ProRodeo isn't like other sports. There are no team charter busses, airplanes or hotels. There's no guaranteed paycheck and cowboys have to pay to enter every rodeo in which they compete. That brings up a myriad of expenses that most professional athletes don't consider. While the struggles of professional rodeo cowboys are widely known, rising fuel prices are putting an even tighter crunch on an already tough way to make a living.
The United States Department of Energy estimates that personal vehicles burn 65 billion gallons of gas and diesel each year and that Americans drive 2.5 trillion miles each year. A typical rodeo cowboy travels well over 75,000 miles per year, participating in between 75 and 100 rodeos and other events. Compile that with nearly $3 per gallon diesel and cowboys are spending over $10,000 on fuel. Last year, the 16th-ranked team roper finished with just under $38,500 in winnings.
"It sure affects how much money you make," said three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Blaine Linaweaver. "When you go from spending $75 to fill up your tank to $100 and you're doing that three times a day, that an extra $75 a day you're spending. You're making a lot less money when you go to the pay window."
For Linaweaver, early 2006 hasn't given him many opportunities to get to that pay window. At press time, he was ranked 39th in the PRCA World Standings, over $6,000 out of the No. 15 hole. Rising fuel prices in his mind, however, are just a part of his chosen profession.
"If the math says that I can't do it, then I'll quit and go home," he says. "But the thing about it is, in the summer it just takes one run. One run at Reno and you're the second high team back and you catch that last one and win the rodeo, boom, there's $12,000. Next thing you know, I could be seventh in the world. It only takes one run. I feel like I'm kind of a veteran now where the pressure's not going to bother me as far as where I'm at or how much money I have won. Really, my year doesn't start until Reno.
"Anybody who is dedicated and wants to make the Finals or win a world championship isn't going to pack it up and go home. It's just like interest rates for home builders and stuff, it's going to go up and it's going to go down, but you just have to work through it if this is what you're going to do.
"It's just one steer at a time. Be aggressive and don't worry about fuel. Keep rolling because it's crunch time."
That said, Linaweaver has adjusted his rodeo strategy somewhat to compensate for the rising fuel prices. He recently reunited with heeler Jory Levy and instead of traveling apart, they will haul down the road in one rig.
"Now my fuel costs are going to be cut in half," he said. "It's going to be a lot better. Other than that, it's not going to change my game plan much. I'm not going to enter a one header that's 500 miles away and adds $3,000 now. It might change a few of the rodeos I enter, but for the most part it's not going to change anything."
The header in the number one spot in the world, Speed Williams, on the other hand, might make changes considering his position.
"It's been a discussion about whether we're going to the Northwest or not," Williams said of he and his partner at the time Clay O'Brien Cooper's strategy.
