Cowboy hats and belt buckles were plentiful at the Fourth Annual Brett Cushenbery Memorial Bull Ride on Saturday.

Thirty bull riders and five freestyle bullfighters competed in front of more than 100 students, residents and family members at Weber Arena in Weber Hall.

The highlight of the night for many occurred when Dusty Tuckness, a professional freestyle bullfighter, executed a back flip over a charging bull.

Although two-time freestyle bullfighting world champion Wacey Munsell was the biggest name at the event, the crowd cheered for Tuckness, and he performed another bullfight to close the event.

Freestyle bullfighting is a 70-second competition where the bullfighter avoids the bull by means of dodging, jumping and using a barrel. The fighters' ability to remain close to the bull without losing their footing determines scoring, according to the professional bull riding Web site.

The event honors the life of Brett Cushenbery, former K-State student and rodeo team member for three years. Cushenbery was trampled by a bull on Oct. 12, 2003, at the Cowboy's Professional Rodeo Association Finals in Hutchinson, Kan. He died two days later of heart complications.

A.J. Griffin, K-State alumnus, started the event four years ago in Cushenbery's honor.

"It's getting bigger and bigger every year," Griffin said. "I thought it was pretty excellent to see everyone in attendance."

Several students from the K-State rodeo club and many different majors were among those who attended the event.

"It was pretty good," Josh Woellhof, senior in agronomy, said. "It was the first time I got the chance to come out, and it was pretty neat watching the bullfighting."

Meredith Holland, K-State Miss Rodeo and senior in women's studies, said the memorial competition begins a year of events for the K-State Rodeo Club. Holland, as part of her title, travels across Kansas to promote K-State and the sport of rodeo.

"(The event) is nice for me, because I don't have to travel very far, and we get a lot of the students, which makes it a lot of fun," she said. "It really encourages people in the university to come out and see what we are all about."

Between rides, funny man Doug Munsell, Wacey's father, provided some comic relief. He mixed traditional rodeo clown props with current and personal issues ranging from marriage to the hip-hop culture.

"A lot of it is true stuff," Doug, Ulysses, Kan., native, said. "I try to keep stuff fresh and different. I search on the Internet and use different comedians for different ideas."

Doug, who has competed, worked and performed humor skits at rodeo events since 1978, and he and Wacey have competed and volunteered at various K-State events for several years.

"It's for a good cause, remembering a good kid," Doug said. "I am just happy to be here."