No. 311 lives up to his violent reputation

Sheri Maimone checks on her two children, sitting eight rows up from the dirt floor. They’re set for the evening. Hot dogs, nachos, cheese dip, sodas. She’d like to stay and watch the rodeo at Salem Civic Center, but she’s already late for warm-ups.
Maimone, a self-described adrenaline junky, is a bull rider.
Tonight, the Rockville, Va., mom has drawn bull No. 311, an 1,800-pound banana-horned one with a reputation for violently throwing his riders on the second buck.
Maimone’s coach and husband, Al, a former bull rider, gets her equipment ready and calms his wife’s nerves.
"It’s one of them sports where if you say that you’re not a little worried or you’re not a little nervous, well you ain’t been on many bulls," Al said quietly. Al works quickly tying the rope around No. 311 while Sheri stretches and kneels down for a cigarette. Her hair, flowing behind her cowgirl hat during the flag presentation, is now pulled back in a ponytail. Sweat beads on her forehead.
"As soon as you get in, sit down just like at the practice pen, and get … out," Al said. "All business. Let I'm rip the gate out of your hand. As soon as that gate opens, stick them spurs and don’t stop reaching for the front.
"You have to ride this bull tonight, and he’s just a piece of trash. You can ride him, OK?"
As soon as she sits, the bull presses her right leg into the gate with his 1,800 pounds.
"He’s crushing my leg!" Sheri yelled from behind a mouth guard. Al and others react quickly and push with all their might to move the bull.
"All right, just have fun babe; you ready?" Al said with a smile. She gives the familiar rodeo nod; the gate swings open.
"Reach, reach, reach, reach, reach. Oh," Al yelled.
In just two seconds, No. 311 lives up to his violent reputation, tossing Sheri over his horns. He lowers his head to charge, but two clowns swoop her up and redirect the bull’s attention.
"Don’t ever think a bull is stupid," Sheri said. "I have learned the hard way that they do know who’s on them and they can pick you out of everybody in the arena and they will come get you."
"I was reaching," Sheri later told her husband.
"I’ll tell you what, you had the rankest one in the pen tonight," Al said in a consoling manner.
"Dammit," Sheri said, as she lowered her head.

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