Sarah Bradley was only 14 the first time she rode Yo Mamma, an 1,800-pound bucking bull.
"I shoulda been ridin' junior bulls at that age, but I was doin' pretty good, so why not?" said the 5-foot, 3-inch blonde from Sheridan, Calif.
At the 10th annual Virginia City Rodeo on Sunday, she rode him again at age 16. The tan-colored beast was rated the top bucking livestock in the nation last year by riders.
Bradley drew the bull, fair and square.
"When you draw, they don't care if you're a woman, a champion rider or a first timer," said announcer Ted Dwyer from Le Grand, Calif. "What you draw is what you draw."
Bradley's father, Jim Bradley, said he felt good about her ride.
"She's been watching him for six or seven months," he said. "And she's healthy now. She just got off a broke arm and had her leg stepped on by a bull last week, but she's real healthy now."
She only weighs 120 pounds, he said.
"And that's with her gear on, I think."
Bradley said his daughter trains on a trampoline by doing flips and plays basketball for endurance to prepare for the bull he called "deep."
"Real deep, real tough," he said from the fence line.
The rodeo included bronc riding, team roping, barrel racing and calf wrestling.
It started with flags brought in by riders while Johnny Cash's "Ragged Old Flag" blared from dusty speakers.
Robert Russell of Gardnerville, a 23-year veteran of the Marine Corps, and his wife, Alta, brought in the flag. He was wounded six times and earned 12 battle stars.
During the crescendo of the anthem, last year's Miss Golden State Rodeo, Heather Berling of Littlerock, Calif., galloped full speed around the arena with Old Glory in a red-and-blue-striped shirt. She was later thrown during the barrel-racing competition, but rode out despite previously broken back.
Yose Campbell from Stagecoach competed in the team roping with his brother Clint.
"This is always a pretty fun little local rodeo," he said.
Two of his cousins made the national finals two years ago in Vegas, he said.
"There's seven in the family that rope," he said.
His grandfather, Leon Campbell, still competes at 79.
The Campbell brothers drew a five-second penalty for only roping one of their calf's rear legs.
One after the other, cowboys were bucked off bulls, drawing no score.
After he was stepped on, Josh Holderman bent over double, grimacing. Jimmy Ferris of Reno went down near the fence. Shane Nickle, also of Reno, was slam dunked into the dirt.
Sarah Bradley watched from the rail.
She watched Danny Fowler in a helmet, David Gardone of Carson City and long-haired Zach Smith hit the dirt. Dominic Gabriola almost made the 8-second mark -- flipping off at 7.8 seconds.
"Shucks, heck, darn it," said the announcer.
Then came the teenage girl who beat all the bull-riding men at last year's Virginia City Rodeo.
She held on tight as the bull launched from the gate, lurching and bucking. Tourists and rodeo fans hollered.
She held on as Yo Mamma turned, but was bucked off short of the 8 seconds. She held a hand up as she walked away. No one rode a bull the full time in two days -- and now Yo Mamma hasn't been ridden in two years.
Riders competed for a chance at the Western Regional Finals in Iselton, Calif. The top 10 in each event -- rated by money won -- are invited. Then the top 15 overall go to the national competition in Oklahoma City. The Western region includes 12 states and two Canadian provinces.
Championship belt buckles were handed out later at the Red Dog Saloon.
