(The following article was written for The Patriot-News Harrisburg,PA. Rodeo Attitude wanted to reproduce it here for three reasons. First, it is a story of a young man and his families courage to fight the odds for a dream. Second, it shows how rodeo and bullriding can put the necessary focus in life. And third, I pray some sponsor will see fit to help this young man make it happen! Thank you again to The Patriot-News and Dustin Hockensmith.)
All the eyes in all the crowds find him, and most times it's for the right reasons. Sure, 15-year old Devon Weaver is the only black face that many have ever seen at a rodeo, but he's also skilled and fearless and it shows.
He doesn't see himself as a pioneer, risk taker, ambassador or anything else that has to do with the uniqueness of his situation. He doesn't really even see it as a situation. He's a kid who wants to be a bullrider. Plain and simple.
"We're all the same, we're just different colors. That's it," Weaver said. "You go out there, do what you do and get it over with."
But Weaver's story is unique in a lot of ways. Kids from inner city Harrisburg are just not supposed to chase down dreams that involve cattle, horses, lassos and chaps.
It's not a black vs. white thing, though Weaver is the only black high school bullrider to have ever competed at the Farm Show. It's more about Weaver refusing to be a product of his environment and finding a goal that he can tirelessly pursue.
"If I didn't have bullriding in my life, I'd probably be in jail or dead," said Weaver. "I'm just glad it's there and keeps me occupied."
During the 2007 season, Weaver finished in eighth place in the Pennsylvania High School Rodeo Association standings, despite being unable to make the same number of events as his competitors. His best performance came at the Farm Show in January where he scored 75 out of 100 possible points and took home a second-place finish.
Not bad for a kid whose best means to practice was once jumping on a pogo stick.
"It's a good feeling," Weaver said about competing at his hometown event. "You can show people what you've been working for. You can tell them that you've been practicing, but when you're there, you've got to show it."
When he was starting out, Weaver didn't have the luxury of a mechanical bull or a nice, light introduction to the sport. He learned by doing, which would be a much less scary proposition if you were talking about shooting a free throw, catching a football or playing catch in a backyard.
You could use a lot of adjectives to describe Weaver on that day -- young, inexperienced, brave, maybe a little crazy -- but scared wouldn't have been one of them.
"I wasn't even nervous, I just wanted to go," Weaver said. "When the gate opened, it changed. It was fast and crazy."
Weaver's bullriding career has gotten a little faster and crazier, too. And as it has, his training regimen has evolved to match the pace. He hasn't completely abandoned the pogo stick, but real bulls, weights and video technology have also become routine.
His drive, already evident from the way he incubated a strong desire to get into the sport, matches his talent. Every thing he does is filmed and added to a library of 200 tapes and DVDs.
And where he once watched the videos more as a thrill seeker, he has shifted his focus 100 percent on technique and the ability topiece together a perfect ride.
"He does a lot of studying," his father Donnie said.
Donnie has been a driving force in his son’s bullriding career. It began with some encouragement, allowing his then two-year old son to have his dream, no matter how unconventional it was.
Then, it was reluctantly allowing a 13-year-old, who researched and found the Shale Knoll practice arena in Grant ville, to climb atop an angry bull.
In the two years since, there have been countless commitments of his time and dollars to keep Devon active in the sport.
"As long as he’s [bullriding], I’ll take him as far as he wants to go," said the elder Weaver, a maintenance man at the Camp Curtin YMCA.
"There are so many other negative things in the city that he could be doing.I have two other sons who are in and out of jail. If I had to quit my job for [Devon] to keep doing it, I would."
Donnie is actively seeking sponsorships to cover some of Devon’s ex penses — participant fees, hotel rooms on road trips and proper equipment.
They compete virtually every week during the season, so the costs add up quickly. It’s yet another obstacle the family needs to overcome to support Devon’s dream of riding professionally.
His road from inner city to rodeo ring is no doubt the one less traveled, but once Weaver reaches his destinations (practice at Shale Knoll Arena or one of the many competitions across the state) it’s him against the bull just like everyone else.
Weaver may not beat the bull on a given day, but there doesn’t seem to be any question of who’s winning between him and the odds.
