Thrills, Spills at Nation’s Top Rodeo

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — This year’s 101st annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, the world’s largest and hailed as the “daddy of ‘em all,” drew huge crowds from around the the West.

There were all the thrills and spills of a top-ranked rodeo along with the clowns and exciting trick-riding performances.

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the West’s most famous showman, held the “Old Glory Blowout” on July 4, 1882, at North Platte, Neb., the nation’s first organized rodeo. The sport has gained enormous popularity, and the prize money has reflected this growth.

It reached $25.4 million around the circuit in 1995, more than double the $9.9 million paid out in 1980.

Prize money for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo this year totaled $468,388, with Keith Hudson of Sonora, Texas, taking the All-Round Cowboy top honors.

And, in a daily ritual, the cowboys doffed their hats and bowed their heads as the announcer recited the cowboy’s prayer and read off the names of former rodeo performers who are now dead.

When a rider was thrown and mauled by a bull, the clowns swung into action to divert the beast’s attention from the fallen cowboy.

Rodeo, born on the Western plains during the great cattle drives of the late 1800s, is the only professional sport derived from skills of the workplace.

The first riding and roping contests were most likely the result of chance meetings of cowhands with competitive spirits on trails and at railheads.

The first lasting organizational effort, though, didn’t evolve until 1936, when contestants united to demand fair prize money, consistency in judging, and honest advertising in the sport.