How Wichita native found passion at age 57 to breed world-class bulls for PBR tours

When Staci Addison left her hometown of Wichita, she never could have imagined the kind of homecoming she will have on Saturday night.

The 1984 Kapaun Mt. Carmel graduate began working in marketing, first for the Salvation Army and then for Riverfest. She left for Philadelphia to become a fundraising consultant, then moved across the country to become an innkeeper in Carson, Washington (population: 2,349), then later in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. (population: 3,115). And somewhere in there, she even was a radio deejay at one point.

But Addison, at age 57 and with no prior experience, has recently found a new passion in life: breeding bulls.

In less than five years, Addison and her partner, Tommy Julian, have produced some of the top bucking bulls in the world in their 900-acre ranch tucked away in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma in a town called Broken Bow.

When the Professional Bull Riders’ Velocity Tour makes its 10th straight appearance at Intrust Bank Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday, Addison and Julian will have three bulls in the competition: Plowboy, Prince Charming and Precious Pup. It will be the first time Addison has returned to Wichita to showcase her new talents. Tickets to the PBR event are available starting at $28 through Select-A-Seat.

“It’s going to be extremely special because I never thought I would be doing this,” Addison said. “I’ve had a lot of different adventures and careers purposely in my life. I’ve done just about everything under the sun, but I am absolutely without a doubt having the most fun I’ve ever had before with this job. I can’t wait to come back to my hometown with these incredible animals and show what they can do and what I’ve learned to do.”

So how does a former marketing director, innkeeper and radio deejay become a prize-winning groomer of bucking bulls in less than five years?

It starts with the dream of Addison’s longtime partner, Julian, who was having success with his racehorses and felt like the natural evolution would be to start buying bucking bulls. Julian bought his first bucking bull and raised it on his business partner’s ranch. Before long, the bull won a $100,000 national prize and the couple was hooked.

They had attended rodeos before, but neither knew what they were doing when it came to the behind-the-scenes operation of breeding bulls. They figured eagerness and determination could make up for whatever they lacked in experience, so they branched out on their own, forming Julian Cattle Company, and started their own breeding program with the 22 cows and two bulls they owned.

Within five years, the ranch now features around 200 cows and 80 bulls.

“It was truly trial and error, but the great thing about the bull-bucking industry is that the people are genuine and very, very nice,” Addison said. “You watch what other people do, you read what other people do, you tour other ranches and just try to figure it out on your own. You try and you do it wrong several times, but eventually you get it right.”

Before diving headfirst into a whole new world, Addison had no idea the complexity behind breeding bulls.

The couple makes sure their bulls receive the best of the best: specifically-formulated food twice a day that includes between 18 and 22 pounds of grain, routine appointments with a chiropractor, regular deep-tissue massages, daily exercise and a friendly companion to play with in their pen.

“We treat all of our animals like they’re professional athletes,” Addison said. “There’s a whole science behind all of it.”

Addison became so invested in the sport that she soon became restless watching her bulls compete from the stands. She wanted to be a part of the action, so she started to learn how to “flank” her bulls in competition.

A flankman is the person at the back of the bucking chutes that places a padded strap around the flank, the fleshy portion of the bull between its rear leg and belly, which is what encourages the bull to buck when it leaves the chute.

“All that it does is cue the animal to buck, kind of like when you get your dog leash out and your dog starts spinning because they know they’re about to go on a walk,” Addison said. “A bull is the same way. You put the flank rope on and when they feel that, they know it’s time to buck.”

Addison bought her own bull to flank, a white one she named “Cool Whip,” and she didn’t win a dime in her first year competing. But one year later, once the pair gained experience together, Cool Whip won a world championship, finished runner-up another time and has won close to $400,000 in prize money. Cool Whip, which has fathered another promising bucking bull, aptly named Whipped Cream, currently competes on the PBR’s top series, Unleash the Beast.

While the majority of fans who pack inside Intrust Bank Arena on Saturday will be there to watch the greatness of veteran bull riders like Eli Vastbinder, Dener Barbosa, Marco Eguchi and Mason Taylor, stock contractors like Addison will actually be competing against each other in a less-publicized contest.

Their competition is between what is known as bull teams, as ranchers from all over the Midwest will haul in three bulls that will compete on Saturday and be graded — for their own separate performance and their performance with their rider. A contractor can win anywhere between $20,000 and $35,000 with a successful night.

Stock contractors are competing against one another throughout the season, as scores are tracked and the best teams advance to the finals held in Corpus Christi, Texas, in May.

“I can’t wait to come back home and show people how special these animals really are,” Addison said. “To be able to come back to Wichita and flank my bull at Intrust Bank Arena, it’s just super cool.”