BULLFIGHTERS: RODEO NO TIME TO CLOWN AROUND

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dustin Brewer got a bad break at the 2000 Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo. Literally.

Brewer, a bullfighter, broke his leg during the first night of competition, putting him out of the prize money and out of work for seven months.

This year Brewer got another break at the Sikeston rodeo, and he hopes this will be a lucky one. Brewer is moving from the bullfighting ring into the barrel for the Sikeston rodeo.

Rick Young, longtime rodeo clown from Tickfaw, La., suggested the move for the young man to local Jaycees.

Young has had the duties of barrelman during the Sikeston bullfights since the Jaycees added the event to the lineup.

Brewer is hardly a novice at the job. In addition to his experience as a bullfighter, work he has resumed since his leg healed, the Elk City, Okla., resident estimates he divides his time between bullfighting and working as the barrelman.

Being packed in a 50-gallon metal barrel in an arena may seem safer than facing a fighting bull. Looks can definitely be deceiving.

"It can be worse than fighting because if that bull gets a horn or a leg in the barrel, you don't have a chance," joked the longtime rodeo clown. "Somebody once told me I should put a window in that barrel so I could see what was coming -- why if I did that I would faint!"

He and Brewer agreed Sikeston's Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo has some of the toughest fighting bulls on the rodeo circuit and draws some daredevil bullfighters, who compete for top prize money each night.

"Sikeston is good rodeo," said Brewer, "and with Rex Dunn's fighting bulls, you had better be prepared whether you are a bullfighter or in the barrel because they are the hottest and meanest bulls there are."

Key ingredient

While the bullfights are an opportunity for the cowboy to go one-on-one with a bull in the ring, seeking to earn points with his close encounters with the massive animal, the barrelman is a key ingredient to the mix.

"You have to know something about the reputation of the bulls and how the bullfighters might use the barrel to their advantage," explained Young. The barrel can be used to gain points as the bullfighter uses it to get closer to the bull's horns or it can be a refuge for the cowboy.

Both Young and Brewer are aware of the dangers and the tricks of the trade to make it look easy. Often while the barrelman banters with the emcee, he is moving the barrel to a point he thinks will enhance the bullfighter's performance.

A barrelman must position himself inside the barrel to avoid being knocked loose as the bullfighter and bull move across the arena.

"You gotta swell up like a toad or you get jarred out," Young said. "You close your eyes and hang on. It is a tough job."

He explained the barrelman always wants to stay sideways to the charging bull. Don't have your head next to the side the bull strikes with its horns and especially don't have your nose against that side -- that is just one of the times Young's nose was broken.

Brewer described a direct hit like being pushed down a flight of stairs in a barrel. One recent hit while in the barrel left him with a broken rib.