Weekend Warriors

Part-time cowboys fulfill rodeo dreams

As youngsters, Texans Craig Cavaness and Chuck Jankowski dreamed of becoming firemen and cowboys. Today, Cavaness and Jankowski are fulfilling both dreams, thanks to their work battling blazes for the Houston Fire Department and participating in weekend rodeos.

"I love the sport," says Cavaness, who competes as a steer wrestler. "I love my job, too. I’ve got the best of both worlds."

Cavaness, 31, and Jankowski, 45, are among 7,000 hard-working Americans who take part in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s (PRCA) unique circuit system each year. The PRCA developed the system in 1975 for part-time rodeo cowboys. This allows participants, often referred to as "rodeo’s weekend warriors," to work a full-time job, spend time at home with their families during the week, and compete in rodeo on the weekends.

Best of both worlds

Cavaness, of Brenham, Texas (pop. 13,507), started riding steers when he was 10 years old and wrestling steers at 15.

"The rodeo is great," says Cavaness, an eight-year fire department veteran who began competing in circuit rodeos in 1996. "And firefighting? Well, there’s no better feeling in the world than riding in the back of a Dodge truck into the rodeo arena, and getting a standing ovation when they announce you’re a Houston firefighter. That’s all the reward I need."

For Jankowski, of Simonton, Texas (pop. 718), weekend rodeo allows him to work as a fireman, compete in the sport, and spend time with his wife, Jeana, and daughter Baylee, 7. "I am a fierce competitor," says Jankowski, who participated in his first circuit rodeo in 1987. "I’m in there to win. The circuit rodeo has allowed me to steer wrestle and still be with my family."

And that’s precisely the idea, says Ann Bleiker, PRCA spokeswoman. "The weekend warrior doesn’t want to spend 365 days a year on the road," Bleiker says. "They want to stay close to home. They want a chance at a full-time job like a doctor, a businessman or a teacher. It has nothing to do with a lack of talent. It all comes down to a matter of time."

Jankowski, a firefighter since 1993, began competing in rodeo at age 14 while working on a cattle ranch. He says a family tragedy drove him to pursue the sport.

"When I was 23 years old, my father had a massive heart attack and passed away," he says. "All my dad lived for was retirement and he never got there. I decided then that I wouldn’t live the rest of my life wishing I could do something, like he did. I’m doing it."

PRCA’s circuit system allows Jankowski and thousands of other cowboys and cowgirls across the nation to live out their rodeo dreams. The circuit system is divided into 12 geographic regions, such as California, Southeastern, Texas and First Frontier, which encompasses the northeastern United States. Circuit cowboys compete within their geographic circuit throughout the year to earn points and rankings, each vying for a spot at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, held each March in Pocatello, Idaho (pop. 51,466). Competition at the annual event is intense, with more than $400,000 in prize money at stake.

"It is such a rush," says Cavaness, who will compete at his third circuit finals this year. "I love the competitive side of it."

"This year, we’ll have 192 contestants," Bleiker says of the circuit finals. "There are two contestants from each circuit per event."

Although Jankowski didn’t qualify for this year’s circuit finals, he has earned nearly $93,000 during a rodeo career that includes 15 trips to the Texas Circuit Finals and two to the National Circuit Finals. And, of course, he’s glad the circuit system was created for cowboys like himself. "The system is nice because it gives working cowboys an opportunity to reach a tangible, rewarding goal," he says.

Rodeo romance

John and Lynne Winkers, of Woodstown, N.J. (pop. 3,136), not only found a hobby in circuit rodeo, they found romance. After meeting at a rodeo, Lynne saw John at a nightspot, and on a bet from her cowgirl friends, she walked up and planted a kiss on him. She figures she made out in the deal, winning $50 and the love of her life. The two rodeo competitors married in June 2004. They’ve since been on a hot streak, and last September they took home winning buckles at the Cowtown Rodeo, near Woodstown, in their respective events: Lynne in barrel racing and John in bareback riding.

"We’re great for each other," says Lynne, who’s competed since 1984. "I was doing all right [in rodeo] before I married John, but together we’re on a whirlwind of competing and winning. It’s a Cinderella story."

John, 46, and Lynne, 51, work together on their Woodstown farm, running an overseas livestock shipping business and quarantine station for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Of course, when the workweek is over, the two are off to the rodeo.

"It’s a different lifestyle," says John, who followed in his father’s footsteps and took up the sport at age 4. "It works for us. We’re happy. What more could we want?"

Last year, the couple qualified for the circuit finals and turned the trip to Pocatello into a second honeymoon.

"We look forward to the rodeo," Lynne says. "It’s something we do together. We don’t have anything to prove. We’re just enjoying the thrill of being the best we can be."

John agrees. "It has nothing to do with the money. Once you get started in the rodeo, it’s in your blood."

A circuit champ and dad

Clay Perry, 35, of Equality, Ala. (pop. 1,123), shoes horses during the week and competes in the circuit rodeo as a steer wrestler on the weekend. Although he didn’t qualify for this year’s finals, he won the Dodge National Circuit Finals’ steer wrestling champion title in 2005.

"I was born and raised on it," says Perry, who’s competed as a circuit cowboy since 1994, earning more than $70,000 during his career. "My mom rode the barrels, and my daddy worked about every event there is. I was roping calves in elementary school and steer wrestling by the time I was in ninth grade."

That love of rodeo is something he’s passing on to his children—son Jesse James, 6, and daughter Shay Lee, 4. Both are involved in youth rodeo, with Jesse taking part in steer wrestling and Shay in barrel racing.

Of course, Perry’s involvement with circuit rodeo has made all the difference. "The circuit rodeo makes it so that I can be with my children and rodeo," he says. "It’s good all the way around."

Tracy Leinberger-Leonardi is a freelance writer in Elkton, Md.

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