SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Jaxson Kidd was parading around underneath the JQH Arena on Saturday evening running into his newest bull riding friends and with a shy, but excited smile handing out colored pictures to most of the riders competing at the PFIWestern.com Invitational presented by Bass Pro Shops.
It was Kidd, the PBR’s first participant in its Adopt a Child program, and his family’s second PBR event after attending the Tulsa, Oklahoma, event one month ago.
This time, Kidd got to hang out with the bull riders at Bass Pro Shops, where he even jumped aboard a mechanical bull with as much grace and fearlessness as his idols. He sat and had lunch with the bull riders and even got himself fitted for his own pair of cowboy boots and chaps at the Springfield PFIWestern store.
“Oh, he had a blast,” Jaxson’s father, Patrick, said. “This is just the greatest thing for him. It was a lot of fun for him.”
Jaxson’s mother, Gina, explained how Jaxson spent the past week coloring and printing pictures for not only the bull riders, but also bull fighters Shorty Gorham, Jesse Byrne, Frank Newsom and PBR entertainer, Flint Rasmussen, who also paid a visit to Jaxson during the second round Saturday night.
Still, there was nothing like being able to wear the same clothes of the men he rooted on from the front row all night long.
“He was so excited because he got chaps today,” Gina said. “He got new boots that he wore out of the store.”
The Kidds had planned to begin their day at 8 a.m., but Jaxson had other ideas. He was up at 5:30 and ready to rock.
“He is loving it and it makes all the difference in the world,” Gina said. “It really does. That he has something to look forward to, it really makes all of the difference.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko.
© 2014 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.