J.W. Hart is always into something.

For the past three years, he’s captained Team USA at the PBR World Cup. Under Hart’s supervision, the U.S. finished No. 1 in 2008 and 2009 and came in second at the 2010 edition last month in Las Vegas.

Hart, an Overbrook, Okla., resident, also has become a very popular commentator on the Professional Bull Riders’ Versus broadcasts and on a weekly RFD-TV show about the PBR.

This weekend, fans can see the former bull riding star in Decatur, Texas, as he heads up the seventh annual J.W. Hart PBR Challenge Enterprise Rent-A-Car Touring Pro Division show.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Wise County Sheriff’s Posse Arena. Tickets are $15 to $25. For information, call (800) 514-3849 or go to www.etix.com on the Web.

In recent years, the Hart event has drawn large crowds and world-class competitors. This year, the field includes 2004 World Champion Mike Lee, 2008 PBR Rookie of the Year Reese Cates, and former PBR World Finals qualifiers Valdiron de Oliveira, Matt Bohon, Kasey Hayes, Ben Jones and Ronny Kitchens.

Last year, Hart announced he would retire from bull riding at his North Texas event, a PR coup that helped fill the venue with fans who came to witness his ride. But it was anticlimactic, as Hart was bucked off of the notorious Cat Man Do in about 2 seconds.

Afterwards, Hart, who won the average at the 2002 PBR World Finals, joked that the rapid departure signaled that it was clearly evident he no longer had what it took to compete on a world-class level.

Since then, Hart has stayed in the spotlight by serving as a sports broadcaster and talk show host. He and two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride began co-hosting a weekly show last September on RFD-TV.

Hart also has become a family man. Within the past 14 months, he and his wife, LeAnn, have adopted two babies.

The 35-year-old recently answered questions about his Texas event and where he is in his life and his career.

Question: Your annual bull riding in Decatur has drawn larger crowds in recent years. Why has the event become so been successful?

Answer: The community is what makes this bull riding go over. The people of Decatur and Wise County, they just bend over backwards and give us all of the support we need and could ever ask for. The proceeds go to the local United Way, the local schools and fire departments and police stations around Wise County. A little bit of the money goes to the Resistol Relief Fund. It all goes to somebody that needs something, and that’s what makes this event special.

Q. You conduct the event in North Texas, an area that’s oversaturated with bull riding and rodeos. Not just any producer can come to the Fort Worth area and do well. Why is your event an exception?

A. The word is out there it’s for a charity. When you tag it to a charity, the people in the area hand out hand-over-fist. It really opens the doors for people to care and it shows what they care about. When you buy a ticket, you feel like you’re making a difference in the community. The United Way it goes to is in Wise County, so all of the money they put out stays right there, and helps with various parts of the community, and the people who come understand all that.

Q. A year ago, you retired the same night you rode at your event in Decatur. Have you had withdrawals since you have not ridden in a year?

A. I miss the competitive part of it. But who’s to say I haven’t been on a bull at home? When we get those kids around there and they start getting on bulls, every now and then, a bull will act up in the chute and you have to show them how to get out on him. I’ll always be a bull rider.

Q. You’re now a father. How has all that worked out?

A. LeAnn and I could not have kids naturally after trying for four years, so we went out on eBay and bought us a couple. Between Craigslist and eBay, you can buy anything. But in all seriousness, LeAnn and I went through an adoption agency and got our son Wacey, the day he was born (March 2009). And we got Makayla two months ago, and she’s now 20 months old. It’s a miracle.

Q. You and Justin McBride have been hosting a weekly show on RFD-TV. How’s that working out?

A. It’s funny. I get recognized more now walking through the airports for the RFD show than for the commentary that I do on the Versus broadcasts. But it’s really good and we don’t pull any punches.

Q. Do you feel that the show is making an impact on the bull riding? How is it different from any type of show that the PBR has had done?

A. We want to be really informative and really up-front, and we didn’t want to hide anything. If there’s a problem with the PBR, we’ll discuss it and bring it out in the open. The show is bull riding news. If the PBR board does something that we don’t like, we’re going to talk about it. Fans need to know as much as they can about the sport that they love. On the other hand, if the PBR does something that we really like, we’re going to talk about that, too.

Q. You’ve always had a notorious reputation for not pulling any punches.

A. I’d rather somebody hate me for who I am than like me for who I’m not.

Q. You’ve also done really well with captaining Team USA at the PBR World Cup over the past three years. The team has won two firsts and had a second-place finish this year. How you do feel about the impact you’ve made in that particular area of the sport?

A. I won’t deny that it was a little disappointing this year to come in second. It always is. But our guys did the best that they could. We had a good team. The only problem with our team was that each individual was kind of streaky. We had the type of people who would ride 10 or 12 bulls in a row and then buck off the next five or six. It was just one of those weekends that it kind of fell together that a couple of them had off days. But that’s the way it goes. You win some and you lose some and some get rained out. Nevertheless, I’m proud of those guys. If I had to take another team the next Monday to another World Cup, I would have taken the same team, because they were riding better than anyone in the world when I picked them.

Q. Looking back, Team USA has won two World Cups under your leadership and it appears that the reason the teams have done so well is because you put the onus on them to do well. You seem have a way of sending a message that the U.S. is expected to do well every time.

A. I will continue to do that. That’s just how the red, white and blue runs. The United States either needs to run wide open or not run at all. If we are going to be in the World Cup, we’re going to take the best team we can and we’re going to try to win every single time.

— by Brett Hoffman