This man's not clowning around

Bullfighter protects rodeo cowboys

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 18, 2007 at midnight

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How does a guy become a professional rodeo bullfighter - one of the people who voluntarily jump in front of angry, 2,000- pound bulls to protect bucked-off cowboys?

For Lance Brittan, the tale might begin with the girl who broke his heart in college, sending him back to his family's Kansas ranch, where he started riding bulls.

Or it might be because of his linebacker build and self-described "too round of a butt" - better for fighting bulls than staying on top of them - or his propensity for showing up late to his last job, as a welder.

But perhaps most important was the day in 1994 when a bull bucked Brittan off, then stepped right on top of him.

Outside the arena a short time later, the rodeo promoter asked Brittan if he was OK. The Windsor man said he was, then added a few less flattering observations on the promoter's bullfighters.

If you think you can do better, the promoter responded, do it.

"So I said, 'I'll be back next week,' " Brittan recalled.

The next week, Brittan showed up with his old college baseball cleats. Soon, he was not only fighting bulls in local arenas, he was competing on the now-defunct Wrangler pro bullfighting tour, and making enough money to leave welding behind for good.

In 1999, he won the world bullfighting championships.

"It just seemed totally natural for me to be on the ground in front of them," Brittan said.

During the bull riding portion of the rodeo, the bullfighters - usually dressed in colorful clothing, with clown makeup on their faces - distract the bulls to protect bucked riders. They also help riders who are caught up on their rope to get off the bull, and jump in front of any bull that's stepping on or otherwise hurting a rider.

Though the Wrangler tour no longer exists, some local rodeos still feature freestyle bullfighting competitions. The National Western rodeo will hold one tonight, as part of its 7 p.m. pro rodeo.

In competitions, the bullfighters must stay in the arena with their bull for a minimum of 40 seconds. They get up to 30 seconds more to impress judges and accumulate points.

Scoring is based on how much the bullfighter encourages the bull to "fight," how close he gets to the bull, and how quickly he can come back from being hit. Just like in bull riding, half the score comes from the bullfighter's performance, the other half from the bull's.

When he was on the professional tour, Brittan had a "signature move." Standing flat-footed, he would invite the bull to run toward him. As it approached, Brittan would jump into the air, while the bull ran beneath him.

When he landed it, the move was a guaranteed crowd pleaser. When he didn't, Brittan said, "it hurt."

Today, Brittan works largely full time as a rodeo bullfighter, traveling to some of the country's largest rodeos. (He also works part time building homes.)

While he can't read the bulls perfectly all the time, the animals do give him "hints," said Brittan, who grew up showing steers and working around cattle on the family farm.

For example, when the bulls are in the chute, if they have one foot forward, that's generally the direction the bull will go when the gates open and the ride begins. If the bull is bucking and its back end is in the air, Brittan knows he can get up close behind it, because in that situation, a bull can only move forward.

People sometimes tell him he's crazy for doing what he does, Brittan said. But the father of two young daughters thinks it's equally crazy for people to sit in traffic for hours a day, commuting to office jobs they don't even like.

And Brittan gets to be around rodeo and save cowboys - a perfect combination for the farm boy with a round butt and an aversion to punching time clocks.

"It's like, why does somebody become a fireman?" Brittan asked. "It's not because they like it hot. It's to help people."

What's a bullfighter?

• Bullfighter is the preferred term for what was once called a rodeo clown. The bullfighter's job is to get in close to the bull and distract it from the dismounted bull rider or rescue any riders who get hung up in the rigging.

burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343

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