In the eye of the bull

COEUR d'ALENE - Just last week, Donnie Griggs was caught by a bull and tossed in the air.

In his 15 years of bullfighting, he has had both legs broken, knees blown out, been knocked down, been stepped on, beaten and battered by 2,000 pounds of fury.

No problem.

The Hermiston, Ore., man keeps coming back for more.

"You take a shot here and there," he said with a laugh.

The easy-going Griggs will be one of two bullfighters assigned the task of protecting the competitors in bull riding, a premier event of the rodeo at the North Idaho Fair.

The former bullrider turned bullfighter spends summers on the Northwest rodeo circuit with his wife, Torrie, 2-year-old son Radley, and dog Tipper.

"My job is to stop the wreck before it happens," the 36-year-old said Friday afternoon.

He does that by donning knee braces, protective pads and vests, and face makeup, and then pretty much tossing his 6-foot, 200-pound body in front of bulls to get their attention.

Griggs will even, believe it or not, try to put his hand on the bull's head, or cover one of their eyes to get them to turn away from a fallen cowboy.

"They'll go after movement. They're colorblind. If you can be the one moving the most right in front of him, he'll take you instead of that guy," he said, smiling.

It's reaction, and it's knowing how to react. Griggs knows each rider's tendencies, whether they're left or right-handed. He has a good idea if a bull tends to spin right or buck left. Once the rider has either completed his eight seconds, or been tossed off, Griggs and his fellow bullfighter move in.

"I try to position myself to get in front of him and distract him, to give that rider an opportunity to get away," he said.

All for anywhere from $300 to $1,000 a performance.

But this isn't about money. If his rodeo role means being chased, sometimes even caught, by a bull, so be it. He'll worry about himself once that bullrider is beyond the sideboards and out of the bull's eye.

"These guys are my friends," Griggs said.

Dave Paul of Post Falls is a member of the North Idaho rodeo committee and a former bullrider.

He said the bullfighters are "the cowboy's lifesaver."

"They're going to get that bull's attention and basically protect the cowboy," he said.

When he rode the rodeo circuit, Paul said the bullfighters saved him several times from being pummeled by horns and hooves.

"You got to know those guys. They became your best friends," Paul said Friday. "They'll do anything to protect you. These guys are awesome."

Tom Lange is providing the 17 bulls and 51 horses for the rodeo.

The Greeley, Colo., man said they're good, tough bulls that don't care for cowboys, or anyone, sitting on their backs.

"It should be a good rodeo," he said. "It should be something to come out and watch."

Griggs, a carpenter by trade, said you have to be a good athlete to be a bullfighter. Oh, and you have to forget any fear.

"There's a certain amount of adrenaline rush to it," he said. "A lot of it is actually staying calm and cool, putting yourself in the eye of the storm."

Torrie Griggs, a massage therapist, said she's OK with her husband's summer job. She doesn't worry about him getting hurt. Not after all these years.

"Not anymore," she said. "I'm pretty used to it now."

Their son, Radley, seems to be following in his father's footsteps. He was wearing a cowboy hat and practicing with a rope in front of their trailer on Friday.

"He can be whatever he wants," Griggs said. "If his mom has anything to say, he'll just ride horses and rope."

Torrie Griggs stood nearby and smiled as she glanced at her son.

"I'm sure he'll be involved in rodeo somehow."

Rodeo shows are at 6:30 tonight and 12:30 Sunday. Grandstand seats are $5.