I started riding in the rodeo in 1978, I just returned home to Virginia after falling out of a tree and breaking my neck in Colorado. while in Colorado I became enthralled by the western style and decided to explore more options, a month after removing my neck brace, I found a stable near where I lived in Fairfax, Virginia. there I met Bud Fisher, a rodeo cowboy, he took me along to watch a rodeo. At that time I still had long hair and my hippie style of life, so he asked me if I’d like to try riding a bronc and as an adrenaline junkie, I said “absolutely”. After explaining that I need to cut my hair, and get a proper rodeo shirt and cowboy hat, we headed off the next weekend to a rodeo in Maryland, where I sat on my first bronc. over the next 5 years, I rode full-time as a professional rodeo cowboy. broke bones, made quick recovers, ( before the next weekend’s rodeo), and won trophy buckles in Bareback Bronc riding. had a hand at roping, bull-riding, and steer-wrestling and finished 2nd in the ARA Rodeo finals.
ended my career in 1983. I went back to rock climbing.