  I went to school and learned how to do
it right.

It's real important because you've got every one of these cowboys
lives in your hand so you want to be pretty heads up out there.

You need to be athletic.  You can't be too clumsy. Because you're
always doing something that involves moving fast. 

Riding bulls you pay 85 dollars a night to get on one and you're
not guaranteed a paycheck.  In my job, you're guaranteed a
paycheck so it's a lot nicer.  You don't go home broke.

Gill:
Most of them bulls are just big pets.  They get real gentle and
like to be handled, you know.  If you cross them and treat them
rough, they're going to treat you rough.   

You know, they're showoffs.  I mean you'll see them.  They like
the crowd and they like to show off is actually what they are.

Pearson:
They know where the catch pen is after the first day, so they're
going to want to go there.  They always want to get out of the
arena.  These people are saying that these bulls will hook you
and stuff.  They're not too bad. They just, they want to buck the
guy off and go back and eat, you know.  

Parker:
Oh boy, look at that.  Look at this ride.
  
Well, that a good way to end the rodeo with a ride like that.

Reichert:
But for the cowboys there's another rodeo further down the road.

Law:
Oh, this weekend is a wild weekend.  I'm entered in six rodeos. 
We was in Saint Anthony, Idaho last night and I was winning that
when I left.  And then we're here tonight.  Then we go to Challis
tomorrow night.  Then we're back in McCall on Saturday afternoon. 
And then when I get off Saturday afternoon I gotta beat it to
Oakley, Idaho.  And then from Oakley, Idaho I go to Deer Park,
Washington.

Scooter LaCrone, Rodeo Announcer:
Absolutely beautiful.  McCall, let's rodeo on Saturday afternoon. 
Thank you Paul Taylor.  Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's come
to the bucking chutes and go to the bareback riding here this
afternoon.  

A former high school champion as we send him to the National High
School Finals Rodeo, Bryan Schwabauer.  Drew Pearson flanking the
bucking horses this afternoon outside.  Another solid horse from
the Gill Rodeo Company in Lewiston, Idaho doing his thing. 
Ladies and gentlemen, we mark them 1 to 25 by the way they ride
the bucking horses from each of our two officials and 1 to 25 by
the way the horse performs from each of our two officials.  

Law:
The horse I got today is a little brown and white paint horse. 
The firebrand on it's T1.  I've seen the horse at Republic.  I
believe they win Republic, Washington on the horse.  Really
showy, really classy, a lot of color, really jumps and kicks.  If
I remember right, he'll angle around to the right, just jumps and
kicks, a lot of show.  And if I can ride him right I should be
anywhere from 75 to 85 points.  

He's something you can doggone sure win first on and if I can do
what I'm supposed to do, then I'll be there.

LaCrone:
Jason's back, Deward's back and just about set to go.  Tim Bayes
getting set to do it to it.  This is the number two ranked man in
the Idaho Cowboys Association in the bareback riding.  Watch the
Justin boots go to work here this afternoon.  Looking good.

And 70 points, 70 points for Tim Bayes.  Well, let's do it again. 
Let's go to Shane Law.  Now when we talked about the ICA and the
standings, this is the man of the hour.  This is the number one
man.

Sports Machine will be the paint bucking horse he's drawn here
today from the Gill Company.  A man who made a pile of money this
summer.  He's won over $4,000 in the Idaho Cowboys Association,
just riding bucking horses.  Alright, Bud let's get some today.

Sports Machine he says outside, we're on TV for Outdoor Idaho. 
Let's go.  Give him the gas.  Give him the gas.  Look at that.  

Law:
Right now I'm in the running for three saddles.  I'm winning the
ICA and I'm second in the PWRA and I'm first or second in the
IMPRA.  Both Idaho associations and an Oregon association and
being grandpa, they call me grandpa, I'd kind of like to, they
was laughing at me earlier this spring and I'd kind of like to
win all three saddles.  That would be a great way to retire this
fall.

LaCrone:
Well, good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the
Western Idaho Fair.  This is where we have gathered the top 15 of
the business out of the Pacific Northwest to crown our champions
for the year of 1997.  

This is Shane Law on Lone Wolf from the Stevens Company.  This is
going to be our champion of 1997.  He's traveled thousands of
miles to be here.  Won thousands upon thousands of dollars in the
game of bareback riding.  And, another nice ride turned in from
the veteran Mr. Law.

As they set him down to the ground, he say's Thank you to Mr.
Stevens as he rides on by.  

Rodeo Announcer:
Okay, let's take a look at that ride one more time from Shane Law
on Lone Wolf.

LaCrone:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, as it's wound up here in the bareback
riding, on this Saturday afternoon, our champion in the game of
bareback riding, is going to be Mr. Shane Law, as he made a
comeback after 10 years.  And he's going to take the saddle home
with him this afternoon.  

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Eastern
Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot Idaho.  This is where we're going
to crown our champions for the 1997 rodeo year.  

Rodeo Announcer:
Well, we're going to off to Marty Bennett now.  

Number two right now with $40,158 from Gooding, Idaho on Hogan
Horse, Missoula.  Here we go Marty!

LaCrone:
Marty Bennett, my veterinarian from Gooding, Idaho on Missoula. 
A juicy, dandy bucking of the Hogan family.  Nice one Marty. 
Nice one.

Announcer:
Our rookie of the year out here on our bareback, Scooter.

LaCrone:
That he is.  

The horse will give his 50%, so will Riley Champneys.  Look at
this.  Oh yes.  Nice one.

Law:
Last year when I cracked my rigging out, I wanted to win a
saddle.  It was kind of a dream to win a saddle. And right now
I'm currently winning second in the Eastern Idaho Association. 
It's now called the IMPRA.

Announcer:
Here we come now to the number one man, right now, Shane Law. The
guy who gave up his motorcycle boots, his long hair and his tight
Levis to be a cowboy.  He went out with his cowboy buddies one
night and he said I think I can ride bucking horses.  He's also
ride bucking bulls and he was doing that at the first part of the
season.  He decided now that he wanted to concentrate on trying
to get that saddle.  

Take home the bareback saddle we're going to be awarding here
shortly.  Here we go, Shane Law.

LaCrone:
Come on old partner, let's do it.  Crooked Creek from the J Hogan
Company.  Looking good.  Cracked back and got him some.  He said
on a Tuesday night we're going to let it all hang out.  We don't
want to hang that way.  Whoa, whoa.  That's all right, my boys
will move in.  We bumped one of them off.  They got ahold right
there.  We'll stop the old appaloosy horse.  Look out boys.  Stay
right there cowboy.  Get your air.  He said the hell with it, I'm
getting up and out of here before the paramedics get to me.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, as the bareback riding has wound down
here, on this Tuesday evening, as we come to a close of Labor Day
weekend, we're going to award our saddle in the game of bareback
riding to Mr. Shane Law, a gentleman who's made a comeback after
10 years.  A job well done.

Law:
When it's all done and when I'm 50 years old, looking back I'll
never have to say I think I could have done it.  I'll know
whether I could have done it or couldn't have done it.  And there
won't be any doubt in my mind whatsoever.  

Reichert:
On summer weekends, rodeo grounds like this one are full of
cowboys.

They get off work and they sometimes will drive for hours just
for the chance to compete.

The good ones will ride a horse or a bull for eight seconds.

The best ones will take home a few dollars in prize money.

But they'll all leave with a sense of pride knowing that they've
done their best and that they're helping to keep alive a
tradition that's as old as the West.

Thanks for watching.

We'll see you next time.