By Kye Berger
Eight seconds of pure adrenaline. Eight seconds of risking your life… literally.
Sophomore Masheala Wright and junior Warren Eacret both compete in bull riding, a unique hobby for those living near Muncie, Ind.
If you don’t know much about bull riding here are a few things you should know.
If a rider remains on the bull for eight seconds without being thrown off, the rider will receive a score from two judges. Both judges have 50 points in their control.
They’ll score the rider on posture and their control of the bull. The combined scores of the two judges determine the bull rider’s total score.
“It is scary, but It’s also my favorite thing to do, and I find it relaxing,” Masheala says about bull riding.
Even though she finds it relaxing she has still had some hiccups in her bull riding journey that were not so relaxing — in fact, just the opposite.
Masheala once rode a bull that had been on the Professional Bull Riding Tour. She was thrown off, and the bull put his head down into her, compressing her back, legs and chest. This caused her to go into instant shock and her heart to stop briefly.
She passed out for a few minutes and was rushed to a hospital to make sure no bones
were broken. She took IV’s and underwent x-rays, but thankfully everything ended up being fine.
She said her parents freaked out at first, but she continued to talk them into letting her return to the sport. Finally they decided to let her. This incident hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her dream.
“I’m not scared anymore,” Mashaela said. “It was scary when it happened and a while after, but I love bull riding and after a few times of riding after that I knew I was good.”
Now, Masheala has about four years of experience in the sport and has gained a passion for it. She practices nearly every Saturday in Celina, Ohio perfecting her craft.
Mashaela always prepares for her ride in a way to help keep her calm. She’s nervous to start but when she gets on the bull everything just goes down to the moment.
“Praying to the Lord and making sure everything is going good, making sure everyone is safe and I’m going to be safe and having a good ride,” Mashaela said.
Her best friend and one of her biggest inspirations in the sport passed away in a car accident in January 2023.
Her name was Laycie Chambers, who was a Wapahani High School student. She was in a coma after the traffic accident and then the tragic news came that she had passed away.
Laycie was a bull rider for much of her life and had a big impact on Mashaela.
“My best friend gave me the inspiration to keep going and never give up,” Masheala said.
She hopes to go to the PBR Tour one day.
This would be a great feat because not many female bull riders have made it to PBR. “Women need more inspiration to do harder things to get somewhere in life,” Wright says.
Another Delta student with the same hobby is junior Warren Eacret, who has been bull riding for almost a year.
One of his friends got him into it. “I always thought it was cool … so I decided to try it,” Eacret said.”And ever since I’ve loved it more than anything. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
His goal from the beginning is also to make it to PBR. Warren plans to practice and dedicate himself to bull riding to fulfill his dream.
He also travels to Celina every Saturday for practice. There are a few different ways to practice, one of which is riding a bull, but bull riders can also use a bucking barrel or drop barrel. These pieces of equipment are made to be like a bull and when the rider gets on one it helps him work on his technique, balance and core so he can be ready for the actual moment.
Some things essential to being a good bull rider are core strength, grip strength and hip mobility.
When Eacret is preparing for the ride, “I’ll look at the bull I’ve got and I’ll really just sit there and think to myself is he going to spin or is he going to buck coming out the chute,” Eacret said.
He went to a big rodeo this past October. This is where cowboys ride bulls, competing against each other.
This event took place in Mesquite, Texas, and he competed against kids his age. He placed fifth out of 43 contestants.
It’s not just the thrill of riding a bull he loves. It’s the payouts you can get if you win being anywhere from $300 to $500.
These are two Delta students who had a completely different journey into bull riding, but now they dream of it being their entire career, of course if they don’t get injured.
