Having just completed a whirlwind year where he turned in top-notch performances for almost all the top studios, Ducati had every reason to bask in the glory of a well-earned accolade. But what few could have realized were the intense emotions that were going through his head as he processed the true significance of the moment β one made all the more powerful given the anniversary Ducati celebrated as the clock struck midnight, marking five years of sobriety.
It was a coincidence so cosmic, these two wonderful days blending together, that you had to believe a greater power was at work. But to leave it at just that is shortchanging the man and his impact on the industry β Ducati is far more than his sobriety. Before "Brokeback Mountain" made gay cowboys trendy, Ducati was blazing his own trail in the Southwest.
I was very dedicated. I had grown up watching Nolan Ryan, we lived right next to the Astrodome, I knew everything about baseball all the way through school. Going into high school, that was my whole passion. I was addicted to that right away. My parents were starting to get into horses, pleasure riding, that kind of thing.
So bull riding was more to me like an extreme sport, kind of like bungee jumping. So I wanted to try it, and of course with the adrenaline β being the kind of person I am β I did it and never wanted to stop. That became my new life, and baseball fell to the wayside. I chose rodeo over that because of the excitement, the newness and toughness of itβ¦ the whole thing was just very exciting to me.
He went to the state finals to represent his school, and also qualified for the amateur world finals in South Carolina. He became a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association β and even had a sponsorship with Subway. I traveled all over the Southwest by car, driving state to state, rodeo to rodeo.
