Encore Opportunity Leads to Internship For Salina Student

Ethan Brown, senior at Salina Central High School, was invited back to the RidePass desk for the PFIWestern.com Invitational in Missouri this past weekend. This time, his experience at the Springfield Professional Bull Riding (PBR) event was even more comprehensive.

During the three-day event, Ethan was invited to shadow the public relations team during the local news spots filmed in the arena, he was interviewed on-air at the local radio station with a PBR stock contractor and he was interviewed for a podcast. Ethan was also invited to participate on the live broadcast of RidePass each day. A PBR fan for over a decade, Ethan explained, “It has been a dream of mine to work for them one day. They have given me a great opportunity to learn more about their organization.”

On the final day of the event, Ethan received a written offer of an internship with the public relations team that he was shadowing. His first question was, “When can I start?” Ethan credits the Central High School broadcasting classes with helping him prepare for this experience. According to Ethan, “Having this opportunity has given me goals to work for outside of school while continuing to work hard in the classroom.”

Last year he attended the 2018 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals in Las Vegas, courtesy of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of The Dream Factory and PBR. It was at this competition of his favorite sport that he was invited to the RidePass desk to call rides live during broadcast alongside Matt West, Colby Yates and Justin Felisko.

According to pbr.com, “If you ask the PBR team, bull riders and RidePass crew that have had the privilege of working with this talented young man, they will tell you the honor was theirs, and that all Ethan has overcome, his positive outlook and dedication to his future is the truest definition of cowboy that there is.” (pbr.com’s September 11 article, Be Cowboy: PBR Fan Ethan Brown Return to RidePass In Springfield.)

 

 

Photos Courtesy USD 305

Top Photo – Commentators (l-r) Kate Harrison, Matt West, Ethan Brown and Colby Yates staff the RidePass desk.

Bottom Photo -Ethan Brown (l) with PBV analyst Justin Felisko on set after making predictions for the bull riding round winners.