The Super Bowl of Rodeo

Hello Readers!

 

I hope you are having a fantastic day! I’m glad to see you back at my blog. Last week, I talked to you about all of the scored events in the sport of rodeo. This entry is going to be all about the controversy and the drama surrounding the potential relocation of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Professional contestants work the entire year to make it to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, WNFR for short. To compete in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas is one of the greatest accomplishments a rodeo competitor can achieve. It’s every little cowboy and cowgirl’s dream, including my own. The rodeo runs for 10 days straight during the beginning of December with competitions every night. In order to qualify for the WNFR, competitors must be in the top 15 money earners for their event. The world champion of a particular event is determined by whoever earned the most money by the end of the 10 days. Average money is also factored into this ending balance. To win the average, which is usually a significantly large amount of money, contestants must have the fastest average time or highest average score over the duration of the WNFR.

Considering that the WNFR had been held in Las Vegas for 29 years straight (Katsilometes, 2013), it was a shock to hear that the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association decided to consider other venue options. The PRCA voted to decline the offer made by Las Vegas Events representatives to renew the contract to remain in the Nevada city. The Osceola County (Fla.) Commission had made a very appealing offer to the PRCA. In 2016, the WNFR would be held in a brand new facility with the ability to hold up to 24,000 people (Katsilometes, 2013).  The Osceola County Commission’s offer was also $4 million more than the Las Vegas Events’.

The committees reached a final decision by the end of January, 2014. The Las Vegas Board of Trustees and the PRCA announced that the WNFR will remain in Las Vegas until 2024 after a unanimous vote on the issue (“Las Vegas Events and PRCA Agree on Extension,” 2014). $10 million in contestant winnings along with $3 million guaranteed to the stock contractors is also a part of the deal between the two groups.   In 2013, Las Vegas received over $87 million in non-gaming revenue over the 10 days the WNFR was in town (“Las Vegas Events and PRCA Agree on Extension,” 2014).

Luckily, the “Super Bowl of Rodeo” will remain in Vegas for another decade. Tradition is a very important aspect of the rodeo culture and I believe that this decision is a great one. I can’t wait for the day I can make a trip to Vegas for the most exciting rodeo event in the world!

 

Emily Engelhard

 

Scored Events

Welcome back!

 

Thank you for visiting my blog, again! In order to learn about new issues and topics, we have to know what we are talking about! In this blog entry, I will be providing you with descriptions about the scored rodeo events as well as some rodeo jargon.

A typical amateur or professional rodeo operates in two parts: performance and slack. Spectators typically attend the performance because it is usually the event that is advertised. A limited number of contestants are allowed to compete in the performance so the show doesn’t run all night. All of the remaining contestants compete at a preliminary time, commonly known as slack (“Rodeo Terminology,” Prorodeo.com). The results of the entire rodeo are calculated by compiling the performance and the slack together.

Youth rodeos and some amateur rodeos have more events than the professional rodeos. In lower level rodeos there may be events such as polebending, goat tying, and breakaway roping in addition to the typical events of tie down roping, barrel racing, team roping, and steer wrestling. All of these events are timed events, meaning the fastest time wins. For this blog, I will only be describing the events that are scored, meaning the highest score wins. All of my event descriptions contain information from various articles on Prorodeo.com, the official site of professional rodeo.

I’ll start with bull riding, which tends to be the most popular event. For 8 seconds, a cowboy must stay aboard the bull without touching him with his free hand in order to get a score. The other hand is fixed into a rope which is tied around the bull right behind his front legs (“Bull Riding,” Prorodeo.com). The ride is judged on the cowboy’s ability to stay aboard the bull and may be increased with spurring or if the bull is particularly difficult to ride.

Bareback riding involves a cowboy and a horse instead of a bull. It has been compared to “riding a jackhammer with one hand” (“Bareback Riding,” Prorodeo.com). For 8 seconds, the cowboy must ride the horse without touching the horse with his free hand. The other hand is secured in a rigging, which looks like the handle on a suitcase. Riders are scored based on how difficult the horse is to ride as well as spurring technique and form.

Lastly, there is saddle bronc riding which also involves a cowboy and a horse. In this event, the cowboy is seated in a saddle and hangs on with one hand to a rope connected to the horse’s halter. If he can stay on for 8 seconds, maintain a smooth motion of spurring, and keep from touching the horse with his free hand, he will get a score (“Saddle Bronc Riding,” Prorodeo.com).

Well, I hope I have provided you with enough info to get you familiar with the scored events of rodeo. I hope to see you back here again!

 

Emily Engelhard