COLUMBUS, Ohio — Retired professional bull rider Justin Cornwell says the adrenaline rush and high speeds are what got him hooked several decades ago.
The Lima, Ohio native owns Cornwell Bucking Bulls and is a promoter for the Professional Bull Riders organization.
What You Need To Know
- Friday’s professional bull riding event features 36 of the best riders in the country
- Riders will vie for a grand prize of $10,000
- The event begins at 7 p.m. at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum and is open to the public
His pride and joy is Sugar Boom Boom, a participant in a Professional Bull Riders event Friday that is part of the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus. The event runs through Oct. 23.
“This bull here has been to the finals, should be back here in less than a month. We’ll have 36 bull riders and we’ll bring back the top 10 bull riders for what we call our short go or our championship round. And the winner of this event gets $10,000,” said Cornwell.
Georgia native Keith Hall, 28, knows a thing or two about maintaining control and making sure he’s not bucked off a bull in under eight seconds.
The veteran rider said while he’s braved injuries over the years, bull riding is more than a sport to him, it’s a lifestyle.
“I ripped my rotator cuff, bicep, and all my tendons in my shoulder. I’ve been knocked out a few times. To have a career where you’re traveling all the time and you’re always meeting new people. You’re in new places and you’ve seen all these things and you only have to work for eight seconds — it’s not a bad job,” said Hall.
And Hall said the feeling after a victory is like no other.
“Whenever you’re laying on the ground and can’t hear nothing but the crowd, man, that’s just a whole other fire in you. Everybody can’t experience it, but I wish you could,” said Hall.
Hall said Cornwell has been a mentor to him.
Cornwell said while bull-riding is a young man’s sport, he still enjoys the excitement of the crowd and fast-paced action — especially when it takes place in his home state.
“This is a really neat venue for it, being in the Columbus area in conjunction with the Quarter Horse Congress because you have a lot of the western sports people already here. Just with living so close, I’ll be in and out of here several times to watch the horses as well,” said Cornwell.
