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EVENTS "Love and Understanding," tightrope theatre company, 8:30 p.m. March 25-27, Immaculate Consumption,.Main Street. Tickets $5 at the door. Page 4 iBkl'M1'"" v*v WBM / Je HHHHI3II^HHF^RRQ^9^r^l^OBF~^^BiKr^3^IT^Bf9BHI^H^PP^^3l t * $ %r' i*| $|Mj^\?. Sj^nj 0fe#^ - . ;>> '^ 4, -**- 'f nbh A bullrider struggles to stay on his bull at Friday's rodeo ir H I I r ^ mi h B v^^H I yr*** |lHHH n f f A'- ^ ^ -- ^ fWi ^ fl ! " _ In the calf-roping competition, a calf is released out of a cowboy slides off his horse and wrestles the calf to the gr< often must pick the calf up off the ground and throw it dc the calf's back is hurt when being slammed onto the groun Et The Gam< I r B m a T|1 IH I? - , -5/'^ r * : , illli s Ph H?T71 veryone here tonight has dreamed c W a cowboy," the announcer said to ? 1 J cheering crowd at the Carolina Co Everyone except a small group of protesters ing at Greene and Assembly streets for two The Professional Rodeo and Cowboy Ai tion presented a rodeo of bucking-horse ride roping and bullriding Friday and Saturday ni a packed Coliseum of men, women and childn ning big hats and cowboy boots. Just as with The Ringling Brothers' Barm Bailey Circus, which had its equal share of p ers in Columbia in Feberuary, the controver tinues as to whether animal entertainment is |g!fye , fill to the animals involved. \ "This is just another form of animal cruelt; , A Theresa Slifer, a protester from Lugoff. "Th riding and all, it's so harsh on the animals." ' The rodeo industry adamantly maintains its i the Coliseum. that animals are not abused in rodeos. J [ I ." "'l-Ss;' >;/, %', '//^%, % |^H MPH S gate with a cowboy chasing him on horseback. The ound, binding its legs together with cord. The cowboy ^ twn on its back to get its legs up. Protesters believe plk d. L: I Marc J c. >cock mfli ivitY >ujbc \tony by Er*in R otos by Ashton if being themselves deny hurting the animals in any way, i large, claiming that if anyone gets hurt during a rodeo, liseum it's the cowboy. "There are several rules that the PRC goes by to ; stand- ensure the safety of the animals," said Wes Stansell, hours, a bareback rider with the PRC who competed in Frissocia day night's rodeo. rs, calf "They're not abused, and they're taken real ghts to good care of," he said. "Most of the people who protest m don- don't know exactly what they're talking about. They just kind of have an idea, and they take off with im and it. If the animals aren't taken care of, the association irotest- will fine them. You get a hefty fine." sy con- Stansell said people get concerned because they ; harm- see cowboys digging their spurs into the horse or bull's skin, but the animals' skins are thick, and the y," said spurs are dull. He said the horses buck because it's e bull- a game to them in which they're trying to unseat their riders, and the horses like what they do. c4onAo "TWn linrcnc aro horo hoponcn fVimr Kimlr Tliov OkUllVA/ X 11VIJV/ 11U1 UVU Ul W UV1V WVUU0V/ tllV- J UUV/lVi XX1V/J Aiders don't buck because they're here," he said. IL^r- J IHEMHi B*O0EO 1 ,!g?| * viou-xtui m$!.0 4G<U,VSf ?1Jff n ?*2 -. . ^g ^jLk ** \,, ? * * ' ^K JWJ **lJ : /'Bp _ lira I 22 - 24 1 - 4pm Pl^ SITE OF THE PAY Watch dancing hamsters all the livelong day. http://www.hamsterdance. com Monday, March 22, 1999 rfs 2 jys eed June Rodeo fans didn't seem to feel the conflict between protesters and cowboys, or between the animals and the cowboys. They were there for the entertainment. "I loved it," Columbia resident Lori Stevenson said. "They're not getting hurt any more than they would on a farm. I know because I own cattle myself." "They're not hurting those animals," Columbia resident Thomas Wright said. "They're just playing with them. They're not eating them." Although people will probably never really know what animals think and feel, animal rights supporters will continue to make a stand against what they perceive to be animal abuse, and rodeos and circuses will continue to use animals in entertainment. Protester Traci Richard of Chapin believes animal rights protests are effective, even if they don't get a large backing in Columbia. "If we make one person aware, it's worthwhile," she said. "~~pif J^M Above: Protesters hold signs Ma |; toward passers-by Friday night at Greene and Assembly streets. The protesters were trying to make people aware of the harm they believe rodeos inflict on animals. Left: Cowboys with the Professional Wh**. ^1 Rodeo and Cowboy Association * J pray together before the rodeo rjjjjt^ Friday night at the Carolina ^^Qfflcia^ookstor^^SC\ 1400 Greene St. Russell House (803) 777-4160 |