Bullfighter following in family footsteps

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This article was published 16/06/2022 (1357 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Chase Keeley tells people that he’s a bullfighter, he gets bombarded with questions from disbelieving strangers that are trying to comprehend why someone would put themselves in a front of a bull and protect a fallen rider.

“They usually go ‘How crazy are you?’ or ‘Why would you ever think that’s a good idea?,” Keeley said. “My mom’s side of the family thinks I’m just completely off my rocker.

“The adrenalin and the excitement that comes with bullfighting is something that’s really tough to describe for someone who’s never done it. It might seem crazy, but I think just about anything can be depending on how you look at it.”

Since becoming a bullfighter at the age of 17, the 25-year-old from Nanton, Alta., has worked his way up the ranks and is now taking part in bigger events, such as the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada Cup tour stop at Westoba Place on Saturday.

In a way, Keeley seemed destined to be involved in rodeo.

His dad, Justin, has served as a judge for PBR events in the past and his uncle Glen was one of the top bull riders in the country before he was fatally injured at a competition in 2000.

Chase started roping and riding bucking horses, but being around bulls from a young age eventually led to his career path.

“My neighbour raised bucking bulls that would go to compete at the World Finals and I had a lot of good buddies who were riding bulls, so they would always need someone to help them out in the practice pens,” said Keeley, who also helps run a ranch in Nanton.

“I did that a few times and I realized that this was something that could work for me. I started doing amateur rodeos in different provinces to get my name out there and I was lucky enough to have enough guys vote for me to be part of these bigger events in Canada.”

Like the competitors themselves, Keeley spends most of the year travelling across western Canada, in addition to making a few treks into the United States.

His trip to Brandon comes right in between a two-day stint at a rodeo in Stavley, Alta. this weekend.

“I’m pretty much on the road from February until November, so I’ve got enough going on to keep my hands full between this and the ranch,” Keeley said.

“There’s a lot of travel, but it’s cool to see the different comminutes and meet all the fans that come out to the rodeos. There’s a lot more advantages to this than your typical nine-to-five job.”

During events, Keeley and two other bullfighters are waiting for the bull to come out of the chute.

From there, they keep an eye out for a variety of things so that they are in the right position to help out a rider during their eight-second ride or after the buzzer sounds.

“You are always taking note of what bull is coming out as there are some that are meaner than others,” Keeley said. “You also have to keep an eye on what hand a guy rides with as he could get hung up if the bull goes a certain way.

“It’s also important to see what position a guy is in. If he’s in a controlled position, you can sit back and watch until the whistle goes, but if he’s in a volatile position, then you have to be ready to react at any time.”

In terms of preparing for an event, Keeley approaches bullfighting in the same way that any athlete does before a competition.

He spends a lot of time watching videos of his fellow bullfighters and he also owns a bullfighting dummy, which is a bike with horns on the front of it, that he gets another bull rider to chase him around with so that he can work on his angles and fakes.

“You have to put in the hours so that you can do the best job possible,” Keeley said.

“As the years go on, you really start to get a feel of what a rider or a bull is going to do in a certain situation. That makes a world of difference.”

While his role is one that might make most people wince, being a bullfighter is something that Keeley takes great pride in, especially as he’s grown up around the sport.

“I idolized the riders when I was a kid and I fell in love with rodeo right away,” Keeley said. “To be out there and helping out some of the guys I idolized is pretty surreal.

“It’s cool to carry on the family tradition, but I also feel like I’m setting my own path as I travel down the road.”

Tickets for the event, which gets underway at 7 p.m. Saturday, are still available at the Keystone Centre box office and can also be purchased online.

» lpunkari@brandonsun.com

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