Despite costlier ride, local rodeo entries up
More money in prize pool helps ease
pain of higher traveling expenses
Longview News
Journal
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Barrel racers Kristen Adams, Morgan Montello and Carrie Thompson will challenge each other on the Gladewater rodeo grounds this week. On the way there, they'll ride together.
Adams, who lives south of Shreveport, says fuel prices have forced her to cut the number of rodeos in which she competes. Prices also have spurred her and other competitors to carpool.
"I probably started slowing down in late April, and more so in May," Adams said. "I try to make trips where I can hit a couple of rodeos close together."
Adams said Montello of El Campo, and Thompson of Morton, Miss., will meet her in her hometown of Frierson, La. They'll make the roughly 95-mile trip to Gladewater together, and then will travel to Canton and Hugo, Okla., for two more events.
"We're splitting the fuel three ways instead of each of us going alone," Adams said.
At best, Adams said, her Ford Super Duty truck gets 10 miles per gallon while pulling a horse trailer on the highway. Most places she travels don't have electrical outlets for the trailer, so she has to run a gas-powered generator.
"It's costing up to $40 or $50 to fill it when it used to be $20 to get you through the weekend," Adams said.
Entries up
Despite the gas and diesel crunch, Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo entries are up, said association President C. Hugh Bowden Jr.
The 2007 rodeo drew 324 contestants; 371 are slated to participate in the year's event this week. Bowden said the event's reputation has a lot to do with that. Contestants, stock contractors and rodeo clowns voted Gladewater a top-five medium-sized rodeo nationally at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo in December. The rodeo committee, meanwhile, was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame in April.
"I know gas prices have affected things ... Not only do they drive diesel vehicles, they pull trailers up and down the road, and we've got 47 more contestants than we had last year," Bowden said. "I think that says a lot for the rodeo itself, not only that we just put on a first-class rodeo. I guess it doesn't matter what fuel costs."
Another draw is money the rodeo contributes to the prize pool on top of entry fees. Bowden said the $30,000 the committee adds to the pot puts event payouts at more than $4,000 each. Bowden said rodeos of Gladewater's size typically add $10,000 to $15,000 to the prize pool. Carthage's Panola County Cattlemen's Association Rodeo adds $10,500, while the Canton Stampede Rodeo adds $8,500, according to the PRORODEO Sports News magazine.
"Oh, that definitely helps," said Adams, who's making her first trip to Gladewater. "The higher payout definitely helps, and with it being fairly close to home, you've got to go to those and make them count."
Eighty-one barrel racers will run at this year's rodeo, something Bowden said Gladewater is used to because the emphasis it puts on barrel racing.
"We've always been a pretty popular barrel-racing rodeo," Bowden said. "There's a lot of rodeos out there that don't put a lot of emphasis on barrel racing. We put up the same money we do for everything else."
Bowden said the bull riding entry numbers are up, although PRCA bull riding is generally down. That has less to do with gas prices as it does with other opportunities, Bowden said.
Bull riding-exclusive tours, such as Professional Bull Riding and Championship Bull Riding, have cut into the number of riders at PRCA events, Bowden said. Championship Bull Riding was co-founded by Carthage stock contractor Terry Williams, a five-time PBR Stock Contractor of the Year.
"Our bull riders are up from last year, which is pretty interesting because most of these bull riders live check-to-check. They travel together and live together, split the gas and split the hotels — split everything just to make ends meet. We were kind of shocked because our entries were up so much."
Youth factor
Rough-stock riders generally are younger than their timed-event colleagues because of the physical toll in bull- and bronc-riding competitions. Panola College assistant rodeo coach Jeb Barney said fans shouldn't expect the number of those younger performers to thin out any time soon.
Barney, who was Panola's head coach for two years before serving as the program's assistant the past two years, has two sons — Spence and Brice — who compete in rodeo. Barney himself rodeoed for two years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La.. Spence Barney just finished his second year on the Northeast Texas Community College rodeo team, while Brice Barney recently completed his first year of high school rodeo.
Jeb Barney said he hasn't seen a drop in high school or college rodeo participation. Rodeo programs for younger competitors, meanwhile, have seen big numbers.
"They start as young as a 6-and-under age group, and it has about 80 members," Barney said of the Piney Woods Youth Rodeo Association. "The youth rodeos have a lot of kids involved now."
Barney believes the rodeo atmosphere draws young participants and their families. He added that the incentive of getting an education while performing in rodeos is a big draw for young rodeo athletes. Panola College and Northeast Texas Community College compete in the 11-team Southern Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.
NTCC won the region, and Panola finished second this year.
Barney said the number of the professional level competitors has dwindled slightly, but that has more to do with gas prices than interest in rodeo.
"It's so expensive right now," Barney said. "It's pretty cost prohibitive."
Barney said as long as rodeo does well at the younger levels, it should be around for a while.
"This economy's going to dampen it a little bit, but rodeo's not going anywhere," Barney said. "It's alive and well."
* * *
2008 Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo
Today: Cowboy Prayer Breakfast, 7 a.m., northwest corner of rodeo grounds. Tickets are $3 each and available on site.
Tuesday: Slack Night, 6 p.m., Free
Thursday: "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night." Attendees encouraged to wear pink with donations made to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer awareness foundation.
Friday: Ladies Luncheon and Sponsor Party, 11:30 a.m., former students building. Tickets are $10 at the door.
* * *
Scholarships top priority
While entertaining fans and gaining recognition for its hometown, Gladewater Round-Up Association President C. Hugh Bowden Jr. said the event's top priority is raising money for scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
"We're all volunteers. Nobody gets paid to do this. The reason we have the rodeo, the whole purpose of this event, is to provide scholarships," Bowden said. "We pay out about $20,000 a year to graduating seniors throughout the area."
Bowden said concession stand proceeds help groups such as the Gladewater Lions Club, Gladewater Rotary Club and Gladewater High School band parents, but the scholarship money remains the top goal for the 71-year-old event.
"It helps the community as a whole, but the main purpose it to raise scholarships," Bowden said.
Bowden added that students don't have to be involved in rodeo to receive scholarships.
"We try to spread it around," Bowden said. "We also pick the top-notch kids. Grades have a lot to do with it."
* * *
Cream of the crop in Gladewater
Past PRCA National Finals Rodeo qualifiers and world champions competing in Gladewater (timed event entries only):
TIE-DOWN ROPING
Fred Whitfield, Hockley: World champion
Jeff Chapman, Athens: NFR qualifier
Blair Burk, Durant, Okla.: NFR qualifier
Justin Maass, Giddings: NFR qualifier
Scott Kormos, Teague: NFR qualifier
Bud Ford, Everman: NFR qualifier
Johnny Emmons, Cleburne: NFR qualifier
Mike Arnold, Flatonia: NFR qualifier
Stran Smith, Childress: NFR qualifier
Doug Pharr, Victoria: NFR qualifier
STEER WRESTLING
Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls: NFR qualifier
TEAM ROPING
Jimmy Edens, Gatesville: NFR qualifier
Ryan Motes, Weatherford: NFR qualifier
Rich Skelton, Llano: World champion
David Motes, Tolar: NFR qualifier
Richard Durham, Morgan Mill: NFR qualifier
Speed Williams, DeLeon: World champion
Allen Bach, Weatherford: World champion
BARREL RACING
Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, Victoria: World champion
Annesa Self, Valley View: NFR qualifier
Angie Meadors, Blanchard, Okla: NFR qualifier
Kelly Maben, Spur: NFR qualifier
Fallon Taylor, Corinth: NFR qualifier
Maegen Reichert, Mount Pleasant: NFR qualifier
Denise Adams, Lipan: NFR qualifier
* * *
About the PRCA
- The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is the main governing body of professional rodeo in the United States. The PRCA has eight officials events: Saddle-bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping and barrel racing. Barrel racing standings are compiled by the Women's Professional Rodeo Association.
- According to the PRCA Web site, www.prorodeo.com, the organization was founded in 1936 under the name Cowboys' Turtle Association. Nine years later, the name was changed to Rodeo Cowboys Association, and in 1975, it became the PRCA.
- The Web site says PRCA headquarters were established in Colorado Springs in 1979. The headquarters also are home to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy.
* * *
Standings through May 26 (timed event entries only) and 2008 winnings:
STEER WRESTLING
10. Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls: $22,963
11. Matt Reeves, Pampa: $22,311
12. Joey Bell, Jr., Athens: $21,976
18. Spud Duvall, Checotah, Okla.: $16,468
TEAM ROPING (HEADING)
8. Speed Williams, DeLeon: $25,879
11. David Key, Caldwell: $23,521
12. Jojo Lemond, Andrews: $22,359
15. Chance Kelton, Mayer, Ariz.: $20,634
20. Brad Hamilton, Pollok: $18,305
TEAM ROPING (HEELING)
7. Allen Bach, Weatherford: $25,879
10. Martin Lucero, Stephenville: $22,359
15. Boogie Ray, Mabank: $20,396
TIE-DOWN ROPING
5. Stran Smith, Childress: $37,973
7. Blair Burk, Durant, Okla: $31,107
8. Jeff Chapman, Athens: $29,694
9. Justin Maass, Giddings: $29,132
13. Fred Whitfield, Hockley: $25,750
16. Scott Kormos, Teague: $22,147
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