ProRodeo Sports News - February 9, 2018

R OUND THE SHORT BY THE NUMBERS The amount of money steer wrestler Tyler Pearson combined to earn at the National Western Stock

Recognizing Volunteers

Show and Rodeo in Denver (Jan. 21) and the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas (Feb. 3). Pearson, the reigning steer wrestling world champion, moved up to first in the Feb. 5 PRCA World Standings with $27,440. The amount of money tie-down roper Shane Hanchey combined to earn at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver (Jan. 21) and the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas (Feb. 3). Hanchey, the 2013 PRCA world champion, moved up to second in the Feb. 5 PRCA World Standings with $33,498. The estimated number of visitors who attend the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo each year. The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is the 13-time PRCA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year. The 2018 rodeo began Feb. 8 and concludes Feb. 25.

Justin Boots award program expands An army of volunteers are what make ProRodeo possible by offering their time, knowledge and skills. Now, more volunteers will be recognized for their hard work thanks to the John Justin Standard of the West Award program expanding from 100 recipients to 125. “It’s the equivalent of qualifying for the Finals or winning the world in the eyes of the volunteers,” said Tom Feller, director, event marketing Justin Brands Inc. Justin Boots created the John Justin Standard of the West Award program in the late 1980s to recognize the thousands of hours of work that rodeo committee members donate to putting on their rodeos. “Sponsors like Justin have been with the PRCA from nearly Day 1, and we get a lot of support from them,” said Jack Morris, rodeo chairman for the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, Neb. “Typically, these are guys who spend more time volunteering for the rodeo than they might spend at their regular job,” Feller said. “It’s recognition for something that people take for granted; these rodeos don’t just happen. Some have fully paid staff when it comes to big stock shows, but for the most part it’s purely volunteer driven.” Each year, 100 PRCA rodeos are selected to participate in the

More pairs of Justin Boots will be handed out this year to honor volunteers who dedicate time to the sport of rodeo.

John Justin Standard of the West Award program, with each selecting an outstanding volunteer. Now, that number has grown to 125 rodeos. Each recipient is awarded a custom, embroidered pair of Justin Boots in recognition of their excellence. Then, each October, a ballot listing the recipients is sent to every PRCA rodeo committee to vote for the Justin PRCA Committeeman or woman of the year. “Rodeo wouldn’t exist without the volunteers, it’s impossible,” Feller said. “If you had to pay for all the services provided by volunteers, rodeo wouldn’t exist because you couldn’t add enough money to attract the cowboys and pay for the stock.” Morris expanded on that. “Most of the time, the committee folks are the ones that spend a year preparing for events, and a lot of work goes in behind the scenes with promoting professional rodeo and making our event the best it can be,” Morris said. “The fact that Justin Boots identifies that and recognizes folks is a testament to them in their promotion of ProRodeo.” Steven Money served as the rodeo director for the Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo for 34 years and spent about 20 years picking the John Justin Committeeperson of the Year before retiring. Shortly after his retirement, the Utah cowboy was awarded the 2017 John Justin Committeeperson of the Year. “It’s a great honor to have, and I want to thank all my committees at Spanish Fork over all the years for the support they gave me,” Money said. “It’s not very hard to guide a ship when you have a crew like I have had in the past.” Money emphasized the importance of having major sponsors in rodeo, not just for the financial contributions but also for the “electricity in the air” that comes with having big sponsors supporting the sport. “When I received the award, it was one of the highlight awards of my life,” Money said. “The recognition I received down in Las Vegas was just unbelievable, and the ripple effect of it is coming to this day.”

ONLINE: For ProRodeo events and results, go online at www.prorodeo.com.

ProRodeo Sports News 2/9/18

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