EAST CONCORD, NY. (WKBW) — Cowboys aren’t made — they’re born — and East Concord’s Shane Masterson is living proof of that.
"The feeling you get when you do it just feels amazing," said Shane.
Two years ago Masterson was still playing hockey, rodeo hadn't entered the picture yet. But like any cowboy would say, if you don’t know where you’re going, any trail will take you there.
"The whole time I was growing up, I don't remember an exact moment, but every once in a while, I asked them and asked them and then eventually they agreed to let me do it," said Shane.
His mom Lindsay of course had some motherly hesitations, but from the very first ride on a bull, Shane was hooked.
“The hope was that maybe he’d try it once and be like 'OK that was enough, this is really scary, I don’t want to do that ever again' but he took his first ride at a practice pen and came running back and said 'I want to do it again'," Lindsay told 7 Sports.
Little did Lindsay and the rest of the Masterson family realize that Shane would turn into a rising star.
At just 12 years old, Shane is now a New York State Champion Junior Bull Rider along with a few other events, which secured him a spot in the 19th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa on June 23rd.
Dom Tibbetts: “How cool was that moment for you?”
Shane Masterson: “It just kinda felt like winning other sports championships...like hockey...like football...just great."
When Shane does hit the trail for the National Championships in Des Moines, he’ll have a chance to do a lot more than just win more belt buckles. He’ll have a front-row seat to the best classroom a cowboy could ask for.
“He knows there’s a lot to learn from every kid out there, every adult out there and he likes to learn as much as he can," Lindsay added.
Rodeo is a thrill ride, a battle of man and beast. But in the case of Shane Masterson, rodeo is a battle of one fearless teen and beast.
