ProRodeo Sports News - April 30, 2021

DIRECTOR’S CUT SCOTT KANIEWSKI Memories of 2020 Cave Creek Rodeo Days return

I ’m sitting in the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla., the day before the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo kicks off here for the first time since 2019. What a difference a year makes. As the 2021 ProRodeo regular season rounds the halfway pole and moves into the back stretch, we approach May and see Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days ahead of us. Last year, Cave Creek was a shining beacon in the turbulent sea that was ProRodeo. The season had come to a screeching halt in mid-March and the return of rodeo was unsure as every state across the country shut down events of all types during the surging pandemic. As all sports struggled to find footing in how to return, it was Cave Creek that raised its hand to draw the attention of the PRCA and offer itself as the starting point for the return to rodeo and to be the first place for the PRCA to Kick Open the Chutes. Nestled in the Sonora Desert, the Phoenix suburb is home to about 5,000 people. The rodeo sits about 40 minutes away from the state capitol. The town is quaint and most decidedly Western. The main drag – East Cave Creek Road – is worth the drive out from Phoenix. Plenty of good places to eat and shop at. They also have a pretty good rodeo. And last year it was a much-needed rodeo. No one was sure how the rodeo would look. It would be a fan-less event, as the PRCA worked diligently with local and state officials to make sure the utmost precaution was taken. Everyone at the arena wore masks except the

contestant who was in the arena performing.

Contestants flooded the town and underwent daily temperature tests to make sure they could compete. Chutes were continuously sprayed and wiped down. No one seemed to mind. Everyone was just glad to be rodeoing again. It was also a lesson to competitors that if they were going to enter a ProRodeo, they better bring their “A” game. The top cowboys fighting for a spot at the National Finals Rodeo quickly entered any rodeo that opened. That meant that every rodeo was flooded with top-notch talent. And that hasn’t ceased. Gone – so far – are the days of small rodeos with only local contestants. Today – for now – are still the days of packed entries, the best of the best battling for every last dollar in search of a Top 15 spot and another berth in the NFR. With rodeos starting to flood the ProRodeo Business Journal again (there are nearly a dozen other rodeos scheduled the same weekend as Cave Creek), cowboys will have choices to make. So not all of themmight be at Cave Creek this year. And that could start to open up the competition. Quite a few cowboys made their Cave Creek debut last year because it hadn’t previously been on their traditional rodeo trek. It’ll be interesting to see how many head back to the Sonora Desert after competing there last year. That weekend, May 28-30 and Memorial Day Weekend, will also be one of the busiest weekends of the 2021 ProRodeo season up to that point. And, rightfully, Cave Creek is again at the heart of it.

Scott Kaniewski is the Media Director at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He previously served more than two years as the editor of ProRodeo Sports News. He has nearly two decades of experience in sports journalism, with the last few being consumed by ProRodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/30/2021

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