By April WIlkerson

Shawnee News-Star

SHAWNEE — While trying to stay atop a snorting, raging bull, it’s crucial that the rider have a good grip. But perhaps just as important is that he’s able to release that grip.

A hazard of the job is that bull riders can get hung up — unable to free their hand when the eight seconds are over and the bull is still bucking. But an invention by a Shawnee man may give bull riders some peace of mind.

James Sartin has designed the True Grip bull strap, a device that fits with any rope and allows the rider to pull a strap to separate himself from the bull, if necessary.

“It allows the rider to keep his mind on his business and not worry about getting hurt,” Sartin said. “It’s a good safety device.”

Sartin, who was born and raised in Shawnee, came up with the idea for True Grip several years ago while living in Arkansas. He was watching bull riding on television and started taking off his Velcro tennis shoes. The familiar sound of Velcro gave him an idea.

“I thought, ‘Why couldn’t I put that on a rope?’ I started out making one out of a little calf rope,” he said. “I went through five different ropes to get to one where I could sell it.”

True Grip attaches to any rope. It uses industrial Velcro that has been tested to hold 900 pounds with no slipping, Sartin said. The strap is made from quality webbing and is covered with leather to prevent stretching, even under the force of a bull. To “deploy” True Grip, a rider simply pulls the bright orange strap to release his grip from the bull. Until he does that, his hand is tightly wound in place.

Sartin said he tested his creation for about four years with bull riders Terry Don West, who practiced with it at his school, and the late Jim Shoulders, who used it on his ranch in Henryetta. Another bull rider who rides with the strap regularly is Nathan Tull of Shawnee, who is the 2007 world champion bull rider of the International Professional Rodeo Association.

Sartin isn’t the first person to come up with such an idea, but he’s probably the second, and his design is the one that works best, Tull said. New safety equipment, such as protective vests and helmets, are finding more acceptance among bull riders, Tull said, and he’s all for anything that will decrease his chances of getting hurt.

He has ridden with a protective vest for a number of years and began wearing a helmet more recently. With a little promotion, Sartin’s True Grip has the potential to become a regular part of many bull riders’ equipment, he said.

“It gives me peace of mind knowing that I’ve got that release,” Tull said. “I can concentrate more on riding and less on what might happen.”

A hang-up isn’t terribly common, Tull said, but when it happens, it’s one too many. He’s been hung up three or four times in the last few years, and when he’s needed it, that orange strap has been there for him, he said. When riders get hung up, the rope around their hand only gets tighter, especially if they fall off the bull the opposite side of their hand, he said. Riders who are hung up can get broken legs and feet, and the bull can turn back toward them with its horns leading the way.

Old-school bull riders may not be keen on the idea at first, Tull said, but Sartin’s design has proved its worth. Sartin said he plans to promote True Grip to youth bull riders, whose parents may have more sway on using safety devices. He will market the device this summer at Shawnee’s International Finals Youth Rodeo.

Tull said he hopes True Grip is eventually adapted for bareback bronc riders, who face many of the same hazards.