King of the Rodeo: WBHS student wins 3rd consecutive state bull riding ...

For most people, bull riding may simply be a bucket-list item. But for Barrow County resident Justin Ethridge, it’s a way of life.
Oh, and he’s pretty good at it, too.
Ethridge, a rising senior at Winder-Barrow High School, won his third consecutive Georgia High School Rodeo Association bull riding championship in Perry last month and will now compete at the 69th annual National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. July 16-22.
As far as he and his family can tell through research, Ethridge is the first person to win the state high school title three straight years.
Now he wants the four-year sweep.
“I set a goal my freshman year and told my parents I’m going to be the first person to win it all four years,” said Ethridge, who estimated that he’ll be competing against roughly 60 other riders at the nationals.
Ethridge has been riding bulls since he was 12 years old, taking after his father who rode for 12 years. During the summer, he’s at the rodeo just about every weekend.
“It’s always been in the family and for my brothers and sisters and me, the only life we know is the rodeo,” Ethridge said. “I just like going and having fun and keeping in shape. (Bull riding) gives me an adrenaline rush every time I do it. And it keeps me out of trouble. I know that.”
For more, see the July 5 issue of the Barrow News-Journal.