Wild Thing returning for 32nd year

WINDOW ROCK

Team Wild is at it again.

For the past few days, they have been working hard at putting the final touches to this year’s 32nd Annual Wild Thing Championship Bullriding. The two-day extravaganza is set for next week on July 11 and 12 at Red Rock Park in Church Rock, New Mexico.

“I do about 90% of the work leading up to the event, but the show itself, Team Wild does all the work,” Wild Thing promoter Larry Peterson told the Navajo Times. “Before the show, they’re doing all the setups and everything. I just couldn’t do it without those great people on Team Wild. They’re outstanding and they’re great.”

The team consists of 40 members, which includes Peterson’s family and friends. But when it comes to the actual day of the event, that number swells to 120-plus. Those extras consist of guys working the chutes and rough stock pens. Some of those numbers include the church group that helps with the Manuelito Children’s Home, which is in charge with the parking and concessions.

“As always, we have to shine a light on the Manuelito Children’s Home,” Peterson said. “We’re their biggest fundraiser of the year. Everybody that comes out here is supporting the children’s home. What they do is very important, and they’ve been with us since we got started.

“I want to make sure that everybody doesn’t forget that they’re out there,” he added. “The Manuelito Children’s Home is out there all year long, taking care of them kids.”

As one of the area’s most successful event, Wild Thing is known to provide wholesome entertainment for the entire family. Each night, they will be giving away prizes, including a pair of 55-inch TV sets provided by Castle Furniture.

“We’re bringing in some of the best bucking bulls in the world in and we have one of the biggest fireworks show in the region,” Peterson said. “You know, all the other stuff that we do gets everybody excited like the prizes we give away. We also have the little champion wooly riders competing.

“Those six little puppies have all won their spots and they’re the best from the Four Corners,” he added. “All of them little kids get so excited riding in front of the Wild Thing crowd.”

Peterson says the fireworks display is going to be top notched as that segment will start with the lighting of the skull on the west end of the arena. The entire spectacle will be synchronized with Kenny Chesney’s “Wild Ride” song.

“It’s a heck of a fireworks show,” Peterson said. “And the way the skull comes up in flames, I don’t think anybody else in the country does anything that magnitude. The difference between our big fireworks shows and the one Window Rock and Gallup puts on, it’s spread over 30 minutes. Ours happen during that one song, which makes it a beast.”

The Wild Thing organizer acknowledges that not everyone shows an interest in bull riding, but his iconic event has other things going on that brings in the crowd.

“We put on a show for everybody,” Peterson said. “To be honest, maybe Susie the housewife may not particularly care about the bull riding. But she’ll still bring the kids and come because they love our fireworks show, or they love the champion wooly riders or they lover our funnyman and so they want to be there for the whole package even if they don’t particularly care about the great bull riding.”

The Cowboy Poker, Peterson says, is another attraction that seems to draw a big interest.

“It’s pretty raunchy, and luckily, we always find three, four guys to be in it,” Peterson said. “We’ll be doing that again this year.”

The bull riding portion will feature the top bulls from stock contractor 4B Bucking Bulls with Texas-based Flying S and Owen Washburn serving as sub-contractors.

“All these bulls are top PBR and PRCA bulls,” Peterson said. “They’re going to big pro rodeo shows. They’re going to PBR shows, or some of them go to the NFR. You know, these are all top bulls.”

And while he’s still awaiting deposits from a few riders, six Brazilian bull riders will be competing including five on Friday, June 11 headed by Junior Patrik Souza and Manoelito de Souza Junior.

“They’re quite a hand,” Peterson said.

Three former champions are also expected to ride, and they include Travis Wimberly, Lane Nobles and last year’s winner Odey Tom of Sanders, Arizona.

“Travis Wimberly and Lane Nobles won it twice,” Peterson said. “Odey Tom will be back, too. JaCauy Hale, and Robbie Taylor are coming so we have a lot of the top Diné riders. We got a lot of Texas boys, and guys from the Dakotas, Montano and way back East, so we got quite a mix.”

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