02.22.08- Ride 'Em Cowboys Ride 'Em Cowboys
By Fritz Hahn
In this line of work, one of the most frequently asked questions has nothing to do with salsa nights, exotic beers or how to get past the bouncer at Eighteenth Street Lounge. Believe it or not, it is simply, "Do you know where there's a bar with a mechanical bull?"
That's a tough one. You can find mechanical bulls at state fairs or special events, but there's no bar near Washington that has installed its own bucking bull. Chalk it up to safety regulations or a fear of lawsuits.
However, those with urban cowboy fantasies got a boost around Thanksgiving when McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, the raucous Irish pub across from George Washington University, started hosting western-themed events with costume contests, drink specials and, best of all, a mechanical bull-riding contest.
The first two parties went so well that the bull now makes monthly appearances. (The bar rents it from a New York-based company.)
What a perfect way to spend a cold Saturday night.
The bull is tucked into a large back room on the pub's lower level, past the DJ spinning '90s hip-hop hits and college students taking advantage of the night's open bar -- unlimited drinks from 8 to 11 for $20, a generous deal that encourages many to take a wild ride in front of a crowd of onlookers. Most of the space is taken up with a huge inflatable pad, offering several inches of cushion to anyone (er, everyone) who gets thrown. In the middle sits the bull: a broad, padded block of leather with a menacing-looking pair of rubber horns. Thrill seekers line one wall. A steady stream of people climb on and get tossed off just as quickly as their friends, crowded around the mat, can whoop and holler.
The queue moves briskly; anywhere from 150 to 200 people can ride in four hours, says Clark Webb, who runs the bull with partner Daniel Culbert. "Once they go once," Webb says with a grin, "they go again."
Webb and Culbert work for a company called Wild West Performers, carting mechanical bulls between Upstate New York and Florida. This one is a sophisticated model "designed to train rodeo riders," Webb says.
Culbert works two dials: one determines which way the bull spins and the other how hard it bucks. The longer a rider stays on, the more unpredictable the bull's motions become.
"If it's a girl, we make her look good," Webb says, rotating the bull slower so she can pose and her friends can cheer. On the other hand, "guys like to get thrown off pretty rough," he says.
No matter their gender, almost no one lasts more than 15 to 20 seconds.
My friends say there's no way I can write this story without taking a turn, and they're right. Against my better judgment, I get in line, where the topics of conversation are limited to commentary about the current rider and techniques for staying on the bull.
"Hold on with both hands," says University of Maryland student Leon Flek. No, jokes his buddy Igor Simas, a Maryland graduate who works as an information technology consultant. "Hold on to the horns."
Both of them are thrown off pretty quickly, but they get up laughing and head for the bar.
Finally, it's my turn. After signing a form confirming that I'm risking life and limb, I'm handed a sturdy leather glove and told to climb on and hold a strap around the bull's neck.
A few seconds later, I'm unceremoniously sprawled on the mat. Clearly, I need help.
In the hopes of getting a few tips, I ask Webb which of the riders has managed to stay on the longest. He points me to a woman wearing a cowboy hat on the other side of the room. "We had trouble getting her off the bull," he says, adding that, generally, "girls are better at moving their hips and counterbalancing."
Deborah Pfaff is 29 and works for the Department of Defense. She first rode a mechanical bull a few years ago in New Orleans, and when she got an e-mail from McFadden's about the event, she had to come out. "I had a good time in New Orleans," she says, and here, "it's always a good crowd. They cheer for you."
Pfaff's technique is the result of years spent as an equestrian. She advises me to keep my back down and use my free hand for balance. But the secret, she says, is "squeeze with your inner thighs."
Pfaff has gotten into the spirit of the night, from her hat to her boot-cut jeans, and she has plenty of company: women in plaid tops with their hair in braided pigtails, "Little House on the Prairie" style, and fancy boots; guys in embroidered western shirts and faded jeans.
I take another turn on the bull with predictably similar results, though keeping low does seem to help, and I don't embarrass myself too badly -- at least no one boos.
As I watch, another guy manages to stay on for a decent amount of time despite repeated shifts of direction. This is Ari Fingeroth's second time on a mechanical bull. The first time was a little more than a month ago in Tennessee, "and I broke my foot," the 30-year-old carpenter says.
Yikes.
Despite his injury, Fingeroth didn't hesitate to get back in the saddle. "Up until the point where I broke my foot, it was a lot of fun," he says.
His advice for fellow riders? "Don't let go. Hold on tight."
McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Phone:202-223-2338 Mechanical bull: Last Saturday of the month from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover:$5 after 9.
