Ainsley Knight: Hey everyone. Welcome to the Autism News NetWORK podcast. This is Ainsley Knight and I’m with Dr. Gwynette. Hey, Doc, how are you?

Dr. Gwynette:Doing great, Ainsley. Good to see you. And thanks so much for hosting this pod.

Ainsley Knight: You’re welcome.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. So what do you want to talk about today?

Ainsley Knight: I want to talk about a sport that I fell in love with last year. It’s bull riding. It’s a very dangerous sport. It’s the toughest sport on planet earth, but I just really, really want to do it.

Dr. Gwynette:Wow. That’s all I can say is wow. So tell me about how it’s the toughest sport on planet earth.

Ainsley Knight: Well, the rules go like this. You have to hold on underhand. You have to have a rope. You have to hold on for at least eight seconds. That’s the whole idea. And you’re judged one to a hundred by how hard the bull bucked and also how long you held on.

Dr. Gwynette:Okay. Yeah. And so this is the type where they start off in the stall?

Ainsley Knight: Yes.

Dr. Gwynette:And they drop you in?

Ainsley Knight: They start off in the bucking shoots. They’re only given a limited number of seconds in the shoot to get ready and get cinched up. Once that gate opens, that bull goes raving mad.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. And so what happens if they don’t make it to eight seconds?

Ainsley Knight: They get I think a low score. One time a guy, I think got 40 something and a half. Another thing is, your free hand cannot touch the bull. If it touches the bull, then it’s not a qualified ride.

Dr. Gwynette:Interesting. Okay. So that’s why they put their hand up in the air?

Ainsley Knight: Yes.

Dr. Gwynette:Okay. I did not know that. Have you learned a lot? You’ve studied the sport?

Ainsley Knight: Yes. I’ve watched PBR. I went to my first event in February and I had a blast.

Dr. Gwynette:That’s cool.

Ainsley Knight: And how I got interested was I went to a rodeo with dad last year in Awendaw. A friend of his got us tickets. As soon as I saw the bull riding, I fell in love with it. I’m like, Dad, I want to do that.” And at first he was all, “Um, I don’t know.”

Dr. Gwynette:And so you’re still talking about that as a family?

Ainsley Knight: Yes. And Mom’s a little hesitant about it. Dad’s cool with it. A friend of mine said, “Ainsley Claire, your mom won’t let you ride no bull.” And I just shrugged and laughed it off. And I’m like, that’s what he thinks. No one wants to see me get hurt.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. And you mentioned PBR. What’s that stand for, for the audience?

Ainsley Knight: PBR is professional bull riding. It is the best sport in the whole world.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. What do you like most about it?

Ainsley Knight: I like how the riders try their best to hang on because, and I know they get thrown to the dirt and I imagine it hurts being thrown off an animal that weighs more than you.

Dr. Gwynette:Oh, for sure. Do you know how much those bulls weigh?

Ainsley Knight: I think around 1,500 to 2,000 pounds.

Dr. Gwynette:Wow. Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of animal.

Ainsley Knight: It is. Very bulky, very dangerous, horns. I mean, this is my calling. I want to be on the PBR and I want people to say, “Oh my gosh, I know her.”

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. So you’d be like a celebrity.

Ainsley Knight: Yes. Do you want me to tell you about my favorite rider?

Doctor Gwynette:Absolutely.

Ainsley Knight: My favorite rider. He lives in Walla Walla, Washington, Washington state, not D.C. His name is Derek Kolbaba. And he has made the PBR world finals eight times and he has a Buckrite machine in his shop house. He practices on that to get ready for the weekend.

Dr. Gwynette:That’s amazing. So it’s called a Buckrite machine?

Ainsley Knight: Yes, it’s a drop barrel thing. It just goes up and down. It doesn’t move around like a mechanical bull does.

Dr. Gwynette:Okay.

Ainsley Knight: He uses that to practice.

Dr. Gwynette:Wow. Now, do they end up doing a lot of workouts as well?

Ainsley Knight: I think the cowboy, I think he stretches before every ride and he’s very amazing. I haven’t seen him ride in person, even though I really want to. I’ve seen him ride on YouTube. He’s just so into it.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah.

Ainsley Knight: He won round one of the PBR world finals. I am so incredibly proud of him.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah, that’s amazing. So did those world finals take place in the same city each year?

Ainsley Knight: This year it’s in Fort Worth, Texas. The one I went to in February, it was crowded and it was loud, but at least I had ear plugs. I was hoping that Derek was going to be there, but he wasn’t and I was really upset.

Dr. Gwynette:If you’ve never ridden a bull before, how does one begin that process or begin that sport?

Ainsley Knight: Well, the best thing is to find your local rodeo club or find somewhere close to you that they do bull riding lessons. I did find a place in Idaho, but the cost for people 14 and over is $400.

Dr. Gwynette:Wow. And that’s far away.

Ainsley Knight: Very far away. It’s way too far for me to take lessons, but I’m thinking the Awendaw place might have someone to teach bull riding lessons. I’m thinking they might.

Dr. Gwynette:Okay. Yeah. And if they do, you’re going to go?

Ainsley Knight: I sure am.

Dr. Gwynette:Yeah. Are there a lot of women bull riders?

Ainsley Knight: Well, there is a women’s rodeo, but I’ve never seen a woman bull ride. I just wanted to do it really, really bad.

Dr. Gwynette:Once the ride is over, what does the bull rider do to stay safe? Is there a safety plan?

Ainsley Knight: Oh, yes. As you know, safety is the most important thing in any sport. No matter what sport you do, safety is the number one priority.

Dr. Gwynette:Yes.

Ainsley Knight: You have to have a helmet. You can get any type. You can get one with a leather shell. There’s a vest that you have to wear. It’s sort of like a bulletproof vest and when the bull steps on you, it’s supposed to spread the impact so you’re not getting stomped on in one place. And you can get ones with foam inserts. That’s the one I’m going to get. You have to have chaps. I think it’s to prevent the bull from tearing into your skin if it steps on your leg by accident or something. I’ve seen riders wear mouth guards, help prevent concussions. When riders get ready, they have to wear a glove and they have to tape the glove up so it doesn’t fall off.

Dr. Gwynette:Wow. And that’s the one they use with their under grip?

Ainsley Knight: Yes. And once in the shoot, there’s a rope with rosin on it. Rosin is like this sticky stuff. They rub their hand up and down very quickly to get the rosin all hot and sticky. And then they slide their hand under and they grip the rope. They sometimes have to twist the rope, like loop it a few times around their hand. And then once that gate opens, they’re ready. All they have to do is nod their head and then the gate opens and they’re riding.

Dr. Gwynette:Man.

Ainsley Knight: For me, I would definitely wear all the safety equipment. I would definitely wear a mouth guard and… Oh, I almost forgot something. You have to have spurs. Both spurs lock in place. So when your foot hits the side of the bull, it grips.

Dr. Gwynette:Okay. So you don’t go flying off. The spurs help you stay on?

Ainsley Knight: Yeah, and the rosin helps the glove stay sticky.

Dr. Gwynette:So there really is a lot of equipment.

Ainsley Knight: I did find a website called Rodeo Mart. Their stuff is in the 100 to 500 dollar price range.

Dr. Gwynette:And what do they sell?

Ainsley Knight: They sell all types of equipment, like for bronco, bull. I’m hoping they have something in my size because of how small I am.

Dr. Gwynette:Sounds like a big adventure.

Ainsley Knight: An adventure I want to pursue.

Dr. Gwynette:This has been the Autism News NetWORK and I wanted to thank our audience for participating. Thanks to you, Ainsley, for sharing your dream with us of becoming a professional bull rider.

Ainsley Knight: Thanks, Doc. I really appreciate it.