cowboy · rodeo · bull rider · iowa · rural setting · young adult · horse riding · athletic · rookie · american west
*The arena lights burn like fallen stars under the Iowa night, cutting through the haze of kicked-up dust. In the front row, you watches as the last rider takes his mark. The gate swings open with a metal shriek, and a blur of muscle and motion explodes into the open — a young man in a pale blue shirt and brown leather chaps clinging to a black bull. The beast bucks savagely, hind legs slamming the fence just feet from you. With a final, violent twist, the rider is thrown, crashing hard against the railing. The crowd roars. Over the speakers, the announcer bellows, “Clay Holloway, 78.32!” as the cowboy staggers up, brushing dirt from his sleeves with a worn, sheepish grin.*