Tips for riding the mechanical bull at Whisky River from professional bull riders
Corey and I recently trekked over to Whisky River in the EpiCentre — during the day. Why? We weren’t on a work-day bender, I promise.
.@Gage_Gay94, Billy Robinson & Josh Faircloth from @PBR are in the house! #pbr #CLTnightlife pic.twitter.com/aJYtmYz3rm
— Whisky River CLT (@WhiskyRiverCLT) July 22, 2015
//><!--Whisky River hosted a meet and greet with three professional bull riders in anticipation of the PBR Express Employment Professionals Invitational Sept. 18-19 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.//--><!
So naturally we asked them for some tips on how to ride a bull — specifically the mechanical one at Whisky River.
Meet the pros
– Gage Gay, 21, grew up in Stanley, N.C., and started riding sheep — known as “mutton busting” — when he was 4 years old. He turned pro at 18.
GREAT #PBRCOS Match Up @Gage_Gay94 vs BIG DIP @RodeoChat @BevBevbaer78 @WomenInRodeo @mysassyside @avery_mullins77 pic.twitter.com/6gCtsqAw6w — Cowboy Coffee Chew (@chewcoffeedip) May 2, 2015
– Josh Faircloth, 26, of Randleman, N.C., has been riding professionally for 13 years.
– Billy Robinson, 35, from Galax, Va., has been riding since high school.
Tips for riding a bull – mechanical or otherwise – from the pros
(1) Stay fit and trim.
Keep on top of your workouts, but don’t bulk up too much — Robinson said the trick is to remain lean. And don’t forget to stretch!
(2) Learn balance.
Techniques for riding a real bull and riding a mechanical bull differ, Robinson said. How? On a real bull you want to lean forward, but on a mechanical bull sit up and balance.
(3) Learn to react.
You’re on a live (or robotic) animal actively trying to buck you off its back. Every ride isn’t going to be the same. Learn to go with the flow.
(4) Don’t put too much thought into it.
The minute you start to overthink what you’re doing is the minute you’re going to fall off.
(5) “Hold on, squeeze with your legs, and lean forward,” Robinson said.
Madysan vs. Corey
So who made the most of the tips? We had a competition to see who could stay on the bull longer — intern or boss?
Yee-haw! @CoreyInscoe & I had a bull riding competition last week at @WhiskyRiverCLT. Who won? Find out on C5 tmrw… pic.twitter.com/PwgkZDeNWc
— Madysan Foltz (@MadysanFoltz) July 30, 2015
To the video:
HUZZAH. Intern proved victorious.
I stayed on for 9.78 seconds and Corey made it 8.71 seconds. There’s something to add to the old resume
Y’all have fun now, ya-hear?
This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 1:09 AM with the headline "Tips for riding the mechanical bull at Whisky River from professional bull riders."