ProRodeo Sports News - March 19, 2021

PRORODEO 2021 SCHEDULE

Competitions canceled last year are ready to return in 2021 Rodeos Return Photo courtesy Souhtheastern Livestock Exposition & Rodeo Randy Ray leads the pack during the Southeastern Livestock Exposition Show & Rodeo’s Kickoff Parade in downtown Montgomery, Ala.

BY MATT NABER E verything was in place for the Southeastern Livestock Exposition & Rodeo in

general manager of the Red Bluff (Calif.) Rodeo. “We had the health department here with the sheriff to give

the order that we had to shut down. It was a sad day for sure. We were watching what was happening in Houston and thinking, ‘Oh, man, this isn’t good.’” Grandstands have been empty, but ProRodeo committee schedules have been packed. PROACTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE In true rodeo spirit, ProRodeo committees got back up when they were knocked down and used the last year to their advantage. “We really didn’t stop over here,” Miller said. “It’s definitely a full-time job, and we were scrambling.” This year is Red Bluff ’s 100th anniversary, so coming back in 2021 was particularly important to the committee and the community, but

Montgomery, Ala. The livestock judging was under way, and the rodeo was set to begin in one week. Then COVID-19 struck, and everything was immediately shut down in Montgomery and around the globe. “It was like an empty feeling, especially after this many years of doing it every year,” said Randy Davis, president of the rodeo in Montgomery. “I’ve been a member since 1994, but I’ve done something with the rodeo every year in some form or fashion, so it really was an empty feeling.” Nearly half of 2020’s ProRodeo competitions were canceled due to COVID-19. One year later, many are making a return. “I remember the exact day: it was March 20, and it was the worst day of 2020, I felt like, since we were less than 30 days before the rodeo, and it was pretty bad for us and the way it went down.” said James Miller,

ProRodeo Sports News 3/19/2021

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