The 2024 weather in the South-West was rainy but was it happy?
The leaves are falling, the wood pigeons are passing by, the days are getting shorter. Apoderados and bullfighters weigh in and part ways amicably. In short, it's Autumn. It is time to take stock of the weather we have just experienced in the South-West.
A finding
What is certain is that she was rather gloomy about the figures and their favorite breedings.
Aside, and we can debate the JPD of Dax, the breedings for stars have failed. Nuñez del Cuvillo, Victoriano del Rio, Port of San Lorenzo, Jandilla, Garcigrande and others The Fifth put together some mixed performances to say the least. Without great strength and anecdotal in the first third under the iron, they expressed a dull nobility and lacked personality. Certainly, in the prevailing triumphalist context, ears were cut off but boredom often appeared on the track.
The Gascon era of figures was also pale. castile, Talavante, King Rock (with the exception of his Bayonne performance), among others suffered the condition of the livestock. For some, even the state of form during outings ends up worrying. Daniel Luquedarling of the South-West, enjoyed a few triumphant afternoons. He nevertheless has a lot plus “rowed” as usual when difficulty presented itself. His 2024 faenas had much less impact.
However, there were bulls.
Yet there were great moments in our arenas. THE Straw of Aire sur Adour, the Vic Fair, THE Santiago Domecq and the Margin of Dax, the victorino Martin of Mont de Marsan allowed you to experience intense moments of bullfighting full of emotion on the track. We can also mention the Juan Manuel Criado of Bayonne, the Portuguese toros of Orthez whose excellent Veiga Teixeira.
A triumphant who is not a figure
The great triumphant of this season in the South-West is Morenito de Aranda. His power, his desire and his left hand allowed him to come out “a hombros” almost during all his performances. He did it in front of serious and demanding bulls. His performance of Vic with The Hands complex in a dramatic context, that of Plumaçon with Victorino Martin demanding or Victoriano del Rioa pure gentle décasté, of Dax left their mark. Other bullfighters stood out. We of course think of Clemente in particular to Dax during the pardon of Delicado. In another record John of Castile in Vic, Solal in Villeneuve de Marsan, Esau Fernandez pleasantly surprising in Dax (although disappointing in Vic) scored points. Juan Ortega was very interesting in Bayonne but misunderstood by a large part of the public.
For the novilleros, we have seen too little Marco Perez, Jarocho et Samuel Navalon at our place. Yet these three boys have dominated the Novilleril climb this time. Nino Julian, Alejandro Chicharrodid the job and deserve to be reviewed at the higher level. Pedro Luis triumphed at Roquefort and Bayonne. It is still too early to draw conclusions. For others, it is sometimes too late to do so.
Remarks
We were treated to a few “mano a mano” whose content ranks them among the least interesting bullfights of the time due to the lack of real competition between the participants. It would seem that the good old cartel made up of a confirmed, a figure and a hope remains the guarantee of a competition that generates emotions.
As for the attendance at our arenas, the optimists will say that the big arenas have filled their stands well. The most pessimistic will say that with a few exceptions, the more modest arenas are struggling to get people on the shelves and juggling to avoid losing too much money.
The impact of the evolution of the public and the regulations
The public is obviously evolving. On several occasions, presidents have had to resist petitions for trophies after bajonazos or low and effective sword as we write all too often. Some resisted. Others gave in, opening Great Doors of questionable legitimacy. The evolution of UVTF regulations through some of its articles helps clarify the progress of the bullfighting show. On the other hand, others such as the awarding of trophies to the sound level meter are much more questionable.
The one which concerns the modification of the tercio of spades in the third category arenas very quickly generated a drift during the first tercios. The possibility of only poking the bulls once has transformed into a quasi-systematic single spade, even if it means supporting it with enthusiasm and overly assertive conviction. This is surely one of the points to watch in the future, to avoid a definitive plunge towards the bottom of this moment of the lidia which is so important and awaited in the arenas of the southwest.
To concludere
The 2024 season in the southwest generated interest when it showed that by taking the trouble to think outside the box, emotions can be there. This is a real food for thought for the organizers who must also manage the general public's taste for stars. Filling the arenas is crucial for the economy of bullfighting and the affirmation of our southern culture. The balance to do this is difficult to find to keep everyone happy. This is a challenge that must be met so that 2025 is a successful time.
As we have chosen to appeal to our memory and to what the many festejos of this 2024 season in the South-West have left imprinted on it, this assessment is necessarily subjective. Your comments are welcome.
Thierry Reboul
