Ropin' From The Heartland by Mike Wooldridge
Safety: "Assume Nothing"
"Assume nothing" when it comes to safety because your life, or lifestyle, could permanently be affected by an injury. I recently did a show where I could have seriously injured myself. I will give more details later. My experience was a reminder that one must not assume anything and always think safety first. Injury to an audience participant could also cause serious litigation problems. This is a subject to be taken in a grave and thoughtful way.
We all use the wild west arts for personal satisfaction, professional performances or both. Our discipline utilizes ropes, whips, guns, tomahawks, arrows, knives, stage props and horses to accomplish our end results. Looking at this list, one can see that it involves an element of danger. Some cowboy entertainers shrivel from the idea of spinning a small rope around a child, for fear of impressing that child to duplicate the act and possibly causing injury or death. I think it's important to weigh the issues and react accordingly. If one is too critical, one could decide not to show anything to anyone because everything has a degree of life-threatening danger.
Lassoing another person has resulted in death in unusual circumstances. Whips, which break the sound barrier at 750 mph +, have caused extreme pain and skin welts, not to mention the loss of eyesight or serious skin ruptures. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. However, people using guns, including the use of blanks, have caused death. The gas effect and energy from a "blank" can pierce the skull causing bone tissue to become the projectile. Entertainers have killed themselves using blanks to impress an audience. I've seen Joe Bowman – The Sharpshooter, demonstrate the damage of a blank, armed with primer only, and what it can do to a soda can, readily piercing and disfiguring it by the radial dispersion of energy that’s released.
Tomahawks can cause serious injury for obvious reasons. So can arrows and knives. What about horses? An animal introduces another level of safety concerns. When you stand on the saddle, you "trust" that the training of the horse will accomplish what you want. You "assume" the animal will react accordingly. You "assume" that that your arrow, tomahawk or knife will find its mark. You "assume" your guns will perform as planned while shooting or gun spinning. You "assume" your whip will find it's mark. You "assume" your circle made by rope will gently encircle a person. You "assume" your skill and control will prevail. I tell you: "assume nothing".
I'm extremely conscious when it comes to safety when I perform, as I know you are also. Yes, for audience participation, I spin my rope gently around people without fear of causing injury or death. No, I don't lasso people, which has led to injury and death. Yes, I crack a whip to remove targets from a hand with proper instruction and practice, while being extremely aware of my surroundings. No, I don't recklessly use a whip around people that could put an eye out. Yes, I shoot black powder blanks for outdoor venues. No, I don't use these blanks when gun spinning nor in close proximity to people. Yes, I've thrown knives safely under the direction of a master like Che Che White Cloud. No, I haven't thrown at live targets. Yes, I've spun a rope on a horse. No, I haven't gone beyond what my experience has allowed. Yes, there is always a danger in what we do. Yes, we must never assume.
On April 30th, 2005, I was doing a show for a venue in Florida. During the course of the evening, I saw a buckboard horse wagon. I figured I could stand on the seat and feed out a big loop. All went well. I rotated on the seat to face my entire audience. I eventually saw a bail of hay on the ground below. I figured I'd decrease the size of my loop then jump onto the bail of hay, step out into the arena area then re-feed my rope to full circle. As soon as I jumped, the seat flipped because it wasn't attached. I landed upside down on top the bail of hay. The seat landed on top of me as I lassoed the wagon. I'm convinced if it wasn't for the fact that I had worked out on weight machines etc., I could have been seriously hurt. This brings into account another safety issue of working out with stretching exercises before performing. "Assume nothing" when it comes to safety.
I hope this article emphasizes the importance of safety. Conscious effort at all times will give everyone a hedge of protection, not only for ourselves, but for the people we perform for. "Assume nothing" when it comes to safety. Adios.
Ropin'
From The
Heartland
