Ride the Bull

Eight-years-old when he knew, eight years pro and eight of the deadliest seconds in sports. Eight is a big number for bull rider D.J. Shields, who just swept a Manhattan, Kan. bull riding competition last month.

“When you’re facing a 2,000 pound bull, you can go from alive to dead in eight seconds,” Shields said, “but if I put in the right amount of time and effort, I can conquer the bull.”

Before Platte City Middle School Assistant Principal Dr. Logan Lightfoot can even finish the introduction to the special assembly April 27, the middle schoolers who earned the right to attend the event by keeping up their grades clapped loudly for the professional bull rider (PBR) Shields. Lightfoot described him as a “PBR rock star” as a third group of giggling middle school girls passed by the cowboy boot and hat wearing Shields, but more importantly, the opportunity to meet Shields gave several students a reason to raise their grades, to try and cut deals in on-going disciplinary action — all to see the 26-year-old personally.

“There were a lot of kids asking what they can do to get their grades up,” Lightfoot said. “We had kids asking that typically school is not very easy for them. One learned a rodeo guy was coming and would try to work out a deal [with his disciplinary action] to come.”

For some like middle schooler Colby Matthys, 11, they have been following PBR since they could remember. Matthys learned about bull riding from his father, Bob Matthys, and was excited to learn Shields would be at the school.

“It was a pretty cool deal,” Matthys recalled his reaction when he found out Shields would be at the school. “A PBR bull rider — Oh gosh. I’ve got to get something signed.”

Shields first knew he wanted to be a professional bull rider at eight-years-old. His first experience with riding bulls would come later in Texas — he rode a bull for just a few seconds and he knew right then and there, without a doubt, he had what it took to be a professional. The experience just “fueled me to be better,” Shields said.

And better he became as he went on to ride over 300 bulls this year and conquer not just the bull, but himself both mentally and physically to prepare for that eight seconds. While Shields was scheduled to appear at the Betsworth Bull Bash in 2011, an injury kept him from riding — but not this year as the Betsworth Bull Bash returns in June, an event a Bull Riders Inc. director said was the best event of last year, according to Brandon Betsworth, the event’s organizer and the man responsible for bringing Shields to Platte County.

At eight, Shields did not have the answer to how or when, just that he wanted to be a professional bull rider — and now he is and his eight professional seconds on each bull started eight years ago, born from the dreams of an eight-year-old boy.

“Not having the right answer isn’t wrong,” Shields told the students Friday, “but giving up is wrong.”

Ride the Bull

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