By: Colt Gunn
The 8 Seconds Rodeo celebrates the power, pride, and spirit of Black cowboy culture. It is an American Premier Black Rodeo and cultural celebration. The rodeo features several competitions, including horse racing, bareback riding, and, of course, the main event: bull riding. The top prize winner takes home $60,000. Riders must first qualify through preliminary rounds to earn a spot in the finals. To advance, each competitor must stay on a bull or horse for a full eight seconds while the animal bucks and tries to throw them off — perhaps an ultimate test of strength, balance, and grit.
Colt Gunn’s video captures the flow and feel of the 8 Seconds Rodeo.
Photographer Ivan McClellan founded 8 Seconds Rodeo to spotlight Black riders and also to ensure they receive fair pay, profit and recognition for their skill and artistry.
“It’s unique, it’s Black rodeo culture, it’s something that is rare, it’s something that a lot of people haven’t seen,” McClellan said. “There have been horses coming up and down the streets of Philly for generations and we’re celebrating that in this space.”
The rodeo features several competitions, including horse racing, bareback riding, and, of course, the main event: bull riding. The top prize winner takes home $60,000. Riders must first qualify through preliminary rounds to earn a spot in the finals. To advance, each competitor must stay on a bull or horse for a full eight seconds while the animal bucks and tries to throw them off — perhaps an ultimate test of strength, balance, and grit.
The Saturday October 11th visit makes the first time the 8-seconds rodeo has come to Philadelphia. The competition brought excited fans to the north Philadelphia and the Temple University’s Liacouras Center on Broad Street and Cecil B Moore Avenue – many donning cowboy hats, tassels, and boots – their cowboy-culture best.
Philadelphia is indeed rich in cowboy culture. The Fletcher Street Riding Club in North Philadelphia has been in the national spotligh. There seemed to be a sense of excitement among riders about competing in the City of Brotherly Love.
“This is as live as it gets,” said competitor, Tank Adams, referring to the exuberant energy in the arena. “A dead man would clap his hands.”
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