The ground at the Alex Fraser Park indoor arena was trampled by bull and steer riders over the weekend.
From Feb. 27 – March 1 1970 Bull Riding World Champion Gary Leffew taught Quesnel bull riding enthusiasts the skills and techniques necessary for bull riding.
Local professional bull rider Matt O’Flynn organized the event. He was taught by Leffew from the age of 18 so O’Flynn was able to rope Leffew into teaching at Quesnel’s own Bull and Steer riding school.
“He [Leffew] doesn’t just teach bull riding he emulates positivity,” O’Flynn remarks.
“He teaches you a good mind set because bull riding is 90 per cent mentally driven. This is definitely a dream. I went to his school as a kid and I never thought that I would be putting one on with him.”
With more than 20 bull riders registered, from experience to beginners, the school was a success.
Students were put through a series of drills throughout the three days, working on form and technique before taking on the challenge of riding a bull.
Various levels of bulls were available to match the various skill levels of the students.
For new riders, either really old or really young bulls were chosen, while the more experience at the school were placed on a bull with a little more kick.
Three days of holding on tight only to be bucked off, resulted in more that a few achy muscles for the students.