My Favorite Rodeos
I’ve covered hundreds of high-school, college, amateur and professional rodeos all across the United States and Canada. I’ve covered rodeos in 27 states—ranging from Pennsylvania to Florida to Washington State—and two Canadian provinces. There are a few great rodeos I haven’t seen and still hope to get to someday. I’d still like to see a rodeo in Hawaii (who wouldn’t?) and one in Australia as well. Maybe someday.
For now, here’s a few of my favorites:
1. St. Paul, Oregon. A farming town of 300 puts on a great rodeo with more than 10,000 in attendance for each performance. It’s a July 4th rodeo just south of Portland, Oregon. I’ve been there twice and I’d spend my own money to go back. For someone who generally gets paid to go to rodeos, that’s saying something.
A chuckwagon driver prepares to turn a barrel in Calgary.
2. Calgary (Alberta) Stampede. One big party. Only been there once, but they go all out for the rodeo, chuckwagon racing and nightly Broadway-caliber show. I’d longed to attend this rodeo for nearly a decade before finally getting there in 2007.
3. National High School Finals Rodeo. I worked for the National High School Rodeo Association for five years, so I’m kind of partial to this one. From my perspective, the rodeo meant long hours (usually 15 to 20 per day for a week) and constant demands from the media. But it was always a blast.
4. National Finals Rodeo. I’m not a Las Vegas-type of guy, but this is simply the best rodeo with the best livestock and the best cowboys. So that alone makes it tough to beat. From a media perspective the bigger events are always more difficult to cover–more red tape to go through, etc. But you can’t beat the rodeo action at the NFR.
5. Daines Ranch Rodeo in Innisfail, Alberta. Completely run by the Daines family and is another event that turns into a week-long party. They pull in the best bucking stock Canada has to offer—which is generally incredible. And the cowboys love the rodeo as much as any event they go to all year.
There are others, but these five stand out.
Feel free to post your favorite rodeos in the comments section. If there’s a rodeo out there that you think we should be covering, let me know.