Off to Bolivia
Bull riders head south to assist the needy
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PUEBLO, Colo. (June 12, 2009) - By nature, professional bull riders are not observers.
They’re what you would call active participants. And that’s exactly why, for the better part of eight years, Todd Pierce has provided the PBR with more than a place of worship.
In fact, on Sunday, Pierce along with Mike Lee, D.J. Domangue and Jody Newberry will be taking part in a 10-day mission trip down to Bolivia.
According to Pierce, Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, and the PBR representatives will be traveling to the poorest region of Bolivia to help rebuild a local church – basic construction work – as well as to help work to reestablish several cattle herds, which have been devastated in recent years.
“We’re going to be part of the distribution of some cattle down there,” Pierce said. “By us being there it’s going to draw a lot of media attention. … Bringing the attention to the needs down there is hopefully going to help get other people involved.”
They will also participate in a large outreach program being organized by Samaritans Purse, which is a division of the Billy Graham organization, lead by Billy’s son Franklin Graham.
That particular event will consist of a gathering of all the locals into one arena, where they will put on an exhibition of cowboy skills. Pierce will break a horse along with a message that illustrates love. Depending on the (non-bucking) bulls, the trio of riders might also display their skills.
They also hope to meet, mentor and work with many of the local kids in an effort to inspire a sense of hope.
“The mystique of the American cowboy, in other nations, is quite a draw,” Pierce said.
Aside from the growing interest in mission work, Pierce’s efforts are evident at nearly every one of the Built Ford Tough Series events as well as the PBR World Finals.
The road traveled by a bull rider can be a long and lonely journey, and Riding High Ministries, formerly known as PBR Outreach, offers riders and fans alike a chance to come together for Sunday church services—and it also gives everyone involved a unique opportunity to give back to the communities that have helped make the PBR the success it is today.
“We do more than entertain,” Pierce said, “We inspire.”
For instance, during the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, Pierce organized an all-day activity for area orphans, who took part in the Sunday-morning service and then had a pizza party before watching the event.
Some of the riders who regularly participate in various stateside activities are Kody Lostroh, Wiley Petersen, Dustin Elliott, Travis Briscoe, Reese Cates, Josh Koschel, Ryan McConnel and Michael Manes, along with Cord McCoy, Austin Meier, Ryan Dirteater, McKennon Wimberly and others.
The top riders in the world understand it’s an honor to compete on the BFTS, but according to Pierce, the real privilege comes with “being in a place to encourage others, especially those with great need.”
One special note about the current trip to Bolivia is that each of the participants is paying his own way to Bolivia and, according to Pierce, the average plane ticket was approximately $1,500 (coupled with the more than $300 worth of vaccinations they each had to have before leaving).
Bull riders live the majority of their lives away from home, which is yet another reason Pierce is thankful that the trio of riders is willing to give up even more of their family time. But in keeping with the growing spirit of the PBR, their popularity is such that Pierce said organizers are expecting large crowds of Bolivians to attend various meet-and-greets and autograph signings.
“I do have an agenda,” he said, “to increase our ability to serve people and maximize the influence of our athletes.”
—by Keith Ryan Cartwright
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June 25, 2009