A Chat with B J Schumacher
by Maureen Panno


B J Schumacher claims that he hasn't got a life. His fans would differ with him. He leads a charmed life. One might go so far as to say his guardian angel was on duty and protecting him on September 14th in Pendleton, Oregon, when he got bucked off a bull named Northern Star, owned by Corey and Horst.   B J wound up underneath the bull and its hind feet came down on his chest, breaking three ribs, his sternum, lacerating a lung, and his heart stopped. Yes, at the age of 23, he came close to losing everything. He's at home recovering from his injuries and will ride again.

After a few days of "telephone tag", I was able to have a chat with him. Our conversation was short, but covered many different topics. Overall, he's in very good spirits and has gone horseback riding a couple times since being home. When asked if his family was trying to talk him out of riding bulls, he was quick to reply, "Oh, no. Not at all. They know that I could give it up and be in a car wreck ten years from now and be dead. I might as well be doing what I like for as long as I want."

He will not be competing at the Great Lakes Circuit Finals in November because he'll be in Dallas. The Pace Picante Prorodeo Classic is scheduled at the same time as the circuit finals. Then in December, it's the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

He has friends all over the country and kills time on the road by dropping by for a visit when he's driving to a rodeo. The most he's paid for gas this year? "$3.39 out west somewhere - Vegas or California."

The prize money keeps him motivated to continue climbing into the chute, but he likes the challenges of better bulls that buck harder.

When asked how he prepares for competition, if he goes off by himself or hangs out with the other guys, he said, "It depends. Usually, we tend our own business and do our own deal. If Fred Boettcher and I are riding close together, I'll help him and he'll help me. We won't have to ask each other for what we need, we just know. Anyone else, I have to ask."

I asked him if he gets nervous at rodeos, or does he get so pumped on adrenaline that he doesn't even hear the crowd. "I get nervous sometimes. In mid July when I'm rodeoing real hard, or at the big rodeos, Vegas,or Pocatello, I get really pumped. The crowd cheering and all."

His worst rodeo moment? "Getting my teeth knocked out and having to wait for the swelling to go down so something could be fitted in. People look at you funny when you don't have your teeth in."

Then I cornered him by asking him if he was the commissioner of the PRCA for one day, what would he do? "I think they're doing a good job overall, but I would lower the entry fees at most of the rodeos. Some rodeos have an entry fee of $80 to win $3000, others have a fee of $180 to win $3000. It shouldn't be like that."

What's the best thing about being a professional cowboy? "The money's just a small part of it, television coverage is getting better, being remembered."

The worst thing? "Gas prices."

What's happening in his life outside of rodeo? "I haven't got a life. I have some land here in Wisconsin, so I'm working on my place, fixing it up, but I haven't got a life."

What advice would he give a kid that wanted to start riding bulls? "Make sure you can handle the pain. If you can't handle the pain, it's not for you."