I went to many competition rodeos as a kid with my parents, but the only rodeo I’ve seen in the past 30 years was just a performance and not very exciting. I knew Colorado Springs hosted a competition rodeo each year, but it took until this year before I got around to going. It was held at the Norris Penrose Event Center, a venue built specifically for rodeo.
We arrived an hour and a half early to look at the vendors and exhibits, which was about an hour longer than we needed. With time to kill, we decided to experience all the rodeo had to offer and headed for the BBQ buffet tent. The food was much better than we expected, and we didn’t regret the choice at all.
Our seats were on the west end, near the bronco and bull chutes, which put them further from the roping and steer wrestling chute. But that was OK because the roping and steer wrestling tended to come further into the arena. The bulls, in particular, tended to stick within a couple of feet of the chutes.
It was definitely a conservative crowd. The rodeo opened with a prayer by … I forget. He didn’t mention Christ, but he definitely prayed to the God of the Bible, thanking him for creation and asking for safety for the performers. He ended with “And if any steers or calves happen to get hurt, thank you for the meat.” Which I thought was great.
It was a pleasant night — a little hot for the first half-hour or so, but then becoming pretty much perfect. Many in the crowd showed little interest in actually watching the rodeo, getting up repeatedly to get pretzels or beer or whatever. This made for a constant parade past us, which was annoying. Neither of us understood more than a third of what the announcer said. Without further ado, here are some photos and video of the action.
