story by Siri Stevens
Allan Stone is responsible for his dad’s “hobby.” Roy built Allan a pair of chaps, red and blue brindle, when he started riding sheep, and that has turned into a part time leatherwork job that he does when he’s not working at Freightliner building trucks. Allan has a sister, Erica, who is 24, who did a little bit of rodeo, but he is the first one in his family to compete in rodeo. Mom, Donna, is a customer service rep. She is the chauffeur and rodeo mom. She helps him with the call ins and makes sure his shirts are ironed.
Allan started riding sheep when he was four. “We always messed with horses and watched the PBR and I said I wanted to do it.” He went to Ricky Vaughn’s house, and got on a sheep and he encouraged me to sign up for JSRA. That was 12 years ago. The sophomore at Carson High School is excited for summer. “I’m going to ride bulls,” said the 16-year-old from Salisbury, North Carolina. “Pavement and concrete is what makes up Salisbury, there is no horses or bulls anywhere around.” He is planning to enter one or two bull ridings every weekend this summer. He has taken his earnings from bull riding to pay for the next rodeo, and buys hunting equipment or parts for his jeep. He has a 1997 Jeep Cherokee that he got when he got his driver’s license seven months ago. He had his eyes set on a Dodge 2500 or a diesel truck, but now he’s fixing up the Jeep. He hunts deer, ducks, turkeys, doves, and coyotes. He also likes to fish or go riding with his friends. He also races go carts. When he graduates, he plans to be a bull rider … and retire after that as a millionaire. Then he hopes to be a hunting guide, help others learn to ride bulls, and have a herd of them himself.
His favorite subject in school is lunch. “I really don’t like school. I don’t like being inside. Sitting down all day with people that don’t like the same things that I like. I’m the only one that rides bulls. The closest friend that I have that rides bulls is 45 minutes away.” He travels from 45 minutes to two hours to go to a JSRA rodeo. Two years in a row, he won the events and all three rounds of the Finals. “I’ve won in roping, and I missed the all around by $15.” He’s competed in all the events – barrels, roping, chute dogging, goat tying, and bull riding. “I don’t rope anymore, but I want to get back into it,” he said.
All of his efforts in rodeo has earned him around 30 buckles. “They are hanging on a shelf and I wear them one at a time.”
