Local resident Dawson Shannon has hit the big time as a bull rider as he qualified for the Canadian Finals Rodeo being held in Red Deer.
Qualification for the event is based on the amount of winnings a person makes. Only the top 12 earners will make the CFR. The rodeos that counted toward the earnings took place all over Western Canada.
“There was probably close to fifty rodeos. I went to every rodeo I could make,” says Shannon, who qualified with more than $17,000 in earnings this year.
Currently, Shannon works the rodeo circuit full-time during the summer months. The season starts in May and goes up until November, with the CFR. He says he lives off his winnings and trains for the rodeos in between events.
The training consists of working with a coach to ensure he’s getting in the proper workouts. He also has to pay attention to the food he’s eating and listen to his body. If he’s getting too sore, he’ll go to a sports clinic in Edmonton to address any issues.
Shannon says this is his first time at the CFR. “I’m really excited. There’s a lot of money to win,” he says.
For Shannon, the traveling involved in the rodeo circuit is one of the perks. He has some friends who also bull ride, and they attend many of the same rodeos.
“You get to travel all around with your buddies and ride bulls,” he says.
Shannon, now 23, says he’s been bull riding since he was 15 years old. “My dad’s always been a great supporter,” he says.
His dad was a bull fighter, so he grew up around rodeos. However, he decided it would be more fun to ride the bulls than fight them.
Another inspiration for Shannon was Don Johansen, a bull rider named the Cowboy of the Year for the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association in 1986.
The CFR runs November 2-6 at the Centrium in Red Deer.
