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Two-time champ enjoys new role as spectator

LAS VEGAS (November 11, 2009) - For most of his life, Justin McBride loved riding bulls.

And the first time he found that he just didn’t like doing it anymore—he quit. At his prime, he surprised the world by simply walking away from something he spent a lifetime doing.

In 2009, the two-time World Champion had a new challenge—watching.

“I never watched the events at home when I was competing,” McBride said. “I do the broadcast and I need to know what’s going on and who’s doing what.

“I found out I’m a fan of bull riding.”

Back in Oklahoma, he was like millions of other viewers watching the tightest race for world title. As the season unfolded, it became less about needing to know what was going on, and more about wanting to know.

Kody Lostroh, J.B. Mauney, Guilherme Marchi and the other top bull riders made sitting on his couch as exciting as any of the 10 years he competed on the Built Ford Tough Series.

“I’ve turned into just a big ol’ fan,” McBride said. “I was a fan growing up, but in a whole different way, because I wanted to be that guy. I wanted to be the best at it.

“That didn’t start when I was 18 year old. That started when I was 3 years old. I was always I Ty Murray fan, a Tuff Hedeman fan, a Clint Branger fan, a Michael Gaffney fan, but I also always had this little chip on my shoulder that, oh, I want to beat those guys so bad if I could just get the chance to be around them.

“Now that I stepped away from the sport, he continued, “I do get to just kick back and watch it.”

What a season to rediscover the sport as a fan.

McBride, who has also had an opportunity to develop as a broadcaster on both Versus and NBC, watched with as much anticipation as everyone else.

He watched as Kody Lostroh dug down and held his lead for the last 20 events of the regular season in spite of an injury to his riding elbow, and later his shoulder. He watched as J.B. Mauney became the first man to ride all eight bulls at the World Finals. and pushed Lostroh right up to the last day.

McBride especially liked watching two guys battle it out, unsure of the outcome as they climbed into the chute for the last time in 2009. Lostroh won his first World Championship by only 594 points.

But unlike other times in McBride’s life, he no longer envisioned himself in the middle of it all. He was happy just talking about it.

“I never (say), ‘Oh, I can beat that guy,’ or ‘I could ride that bull,’” McBride explained. “I don’t do that anymore, so it’s a lot of fun to watch it.”

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright, PBRNow.com