When Bandy Murphy, 23, gets on the back of a bull, the animal usually has about a 1,600-pound advantage. The cowboy from Weatherford, Okla., who stands 5 feet 9 and weighs 160 pounds, managed to stay on bulls and broncos long enough last year to win the Toughest Cowboy championship. The rodeo tour tests competitors in three disciplines -- bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. The next stop on the 2008 tour is today at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Murphy spoke Wednesday with staff writer Roger van der Horst.

Q: How'd you get the name Bandy?

A: My brother, he's done a lot of family tree stuff, and he found that the name came from Bandera, Texas, and it started out as a last name. The Bandys, I guess, originated in Bandera, Texas. Then it graduated up to a middle name, and now it's my first name.

Q: So, how do you stay on a bull for eight seconds?

A: Ha. Do everything right. Do everything you've been taught that was right, and do it all at the same time. There's really no one way. There's a bunch of different styles to ridin' bulls, but primarily heart and try are what get you to the whistle.

Q: What's the worst thing a bull or a bronc has ever done to you?

A: When they don't buck good, that's pretty bad -- whenever they don't compete as good as I'm ready for 'em to compete, I guess, 'cause they're in competition to throw me off ... one that throws me off, I'm not mad at him, I'm mad at myself 'cause I should have been prepared. But if one doesn't buck up to standards and I end up having a low score, that's generally the most frustrating to me. ... An animal can be really, really good [but] easy to ride if you're doin' things right, or they can be really, really good -- and when I say "really, really good," I mean you can get a high score on 'em -- and difficult to ride even doin' the right things.

Q: What are the qualities that make for one that's difficult to ride?

A: No rhythm. Hard to get in time with. Each jump kind of different. And you can't ever really anticipate what's gonna happen next.

Q: Have you ever been badly hurt?

A: You know, I've been truly blessed with my injuries and all. I haven't really received any major breaks. I've just had one wrist surgery and a few broken fingers and stuff, maybe a broke nose here or there. But for the most part, I've been super fortunate.

Q: What do fans understand least about being a rodeo competitor?

A: That it's not that much different from any other professional sport. The reason it seems so abstract to so many people is that they didn't grow up with it. ... A lot of people think it's beer-drinkin' hillbillies, and that's not what it is. For probably a good 70-80 percent of the competitors and all of the ones at the top of their game, it's not even remotely like that. It's hard work and training and practice.

Q: Are there any rodeo fans who come to root for the animal?

A: Oh, I'll bet it's close to 50-50, if not a little bit more for the animal. There's bulls with fans. There's a whole fan base for certain types of bulls. People who may have never gone to actually watch a rodeo can still name bulls' names, and maybe even more bulls' names than riders, just watchin' it on TV.

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