They say that in life you get 15 minutes of fame, but all Jin Shibahara needs is eight seconds — on the back of an angry, bucking bull.
In a hushed, solemn tone that the Marlboro Man might have used had he ever spoken, Shibahara explains the eight-second qualifying time required for most rodeo riding events. "Some cowboys say eight seconds is your life," he said. "I don't know exactly what they mean, but I think I understand."
The soft-spoken 27-year-old Tokyo bartender is no armchair cowboy: He has ridden 30 bulls, 30 broncos bareback and competed in three rodeos in the U.S. and Canada.