By Jean Schurman
Although he probably wouldn’t be totally comfortable with the label of ringleader, Cal Ruark is a man who gets things done. When he decides upon a course of action, he never moves back from that. There may be some bumps in the road but he just takes them in stride and keeps going forward. Just take a look around the Darby rodeo grounds and you’ll see what a man with an idea and a community behind him can accomplish.
Ruark grew up in Darby and spent a few summers riding a few bulls and calf roping. He said he did all the crazy events that used to happen at the Ravalli County Fair and perhaps uses those experiences as a basis for some of his ideas. He worked in the woods after graduating from high school and then went to work for the Forest Service in 1971. He ‘retired’ about three years ago but that just gave him more time to devote to promoting the bull riding and other events at the Darby arena.
He has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis but even though he gets tired, he says working on these projects and developing new projects are his therapy. “There’s no pain, I just get deathly tired,” he said. He goes on to say that working on the bull riding or any of the other events gives him something else to concentrate on.
He’s a master at promotion and making connections with both sponsors and causes. A staunch supporter of Tough Enough to Wear Pink and Sprinkle Pink – both breast cancer awareness programs – he also does fund raising for Camp Mak-A-Dream. This connection of events to a cause is one reason the Elite Bull Connection bull-a-rama has become such a success.
Another way Ruark has promoted both the bull-a-rama and the Tough Enough to Wear Pink cause is his bull Darbacious. This Brahma cross bull is as tough as they come when he’s bucking out of a chute. But the bull is a cupcake the rest of the time and has even been on display at Hamilton’s Downtown Tonight and Stevensville’s Western Heritage Days. Ruark wanted a bull that he could take around to different events and promote Darby. Darbacious fit the bill and Ruark bought him.
Seven years ago, Ruark was approached by Jim Hale, who also lived in Darby. Hale asked for Ruark’s help in putting on a bull riding event. Hale was a partner in Hoefer and Hale Bulls and figured he would get the bulls and the cowboys if Ruark would do the promotion. That was the beginning of what now is the biggest little bull riding in the area. Sanctioned by the Elite Professional Bull Riders Association, the event on Saturday night is the biggest event in the south end of the Bitterroot Valley.
After five years Hale had to step down due to health concerns, but by then Ruark was catching his breath and beginning to dream, big. He went out and put together the Darby Rodeo Association. This group consists of people from throughout the valley who were also interested in promoting rodeo. They all have one goal in mind, to make whatever event they put on the best they can. They haven’t lacked for events, either.
Ruark and company came up with an event in September two years ago that promises to grow just as the bull riding has. The saddle bronc futurity gives breeders of these bucking horses a chance to showcase them against some of the top riders in the region with riders from North Dakota to Washington and points south trying these young broncs out. Unlike the horses you see in rodeos that have their ‘routine’ down for eight seconds, these young horses (four-year-olds) are very unpredictable. The committee paired a barrel race with that event and drew over 150 racers to the competition. This year, the Bronc Bustin’ and Barrel Burnin’ will be on September 17th. They put on a PRCA rodeo and an NRA rodeo. This year, they will have a team roping in a couple of weeks. On August 6, the association will put on a ranch rodeo with events such as team doctoring, team branding, wild cow milking, and team penning.
However, it is the event that happens this Saturday night in Darby that Ruark has put his heart and soul into. With an eye towards making the event bigger and better, he began working on finding more sponsors to increase the prize money for the event. He worked on more sponsors to rebuild the arena and make this venue one of the best in the Northwest. And he never stops; with just a week before the premier event, he’s off to Bozeman to pick up a saddle bronc sculpture to go with the bucking bull that marks the turnoff to the rodeo grounds.
“I want people to see the sculptures, to see the arena, and to see the cars there, and say, ‘what’s going on here’ and come in to see it,” says Ruark. He goes on to say that once they have experienced the bull-a-rama, they’ll be back.
“I have people working the parking lot that say there are cars from all over Montana and the West,” he says.
Last year he changed the format of the bull-a-rama. It used to be one rider, one bull, and may the best win. But the bulls were getting better and it was getting more difficult to fill 40 slots with riders. So last year, Ruark and crew changed the event to a team competition. There are eight teams, each with four riders including a team captain. Each rider will ride a bull in the long go around. There is a short go after that with one rider from each team moving on to the short go.
There will be a calcutta between the long go and the short go where the riders will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The bulls in the short go are drawn before the event so the riders know what bulls are in there. The team captain will select which team member will move into the short go. That way, the team captain has a good idea of which rider is riding well for the night and matches up well for the bull he’s drawn. Ruark said this team concept changes the mentality of the riders.
“They don’t want to let their teammates down,” says Ruark, “and with a purse of about $23,000, there’s a lot on the line.”
Each rider pays an entry fee of $200 but some of that is given back when the team arrives in Darby. However, the first place team will take home $10,400, or $2,600 per team member. Each team will receive a pink ‘Bounty’ bull. If the cowboy rides one of these bulls, he will win an additional $1,000. However, if the rider is bucked off, the money goes to Tough Enough to Wear Pink. The prize money totals right around $23,000 which makes it one of the top purses in the area.
Red Eye Rodeo out of Deer Lodge provides the bulls. Ruark said he works closely with Kaehl Berg, the owner. “His bulls are tough and rank. They’re fun to watch.”
The bull riders come from all over and include some who are on the PBR tour or have been on that tour. But the riders are a young group and are constantly changing. A rider may be at the top of his game for a couple of years but then either moves up or stops riding. Ruark and company recognize that new blood is always needed and have put together a kids rodeo on Friday night. There will be calf riding, mutton bustin’, bronc and bareback riding and mini bull riding. Although there is no admission charge on Friday night, there will be hamburgers and hot dogs available for purchase.
“We have to get them interested early,” said Ruark. “This is the way to do it.”
The gates open at 4 p.m. on Saturday for the Elite Bull Connection bull-a-rama. Tickets are $30 and this also includes the concert by Aaron Tippin after the event. Food and merchandise vendors will have booths set up, and the 8 Second Saloon will be serving adult beverages. If you can’t make the live event, the Elite Bull Connection bull-a-rama will be televised on Altitude sports 12 times in August.
And if you’re looking for Ruark that night, he’ll be the one making notes on what to do better next year.