LEWISTON - A lot goes into preparing for and supporting the bulls and riders of professional riding.

Three hundred and twenty yards of dirt, for one, said Androscoggin Bank Colisee Operations Manager Don Duval. The dirt, which covers at least half of the Colisee's floor, took nearly four hours to be trucked in and placed. But that's nothing compared to the amount of time it will take to clean up.

"It'll take four to four-and -a-half hours (to remove the dirt)," Duval said, "and then eight hours just getting the ice (underneath) ready." The next Maineiacs game is Monday at 6 p.m. "We'll make it - I have confidence in that," Duval said.

And as for supporting the bulls and their riders, some of the guys in the ring - the ones who keep the bulls as far away as possible from the contestants - can win awards for their bullfighting prowess, as well.

Shane Simpson, 32, of Queensland, Australia, is the five-time Australian bull fighting champion, he said Friday night.

He's been in the United States since August. "It's more consistent," he said of American bull riding. "There are more athletic bulls here. And it's a lot bigger as a major sport. It's the fastest-growing sport (in the U.S.)," he said.

He hopes to be one of the bullfighters chosen for the Built Ford Tough Series World Championships.

Like bull riding, bullfighting is a dangerous sport. He protects himself with thigh pads, "footie" cleats and shin guards.

He also shaves his legs - like most athletes, he says - and carries at least two containers of Vegemite with him in his suitcase.