Bodies were tossed left and right from the back of a menacing mechanical bull Monday afternoon as this year’s Veishea celebration got underway on Central Campus.

The scene, just north of the Campanile, included inflatable games, a barbecue, music, a climbing wall and the mechanical bull.

All aspects of the Central Campus Veishea experience can be enjoyed by ISU students with the purchase of a Veishea button. The Veishea button, which can be purchased on-site, is valid all week and is a student’s ticket to an inexpensive lunch on campus this week, entertainment co-chairman Shawn Sponheim said.

As students walked past the events on Monday, several steered off their usual routes to class and decided to partake in Veishea. One such person, who had his eyes set on the bull, was freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option Dan Weber.

“It was my first time on a mechanical bull. I was a little apprehensive about it at first, but once I got on, it was a lot slicker than I thought it was going to be,” Weber said. “It’s much more difficult than it looks. I was much more comfortable the second time.”

The bull, which was brought onto the lawn outside of Curtiss Hall, was being operated by Aaron Klatt, an employee of www.ridethatbull.com, and a former ISU student. The company Ridethatbull.com, which is based out of Ames, is still operating in its first year but is already experiencing success on a national level, Klatt said.

We’ve been all over the country. We’ve been to Florida a couple of times, [and] we’ve been to Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo,” Klatt said.

“[Veishea] is a different crowd; it’s definitely a different atmosphere, but a great atmosphere nonetheless.”

It’s the company’s first year at Veishea, but that did not seem to hurt its ability to recruit eager riders on a sunny Monday afternoon.

“It was interesting; I thought it was going to be easier,” said Drew Meyer, sophomore in landscape architecture. “It’s a little slippery. I think [Klatt] helped me out a little bit.”

Klatt said the speed and direction of the bull’s movements can be controlled either automatically or manually, depending on the operator’s preference and the experience of the rider.

“We’ve got the buck and spin dials. We can run it manually with a joy stick — that’s how I usually do it,” Klatt said.

“It makes it more interesting; I can actually control the speed a little bit better so I can help people stay on a little bit longer than they usually would.”

Klatt said despite his customers’ best efforts, nobody ever stays on longer than he wants them to.

Besides the mechanical bull, Ridethatbull.com is also responsible for the 25-foot portable rock climbing wall, which is located just south of the bull.

The rock climbing wall offers four different routes and can accommodate up to four climbers at a time.

One climber, Jeppe Nelson, junior in public service and administration in agriculture, experienced the wall firsthand.

“It’s not too difficult — it’s made for people who have never climbed before,” Nelson said. “If you pick your route and make it hard for yourself, then it’s a good time.”

Klatt said the wall has a little something for everybody.

“We’ve got some hard stuff and some easy stuff,” Klatt said.

Klatt and his crew will be operating the bull and rock wall on Central Campus until Thursday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, the bull will be found on Welch Avenue as the Veishea celebration continues, Klatt said.

Klatt was unsure whether the climbing wall will be part of the action on Welch Avenue, but hopes that it will be available.