A Few Minutes With Cody Custer

In 1992 the PBR was formed by 20 bull riders that had a dream. A dream of having something special, something that they controlled. One of those men who would become one of the founding fathers of the PBR was Cody Custer. Like many bull riders, Cody started riding at a young age, but unlike many, he went on to become a World Champion in 1992. He retired from bull riding in November 1993, but continued to be an active PBR board member and a PBR judge. In 2003 he was elected to the PBR Ring of Honor. I had the pleasure of talking to Cody as he was driving to Sky Ranch, in Van Texas (my neck of the woods), for a three day Bible camp. Here is some of what we discussed:

Q. When you were a part of forming the PBR, with the other 19 riders, did you think it would grow to become this much of a success?
A. No, not at first. We were just some bull riders that just wanted more say in how our lives and careers developed. We were concerned about insurance and pay. When we were riding for another organization and we told them that unless we have more input, we weren't going to show up at some important bull riding events, and we meant it. We did stay out of some of those events that were important to the pocketbook of the organization. Then we started thinking about starting our own bull riding company. After starting the PBR we could see things start to come together and then we started to see the potential and possibilities.

Q. The PBR is promoting passing the $100 million payout mark. What do you think about the money aspect in the PBR and bull riding in general?
A. The riders today are certainly making more than we did when I was riding. I think that it's great that they have more opportunities for themselves and their families. Back when I rode, we would leave Dodge City after an event and drive all night to some small town outside Abilene, just for the possibility of winning $1,000. Things have definitely changed.

Q. You were a PBR judge at one time, how do you become a judge and is there a judge's school?
A. I can't speak as to what the PBR does now, because I have not been a judge for the PBR in quite sometime. However, when I was a judge, first thing is, you had to have been a bull rider first. This was done so the guy judging the rides and riders had experience on the back of a bull himself. Also, each judge was required to attend seminars that I put together. The judge had to know what to look for and how to judge it.

Q. When two or more riders are tied in a score, they say the back judge's score determines their position as to placement. Such as when two people tie with an 86.75, but one rider is placed over the other. Who is the back judge?
A. In the PBR there are four judges, two in the field (arena floor) and two in the back (on the chutes). When they say the back judges, they are referring to the two judges on the chutes. They take the scores from both back judges and average them out and compare that to the average scores of the other rider/riders to figure out the tie.

Q. In talking to some of the riders, there seems to be confusion as to when the eight second clock actually starts. When does the clock start?
A. The clock starts as soon as ANY part of the bull passes the plane of the chute. If there is any confusion, it would be because some bull riding organizations interpret it differently. However, that is the PBR definition.

We went on to talk about Cody's faith, family and bull riding, which he is passionate about all three. Cody arrived at his hotel and it was time to let him get the business of checking in and taking care of other things. I must say I enjoyed the conversation with him immensely and look forward to future conversations.