A FEISTY BULL RIDER ~\ X ll A FIERCE For many high school sLudents, exLracurricular acti,·itics did not consist of riding a 1,300-pound bucking bull in a la rge arena, surrounded by hundreds ofcheering spectators. However, Lhis was not the case for freshman Aaron Thornburg. Decked ouL in . pur-Lipped booLs and a cowbo) hat, complete with a falcon feather. Thornburg said he embodied e\'ery Texan stereotype imaginable. He rode his hor. e to the local Sonic to get afternoon snacks. participated in his school's rodeo team and hunted whcne,-cr Lhe opportunit) arose. ''I \\'as ne,Tr attraned to ,·ideo games. and I ncver watched T\ ','' Thornburg said. --~ry friends and I ,,ould go outside and ha,-e air soft !!'Un fights. work out, ride four whcckrs - just being outside and in nature is where I felt comfortable." Thornburg said he rode fi,·c or si,· bull during his high school career, all from Yarying ranks, imluding beginner bull. to Professional Bull Rider -ranked animals. Thornburg c,·en participated in bull-riding cwnts near Searcy during the time he had off from school. Howe,·er. hu king bulls ,,ere not the only animals Thornburg conquered. He had se\'eral horse-roping accomplishments under his FRIEND belt. and e,·en helped a local woman take care of her 25-horse ranch durin~ the summer before his freshman year at Harding. Of the many outdoor sumnwrjobs he held o,·er the years, Thornburg said he enjoyed helping out at that ranch the most. Thornburg always had a . trong work ethic, but it became eYen stronger after his father's death in summer 2015. Thornburg's older sister, senior Heather Fraser. said he stepped up and supported her and their family during those dark times. ··After our dad died, [Aaron] ,rn able to step into the shoes that were ld't for him to fill , and he did a wonderfu ljob at it," Fraser said. ·Tm sure hig brothers arc great. but you don't need one 11·hen you ha,-c a [littlcl brother as special as Aaron.'· Thornburg's strong sense of responsibility and distincti,:e apparel garnered him attention 011 campus. Hi. roomrnate, freshman Logan Johnson, said he heard of his particular stvle before they met. ''I heard that he was called 'CO\,·bo) · and, of course. the first time I met him he was wearing his cm,·boy hat and feather,"Johnson said. "Roomin~\\'ith him turned out to be a great decision and I can't imagine going through freshman year ,,vitli anvone else.'' Hope Bailry Oli,ia Baker Eleni Bampr Rachel Banks Lauren Barber Kennedy Barden Ben Barker Jacob Barker Sarah Barnard Alexandria Bateman Hadley Beach Lindse\" Bender Abishai Brncby Daniel Benncu Kailyn Bentley Bl' Garrf/1 Howard FIU>,11\11·'..\ '41( 1•.,<J
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