Bullfighters meet bulls, danger head on

Justin Wolfe is pretty familiar with the ER.

As a bullfighter, the 27-year-old Baton Rouge resident has sustained enough injuries to keep an entire hospital in business.

“No metal has been put into my body yet,” Wolfe jokes. “But I’ve had cracked and bruised ribs, concussions, sprained ankles, pulled tendons in my legs and broken wrists.”

That kind of stuff is expected when a person decides to cross paths with an irascible beast the size of a Buick.

Wolfe should know. He’s done it thousands of times over the course of a seven-year career.

And he’ll face 100 more as the lead bullfighter Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16, as part of the Fear No Evil Bull Riding Challenge, which will be held at the Houma Civic Center.

Wolfe will be joined by Clint White of Gonzales and Seth Humble of Crowley to form an intrepid ensemble that aims to do what it does best – protect the riders.

“It’s a really great event,” Humble said. “It has some really good bulls and the crowd – it’s just really exciting. It’s always a sold-out show.”

For good reason.

The rodeo will attract 80 bull riders from across the nation who will vie for cash prizes and bragging rights.

Without bullfighters, however, there wouldn’t be any bragging.

Only whimpers, or maybe an agonizing yelp.

Within milliseconds after a raging bull bucks a cowboy, bullfighters swoop in and divert the animal’s attention with slaps, tugs and pulls.

This usually allots riders enough time to flee the scene relatively unscathed.

Bullfighters, however, aren’t always as lucky.

“I played football and ice hockey in high school and got knocked around a lot, but never got injuries like I did when I was fighting bulls,” Wolfe explained. “Football players might get hit a lot more, but when bullfighters take a hit, it’s usually a heck of a lot harder. When you fall under a bull, they stomp all over you. Or sometimes they swing you up into the air like a rag doll. I’ve experienced it both. It feels like you had a ton of bricks dropped on you.”

Humble knows his line of work is dangerous from the reactions he hears from family members that videotape each rodeo.

“My mom comes out and enjoys it, but I’ve heard her screaming when she thinks something might happen,” Humble quipped. “She always makes sure I have my medical card on me.”

In addition to excellent health insurance, successful bullfighters stay alive with speed and quickness (which come remarkably easy when being chased by a half-ton monster) and an innate sense of timing.

Oh, as well as a boatload of confidence, of course.

“You can’t go into these events scared,” Humble said. “If you do and think you will get hurt, you’re going to get hurt.”

Nonetheless, confidence is balanced with respect.

“You never want to take away any credit from that animal and think that you’re Superman,” Wolfe described. “I’m nervous every time I step into that arena, and the day I lose that nervousness is the day I quit. That will be the day I lose respect for te bulls and the day I get killed.”

For now, though, Wolfe will continue enjoying the rush he gets out of confronting bulls head-on.

“There’s no kind of an adrenaline jolt quite like it,” Wolfe added. “If I could bottle that adrenaline, there wouldn’t be people trying to use drugs, because there’s really no other feeling like it. I’m going to keep doing this as long as I can.”