The Sevilla Story: Bullfight ¡Olé!

Wednesday night I went to a bullfight. Beforehand I was able to go to hear a little more about bullfighting from one of our ISA directors. It definitely helped to understand what was going on! I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it, but I really enjoyed it! There are a few different stages to a bullfight. First the bull comes out and the matador makes the bull pass a few times. In the ring there is the matador and a few assistants. For the next part two horses come out, with men on top, both of who are heavily padded. The horses have to stay towards the outside of the ring, and the matador has to aim the bull to charge at the horse. The bull has to charge the horses twice, and each time the rider has to stab him with his long spear. Then the horses leave and it's time for the banderilleros, which are brightly colored poles with a sharp point at the end. Three of the guys each have two of them, and they have to stab the bull with them while they are face-to-face with the bull. Once those are in, the matador is the only one in the ring, and he 'plays' with the bull a little more. Finally it comes time and he gets his sword ready. He waits till he has the bull in the right place and stabs the sword into the bulls back. There are three matadors for each bullfight, they each get two bulls, and they have two replacement bulls on hand. The only parts I didn't like was one of the bulls knocked over a horse, and twice a matador was on the ground with the bull right on top of him.