|
 |
 |
|
I P R AXR O D E O
Rodeo is a true American sport springing from the unique occupation of the American cowboy. The rodeo cowboy has taken the skills of the ranch cowboy and refined them with the perfection and precision required of all professional athletes. Rules have been added to the contests to impose conditions and pressures ranch cowboys do not have. Thus over the years, today’s rodeo has evolved.
The International Professional Rodeo Association (I.P.R.A.) is one of the governing bodies of today’s modern rodeo and the sanctioning association for the Gilbert Days Rodeo. The rodeo and the participating cowboys will abide by the rules and regulations of the I.P.R.A.
Although many cowboys still come from traditional ranch or farm backgrounds, today’s rodeo competitors may have started in youth or high school rodeo. For some competitors this is their entirely livelihood. Rodeo competitors spend countless hours and miles traveling from one rodeo to another. Travel logs of 75,000 miles per year are common for cowboys and cowgirls who usually enter three or more rodeos per week and commute all over the country. Adding to this commute is that in the past twenty years the circuit that used to run from spring until fall is now year round. With the advent of coliseums and indoor arenas indoor competition is possible and has added many rodeos to the circuit. Cowboys and cowgirls within the state of Arizona are considered “locals” and may enter without belonging to a rodeo association.
The ultimate goal in rodeo is to win a world championship. The I.P.R.A. names world champions in January at the conclusion of the International Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City in seven events: bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, cowgirls barrel racing, steer wrestling, calf roping and team roping. These world titles are sought after and hard earned, but the title of World Champion All-Around Cowboy is rodeo’s most prestigious title. To win this coveted award, the cowboy must excel in more than one event, a difficult feat in today’s age of specialization.
At this year’s I.P.R.A. Gilbert Days Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls will be competing for $1600.00 added money per event and $800.00 for the breakaway event, which is not a sanctioned rodeo event. These cowboys and cowgirls will also be competing for beautiful belt buckles for each event and the all-around winner will take home special spurs.
A rodeo bucking horse or bull is as much of a star in the arena as the cowboy who competes on him. Cowboys want to draw a rank bull or horse in order to obtain a higher score, which enhances the cowboy’s chances of winning a paycheck. The broncs and bulls that dominate the rodeo arena are athletic, spirited and tough, just like the men who raise them and the men who ride them. Since these animals are prized for their ability, they receive the best of care. They are well fed, protected from injuries and kept in top physical condition. An animal that is injured, sick or weak cannot perform well and the scarcity of these four-legged athletes makes them too valuable to lose or abuse.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
