Carson City Rodeo is hard living

Matthew Lawless rides his horse around in circles in a small dirt area next to the Carson City Rodeo's main arena Saturday night at Fuji Park. Lawless, who is from Carson City, is waiting for the start of the rodeo's steer competition.

As he waits, a cowboy is being tossed from a 2,000-pound bull in the bull-riding event.

After the bull riding is over, the women's calf roping event begins. Then, Lawless will get his chance to take down a small bull in the steer wrestling event, also known as 'bulldogging," by those who compete.

After another rider slams into the dirt, the rodeo announcer reminds the crowd, "This is a hard way to make a living folks."

Indeed it is.

The Carson City Rodeo, although considered small, is part of the International Pro Rodeo Association. It attracts competitors from Nevada and California.

"I've seen a lot of guys blow their knees out bulldogging," said Lawless, who works construction to make his living and competes in rodeos part-time. Most cowboys from the Carson area don't make their living off rodeos, although Lawless knows a few that do.

The calf roping competition has ended,and the steer competition is about to begin. Fallon's Justin Edgemen goes first, followed by Dan Bohan, then Lawless.

Edgemen jumps off his horse and tackles the bull. It takes him 25.3 seconds but he eventually brings the bull to the ground.

Bohan and his horse gallop out of the gate, but the bull scurries away. The announcer tells Bohan 'tough luck.'

Now it's Lawless' turn.

Two weeks ago at the Reno Rodeo, which is one of the top rodeos in the nation, Lawless took home $4500 after finishing second place in a competition. But this week, the bull ran away from him.

"They just kind of have a right steer to them," Lawless said about the bull's running direction.

Jim Usher of Gardnerville won the competition after taking only 13.2 seconds to wrestle the bull to the ground. David Faught, who was the last to give it a shot, had his bull run away as well.

"You don't know until a hour before the rodeo (on which bull they draw). It's all random," Lawless said.

But Lawless, who's been doing rodeos for 15 years, will have other chances to win.

In the next few months, Lawless will travel to California, Wyoming and South Dakota to compete in rodeos. And although money is the reward for winning, Lawless says that's not why he competes.

"You come to a rodeo and you meet nice people and get to travel a bit," Lawless said. "I've made a lot of friends in the rodeo business."