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In Memory Of: |
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Program
Member: |
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ABOUT
WILLY |
| Hometown: Jamesport,
Missouri
Current
Residence: Trenton, Missouri
Birthday: November 5, 1981
Height: 5-8
Weight: 130 lbs.
Family: Single
Special Interests: Training
Mules |
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| Originally from Jamesport, Missouri
Willy grew up in an Amish family. In 2000 while attending an Extreme
Bullriding Tour event in Trenton, Missouri, at the North Central
Missouri Fair, along with long time friend Reuben Detweiller Willy
got his first chance to ride a bull. He fell in love with the
sport, and knew he had to make a decision. At age 21 Willy
left the Amish lifestyle to ride bulls full time. Willy only
riding a few years has been striving to make it to the top. He
has had some great steps in the past year. Willy now is on the
Professional Bull Riding (PBR) Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS)
presented by Wrangler. This is the top forty-five bull riders
in the world. With luck Willy will make it to the finals In
Las Vegas, NV at the end of October 2006. Willy wants to make
a name for himself and he's surely on the right track. |
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Willy
told Rodeo Attitude Reporter James Johnson in February 2006 at the
BFTS tour stop in St. Louis, Missouri “All you have to do is try, if you ain’t got no try, you ain’t never gonna get nowhere. I am gonna try as hard as I can every time I nod my head.”
This is the thought that is keeping Willy in the cowboy mind set,
and he hopes it is the self thought he needs to reach his goal to ride every bull
he gets on. Willy would like to thank everyone who has
supported him the past couple years, and helped him become one of
the top bull riders in the world. The one person in particular
that really took Willy under his wing was Reuben Detweiller.
Reuben took Willy to that first event in Trenton, and often if you
saw Willy Reuben was not to far away. They traveled together
as much as possible until Reuben's unexpected death in November
2004. Willy now always keeps Reuben with him by the means of a
memorial sticker on his riding vest. "I'll never take the
sticker off I'm living his dream, and he will always be riding right
along with me all the way to the top."
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