The riders spent some time hanging out the morning before their competition started at the Winston-Salem Coliseum.
WINSTON-SALEM -- It was gloomy Friday morning outside Brenner Children's Hospital, but it was cheery inside, thanks to a visit from some professional bull riders.
"It's fun,” said 14-year-old patient Rashawn Blue of the visit. "It's better than sitting on the floor everyday just being bored."
The riders spent some time hanging out the morning before their competition started at the Winston-Salem Coliseum.
Hayley Whitten's having some follow-up testing done after a kidney transplant. "It's pretty cool," she said, "I mean I watch bull riding all the time."
These guys say it's a way to cheer up some kids who won't be able to come to the show and bring of little bit of the show to them.
"I think sometimes when you can give back or help," said former World Bull Riding Champion Jerome Davis, "it makes a big difference in your own life. It makes me feel better."
The riders signed autographs and posed for photos -- handed out some stuffed bull toys and talked about their sport.
So they signed autographs and posed for photos -- handed out some stuffed bull toys and talked about their sport.
They can relate to being laid up. "These kids, a lot of times the don't get to get out of the hospital," said rider Mike Lee, "I know how that feels, I've been there a few times, when I didn't get to get out of my room."
Davis knows the feeling. The former world champion rider lives in Randolph County and is hosting the event. He's been in a wheelchair since being thrown by a bull in 1998.
"These guys are the real heroes here today," said Davis, "they're fighting every day for their lives. We're just a little part of it."
Bull riding's a big sport -- an estimated 1.5 million people attend events each year.