In the arena

Really good stories take readers to a place they’d otherwise never go and introduce them to characters they would otherwise never meet. That’s exactly what Abi Dunning did in her article about professional bull riders in “Hang on tight” in this issue. After I finished reading the story, and with George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” playing in the background, I asked her to share a bit more about what she learned while reporting on this niche sport.

Your story notes that bull riding is rapidly gaining fans. Were you one before you started working on this story? I started watching bull riding in high school. I was fascinated by the moments when a brutal sport unexpectedly turns into a thing of beauty as bull and rider move in harmony. Plus, the riders’ willingness to endure pain was intriguing and a little provoking. Maybe that’s why the PBR All Star’s album was the go-to playlist for my painful runs.

Your story focuses on one event, in Louisville, and ends with Lucas Divino getting ready to fly home. Catch us up with the rest of his season. How did he do? Lucas continued to struggle for the next few months. In nine events after Louisville, he earned an average of $825.93 a weekend. But he qualified for his seventh PBR World Finals in May, and finished 10th overall with a 90.75-point ride in the championship round.

In the story, we get to see Lucas struggling with the toll it’s taken on his body and his debate about whether to continue. Does he plan to compete next year? Lucas said he’s got another five to 10 years left in the tank. Broken ribs and punctured lungs can’t take him down—for long.

Given the physicality of the sport, I’m guessing most bull riders are pretty young. What’s the age range among professional riders? Most of the riders are in their 20s or early 30s, but there’s a surprisingly broad range. For instance, 39-year-old Anderson de Oliveira tied for third place in Louisville—he’s more than a decade older than every other Top 5 finisher.

Did Divino say what he planned to do once he could no longer ride? He hopes to start raising cattle and training horses. Since it takes about an hour a day to train a horse, his goal is 10-12 horses. He and his family recently bought their own property in north Texas, where they plan to stay long term.

I know there are places you can go ride a bull for fun. After you were done with your reporting, were you even just a little bit tempted to try it for yourself? I’m only brave enough to confess that the small, adventurous part of me was quickly silenced by watching full-grown men fly through the air like toddlers being thrown by their dads. The turbulence on my flight home was enough excitement for me.