JOHN COFFELTEditor

Bullwhip Rodeo returns to Coffee County Fair

Bullwhip Rodeo will return to the Coffee County Fair for two nights, Friday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Aug. 31.

Shows start at 7 p.m. an will include team, breakaway and tie down roping; three classes of both barrel racing and bull riding. For the youth there will be a calf scramble, mutton busting,

For Bullwhip Rodeo’s secretary and trick rider Alayna Colson rodeo is in her blood.

“It’s a family-owned company,” she said. “My grandpa started it up in 2004, my grandma ran it, and now she’s passed away, so I’ve taken over her position as secretary.”

“I always loved going to the rodeos with my grandparents,” Colson said. “My Manna always sat up there, and I would play while she did her secretary work. The I’d go out there and ride a sheep. I always had a blast. I loved it.”

Colson started trick riding 11 years ago.

“We were on vacation at the Dixie Stampede,” she said. “Me and my friend saw them doing it. We were like wow, that’s so cool we need to do that.

Colson’s grandfather agreed, deciding that it would be a good addition to the rodeo. He setup a weekend training course by a trick rider for his granddaughter.

Bull riding is one of the most iconic rodeo event. Colson said most of the bull riders travel with the rodeo.

“Most of these guys we know really well,” she said. “They’ve traveled with us for years, worked their way up from the little kid’s peewee bull riding all the way up to the pro.”

Bullwhip riders are very determined to get that buckle, Colson said, but that determination can come with a cost.

“There’s not necessarily a safe way to do it, but there’s a smarter way to do things,” she said.

“Injuries are pretty common in bull riding. There’s not a serious, serious injury at every rodeo, maybe some bruised ribs or he hot the wind knocked out of him, but It does happen.”

Last year a rider was thrown off and sustained fractured ribs, a broken vertebra and a collapsed lung.

For the Bullwhip family, the rodeo is a passion.

“We love travelling,” Colton said. “It’s like a vacation but you’re working. Every town is different. Everybody loves watching the rodeo, especially when they can get their kids into the rodeo.”

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.