These American Sports

Some might say that football (American style) is perhaps the most American sport out here in the States. However, when I was little, like many of those who had come before me, I equated the United States with the western image. Sure I know about Southern Magnolias, Northern factories, and even gambling in Atlantic City on the east coast. But I still had an image of the quintessential male being a cowboy. Cliche, isn't it?

Well, one of the first clients I worked with was a cowboy. Seriously, I mean it. He knew how to ride a horse before he could walk, his family owned miles of cattle land and though he was actually a financial analyst (I always ignore that fact when I can get away with it), he had a hankerin' for bull riding. I figured he meant the mechanic bulls you see in bars (or at least you used to...I image liability is high). However, this was not what he meant. He meant literally riding bulls competitively. Good grief (okay, but I was impressed).

So, why would a big ol' bull rider come to see little ol' Ellie Blunt with her reclining hypnosis chair? Well, I'll tell you. He wanted to work on concentration, balance and holding on (for dear life, I expect). Now I have no way of knowing if he was actually any good, but when I went out to see him practicing once, it seemed like forever that he was on the back of that angry animal.

And now there are tickets to the Pro Bull Riders World Finals (PBR Finals) in Las Vegas, Nevada. There is a part of me that wants to go. In spite of being here for what seems like eons, I still equate American sports competitions to things like the rodeo and bull riding. You know, they have the running of the bulls in Spain, and here it should be bull riding (why else were there mechanical bulls every where for a while). And okay, I tend to cheer for the bull, but every team has its fans, so why should a bull be any different? The sport itself still seems a true test of ability. As for being a spectator, it seems like something one should go to a least once in their life, so yes, I guess I want to go for the experience.

Plus, on a professional side, I cannot help but grin a little when I see notices about bull riding. The sessions I did around its theme were true feel good moments for me, some of the early hypnotic experiences that helped fuel my love for the craft. Does that make sense?