The finals of this year’s National Federation of Professional Bullriders have special implications for one bull rider.

When Henry Yoder, 24, gets on the bull at Civic Arena this weekend, he not only will be riding for the Finals. He will be looking to hold on to his lead in the overall Federal Cup Standings. Yoder is leading with an impressive $20,439 coming into the Federation Finals. The nearest competitor is John Susie with $14,302.

Yoder’s journey to becoming a professional bull rider began when he was 17 years old in the tiny town of Jamesport, Mo., population 505. He was raised in an Amish community and bull riding was not originally in the plans of Yoder and his family.

“I rode horses all my life in an Amish community,” Yoder said. “My uncle introduced bull riding to me, and I instantly took to it.”

Yoder eventually loved the sport so much that he broke away from his Amish roots and pursued professional bull riding when he was 18. His family did not support his decision to become a bull rider, and he was forced to support himself.

“I was completely broke when I left,” Yoder said. “I work for everything I have. I have chose to go on to a different lifestyle away from the Amish lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Yoder had to work a part-time job in Garnett, Kan., in order to make ends meet while still trying to become a successful bull rider. Yoder now has taken up bull riding full-time.

On Friday night, Yoder stayed on for the full eight seconds in his first ride, posting a score of 83.5 despite hurting his shoulder. And for another weekend on the NFPB tour, it looks as if Yoder made the right choice, leaving Jamesport to pursue his dream.

For 11 consecutive years, the NFPB has called Civic Arena home for its Federation Finals. The three-day event concludes today when the NFPB crowns the bull rider with the highest average score through six rounds its champion. Last year’s champion was Danny Schlobohm of LaMonte, Mo., inside a sold-out Civic Arena.

With a quick glance around the arena, it is no secret that there are more empty seats than in past years.

“Sponsorship has changed because of the way the economy is in this town,” Finals director Rex Strayer said. “If we can make the vendors happy, then we are happy. We had some old sponsors drop out, but we have some new sponsors as well.”

The last two rounds of the Federation Finals begin at 8 p.m.