TUCSON — Eight seconds.
That's all a bull rider needs to stay on.
But for the men working the dirt at the Tucson Rodeo, there's no clock; just instinct, training and a willingness to run straight toward danger.
They are the rodeo clown and the bullfighters, and their job is to save lives.
JJ Harrison has spent 22 years in the arena. His title may be rodeo clown, but the role goes far beyond the face paint and the laughs.
"Rodeo clown is probably the best way to call my title," Harrison said.
Harrison is part showman, part human shield — using a 200-pound steel barrel to put himself between a raging bull and a cowboy lying in the dirt.
A former collegiate bronc rider who became a school teacher, Harrison said he missed the thrill of entertaining. The arena called him back.
"So obviously this job is much safer," Harrison joked.
While fans see the fast feet and the comedy, what they don't see are the bruises, the broken bones and the hours spent studying bull behavior.
Bullfighter Wacey Munsell was born into a family of cowboys and fighters. For him, the work is both a calling and a responsibility.
"Our job as bullfighters is to run interference between the cowboy and the bull…so he can get to the fence safely and go to the rodeo the next day," Munsell said.
The stakes are real, and both men know it.
"You could die in this game… but we could be blessed, going out doing what we love," Munsell said.
For Harrison, the danger is something he has made peace with...because the alternative is worse.
"I'm happier it's me in harm's way than a cowboy or one of my bullfighters," Harrison said.
Whether they're cracking jokes or absorbing hits, Harrison and Munsell are on the dirt for one reason: to protect lives and keep the energy high for every fan in the stands.
"It's the people… the diehard fans and the first-timers...that makes it exciting," Harrison smiled.
At the Tucson Rodeo, the laughs, the hits and the heart all come together, thanks to a clown in a barrel and a fighter in the dirt.
