Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Emerson brings plenty of ability to rodeo arena
SPRINGDALE — Bullfighters must possess the characteristics of any superior athlete, starting with agility and the ability to think on their feet.
But there’s one big difference between what bullfighters like Cody Emerson and football, baseball and basketball players must face.
“There’s no whistles in this sport,” Emerson said. “You better be in shape because you get bumped around pretty good out there. You can lose your breath and when you can’t breathe, your legs are going to go. That bull is going to come back around and get some more of you.”
Emerson was active in the area again Saturday while helping keep the competitors safe on the final night of the 74th Rodeo of the Ozarks at Parsons Stadium. Emerson, 30, grew up in Jonesboro and graduated from Jonesboro Westside High School. He played basketball in junior high, but rodeo has long been his passion.
“I played basketball just to stay in shape for rodeo,” said Emerson, who’s lived for two years now with his wife in Marble Falls, Texas. He owns more than 40 head of cattle, which helps him understand the mindset of the stock he encounters on the rodeo circuit.
“I know how to read cattle,” Emerson said. “I can see what there’s going to do and I can react to it. I’m not some city kid who’s a good athlete and wants to be a bullfighter. I’m a cowboy every day.”
Emerson, 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, burst onto the national scene in bullfighting when he won the freestyle championship at Ardmore, Okla., in 2012. That was a springboard that’s allowed him to make a living in favorite sport for 12 years.
“That was one of the highlights of my career,” Emerson said. “I scored a 93 in the short round, which is pretty dang good. There were 15 bullfighters competing there and to win the gold buckle with all my buddies there was awesome.”
Like most cowboys who enter the arena, Emerson has had his share of injuries. He broke his leg in Burlington, Colo., in 2013 but continued to participate in the rodeo for two weeks until he got back to Dallas for more medical attention.
“I got hold of one of the best doctors in rodeo, Sandy Freeman, and he patched me up until they could get in there and do it right,” Emerson said. “If you’re not tough in this sport, you’re not going to last very long.”
Emerson is headed home for two weeks before driving to Denver for another rodeo. He’ll then get on a plane and fly to California for a week before flying back to Denver and driving to Cheyenne, Wyo.
It’s all part of the life of a rodeo cowboy Emerson loves.
“In December, you can take that month off,” Emerson said. “But, shoot, you don’t want any down time, really. This is my living. I like to be gone and making money.”