All that Randy Schaapman thinks about these days is how much longer he has to wait until the weekend gets here.

That’s when the 22-year-old Sierra High grad gets to pack his bag, make the trek to wherever the event is being held at and get himself mentally ready to tackle one of the most intimidating and fear-inducing events in all of sports.

It’s when Schaapman gets to be a bull rider.

And while he’s used to driving all over California and the Western United States to get to events to ply what has become his trade over the five years he’s been a professional rodeo cowboy, this weekend he’s getting the chance to literally do what he loves right in his backyard – fulfilling a dream he’s had ever since he started riding bulls to perform in his hometown.

“This is something that I’ve been dreaming about all of my life,” said Schaapman, who is scheduled to ride in the first annual Give Every Child a Chance ‘Ropin’ on the River’ rodeo this Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5, at Dell’Osso Farms. “We heard rumors on the circuit that there might be a rodeo in Lathrop, and I couldn’t believe it when I saw it on the schedule.

“I’m going to have to go out there and get a 90-point ride now. I’ve always wanted to ride in front of my people and win, and give my family and my friends a chance to see me in action. This is a big deal to me.”

But it wasn’t bulls that initially drew a young Schaapman to the farm and planted the seed that would grow into an obsession when he got older.

Initially, when he was only four years old, Schaapman would try to ride sheep around and says that he enjoyed the challenge of staying on as they cut back and forth and tried to throw him off – something that wasn’t hard to do as a little guy.

As he got older, however, his attention quickly turned to the sport of cowboy kings – bull riding. The inherent danger and the almost guaranteed injuries as well as the uncertainty of security a paycheck week to week didn’t bother Schaapman.

Because once he got his first ride on a bull in a rodeo setting and got to feel that rush of excitement that came from making an eight-second ride, he was hooked.

Rush was nothing like he’d ever felt before

“The adrenaline rush that comes with it is unlike anything else that I’ve ever felt before,” Schaapman said. “You get that every time you’re sitting on a bull in the chute waiting for that door to open. That’s where the real danger is – you’re surrounded by this steel and all it takes is for that bull to push or buck back and you’re crushed.

“You take that and the ride you’re getting ready for – that feeling – and it makes it all worthwhile.”

Despite his young age Schaapman has already begun to make inroads into the Professional Bull Riders circuit, and hopes to be able to continue his rodeo career as a full-time endeavor – being able to put his work at local ranches and dairies on hold while he focuses on traveling and riding and relying on his skill to earn his next check.

He has already traveled to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and has plans on heading to Nevada and Oregon later this year for stops on the CCPRA tour – where he is currently tied with three other cowboys for the top spot.

Life on the road, he says, helps build relationships with the other riders – with each of them sharing their collective love for rodeo and bull riding.

“We all travel together and we’re all friends,” Schaapman said. “For eight seconds and that period that leads right up to it you’re all about business, but we’re all there for each other and we’re there to boost one another’s confidence. Once we’re done we pack up because we’re all heading to the same place. It’s a friendly atmosphere.”

This time of year is prime season for rodeo cowboys, not providing Schaapman much time to do the fishing, four-wheeling or helping out with Manteca Unified’s livestock program that he enjoys doing when he has free time.

When he’s at home he’s on the road to Newman, Escalon, Fresno or Red Bluff to ride some of the rank bucking bulls that he takes on to prepare for competition during the week so that he’s ready when Saturday rolls around. It helps Schaapman maintain that razor’s edge focus that he knows he’s going to need soon enough.

Just this week Schaapman worked with Manteca High ag teacher Mark Chaffin to create a barrel bull – a makeshift training device that mimics the actions of a bull once it gets outside the chute – and has been practicing on it nonstop since setting it up in his front yard.

It’s all in a day’s work for an up-and-coming bull rider.

“Each time you get on a bull it’s a different experience, and you never know what’s going to happen,” Schaapman said. “I love putting myself in the position to get paid to do what it is that I love. It’s a chance to get out and see all of these different environments and meet people. What could be better than that?”