There’s a saying in life, ‘Do no harm, and take no bull.’ But in the sport of bull riding, it’s the bull that can cause the harm.
“I feel like everybody has those [moments of being scared],” said Rogersville bull rider Creek Young. “Probably just about every time that you compete. But if it’s not there, I think you got something wrong with you.”
Creek lives for a wild ride…literally.
“I’ve broken my leg a couple times and dislocated my elbow,” Creek said. “I’ve been pretty blessed. I mean, there’s a lot of bumps and bruises, if you can’t deal with a little bit of pain, you’re probably not going to make it.”
He’s not just any Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) bull rider, but the current No. 2 ranked ProRodeo bull rider in the world.
“It’s all kind of second nature,” Creek said. “Just go through the flow…just try to get the best start I can. I feel like that first jump is the most important.”
In a sport where earnings determine rankings, The former PRCA Bull Riding Rookie of the Year chooses where he will ride based on the amount of money he can make.
“You definitely have to love to travel, a lot of hours driven, a lot of miles,” Creek said.
Creek travels across the country and is in his busiest part of the season: Cowboy Christmas. At times, he is riding bulls everyday in a different state everyday. It is demanding, but the trips back home to Missouri are priceless.
“It’s awesome, I love the chance to get to rodeo close to home,” Creek said. “I have all of my friends and family out supporting me. There’s not a whole lot of huge PRCA rodeos in the state, but I try to make all of them that I can.”
Creek was ranked the No. 1 PRCA bull rider in the world when he rode at the Stockton Lake PRCA Rodeo in June. The Rogersville kid signed autographs and talked with up-and-coming cowboys and cowgirls.
“Southwest Missouri all in all has been handed a great gift of Creek Young because he is at the top,” said Stockton Lake PRCA Rodeo Chairman Lynden Kenney.
“It’s pretty special,” Creek said. “I know I was looking for somebody like that to look up to in the rodeo world around here just because there aren’t very many. It’s sure dang special that I give that opportunity to the young kids coming up.”
Creek hopes to become a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier this December, never taking any eight-second ride for granted.
“I want to be a world champion bull rider,” Creek said. “You got to have respect for these bulls, because they can take it away at any time.”
But no matter what these bulls can’t buck his dreams away.
