A month ago he took a bull's horn to the butt. This Kennewick teen is getting back in the fight

Miles Barry's backside has healed since taking a bull's horn to a delicate spot last month.

Saturday, the Kennewick teen will test his luck in the arena with some pretty nasty creatures in the Bullfighters Only event at Toyota Center.

"I'm all healed up and doing really good," Barry said. "Getting ready for this weekend."

Barry, 17, was added to the contestant list Monday after a few guys didn't fare so well at the Fiesta de Toros in Woodward, Okla., last weekend.

"I've known Miles since he was a kid, and his dad (Rowdy) is a mentor of mine," said Aaron Ferguson, founder and CEO at Bullfighters Only. "This sport has been ingrained in him since he was a kid. No one knows the sport better than him.

"He has earned his spot. We are excited to have him."

There will be big money on the line with a purse of $25,000. The winner will take home $10,000.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the box office and range from $22-$62.

How it all works

Typically, bullfighters are responsible for keeping bull riders safe after their ride. In freestyle bullfighting, it is bullfighter vs. bull — and they do it willingly.

Contestants have 60 seconds to pull off as many tricks as possible. The more dangerous and stylish, the more points they earn. Points also are awarded for how ferocious the bull is. The man with the most points takes home the big dollars.

Saturday, there will be four three-man rounds of veteran bullfighters. Barry will be in a round of five up-and-coming bullfighters, including Chance Moorman, 17, who competed in Woodward.

"Those five will be competing for one spot in the finals," Ferguson said. "We have a influx of young guys we have been working with."

The bulls in the ring are not the slow-moving bovine you see in the pasture along the freeway, and they do not like you.

"They killed off (injured) a bunch of guys the other day in Oklahoma," Barry said. "They had some treacherous bulls down there from around the Louisiana border. The ones this weekend are from Roundup, Montana. They aren't as big and treacherous."

But 2,000 pound of vicious nonetheless.

"The mental part is the hardest thing," said Barry, a junior at River View High School. " I'd say going into a bullfight, 95 percent of it is mental. If you can't control your head, things might not go well. I have put in my time at the gym working on agility and working with the weights, so I'm good there. For me, it's the love of the game."

Hometown boy

This will be the biggest bullfight Barry has been involved in, and being the hometown boy is an added bonus.

He might need a little of that hometown love when going up against two-time reigning Bullfighters Only World Champion Weston Rutkowski of Haskell, Texas, and Dusty Tuckness of Meeteetsee, Wyo., who is considered one of the all-time greats in the sport.

"This weekend, I will be running with the big dogs," Barry said. "The best guys in the world."

Barry has more than a little bullfighter in his family line. His dad, Rowdy Barry, competed in bullfighter events for 15 years and still works as a bullfighter at rodeos across the country.

"I have been doing this since fall of my eighth grade year," Barry said. "(My dad) is old and beat up. When it comes to speed and freestyle, I am better than him right now. When it comes to protecting bull riders, he can read bulls better than anyone out there."

Rowdy will be one of the judges this weekend, along with fellow bullfighting legend Donnie Griggs. Miles knows his dad doesn't play favorites, so he will have to be at the top of his game.

"Funny thing is, the two bullfights I have been in and he judged, I placed first and third," Barry said. "The other judge's score sheet was higher than my dad's."

Barry said fans will be in for a treat at the end of his session Saturday night.

"At the end of my fight, I like to get some distance between me and my bull, then jump them from head to tail," he said. "I am grateful to have the jumping ability that I have."

This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 5:43 PM with the headline "A month ago he took a bull's horn to the butt. This Kennewick teen is getting back in the fight."