Wild, dangerous, thrilling: Professional Bull Riders tour competes in KC this weekend

Ryan Dirteater has devoted his life to a sport responsible for breaking his leg, tearing three ligaments in his knee, cracking multiple ribs and ripping his tricep muscle. And still, he wouldn’t even think of quitting. Nonsense, he says.

He was 10 years old when this all started, except back then he was riding junior bulls. In the ensuing 19 years, he has wanted to do little else.

“It’s not for the weak,” he says. “You gotta love to do it.”

Dirteater is on the Professional Bull Riders circuit now, a 29-year-old former world finals event champion in the sport that tests his body’s stability. He will be in Kansas City this weekend when the PBR visits the city for the 17th consecutive year. The PBR Unleash the Beast series is scheduled for the Sprint Center on Saturday and Sunday.

And for all that has taken place over the two decades — a dream come true, as he describes it — he recently experienced a career highlight.

The opportunity to represent his heritage.

Dirteater was part of the first exclusively Native American team to compete at the Global Cup last month.

“We made history. It meant a lot to me personally,” said Dirteater, whose father is full-blooded Cherokee. Ryan is often referred to as the “Cherokee Kid.”

Several tribes attended the Global Cup at AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas, there in uniform support of the Native American team, which for the first time branched separately from Team USA. The event also includes teams from Mexico, Canada, Australia and Brazil.

The Native American group, dubbed the USA Wolves, finished third in the event, behind Brazil and the USA Eagles.

It wasn’t about the placing, at least not first and foremost. It was about the opportunity.

“There’s a lot of great Native American talent that doesn’t really get exposed at the professional level,” said Justin Granger, another member of the Wolves who is also scheduled to compete in Kansas City this weekend. “It was just a great chance to showcase ourselves. I just hope a lot more Native American bull riders that haven’t gone professional can now think they can try and get to Global Cup and be a part of the team.”

Granger was 10 when he started competing in riding events. Sheep, junior bulls and then the professional circuit. In 2014, he found himself head-on with a bull.

He lost.

He broke his face — a check bone, his eye socket and the like. Plates hold everything together now. They will be there forever.

But like Dirteater, aside from his family, he calls bull riding his passion. The injuries and danger are part of the thrill. It’s part of the required dedication.

He took only two months off after the facial injuries.

“I had goals set for that year, so I was in a rush to get back to it,” Granger said. “I actually ended up having a pretty good year. It just shows you that you never know what to expect, but that’s just part of our daily lives.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2019 at 12:41 PM.