ProRodeo Sports News July 9, 2021

COMMITTEE

“There were so many past directors and board mem- bers who contributed to the sup- port of the Ellensburg Rodeo. This honor is just as much theirs as any of ours.” – JERRY DOOLIN

PRCA ProRodeo file photo

Ellensburg Ellensburg Rodeo president grateful for Hall of Fame opportunity, life BY KEVIN CARMODY Special to ProRodeo Sports News the people before me, having a chance to share that news. What an honor.” Like many rodeos, Ellensburg wasn’t able to hold its annual event last year. Now, with the country returning to a somewhat normal status

nly 30 other PRCA rodeos can stake a claim of being Hall of Fame worthy in the rodeo committee category. The legendary Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo found out it would be No. 31 in the spring of 2020 but couldn’t truly celebrate after the induction ceremonies were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. No one seems to mind waiting until the time is just right, which will be July 17 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Jerry Doolin, the rodeo’s president born and bred in central Washington, can vividly recall clicking on an email from the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy some 14 months ago. In an instant, nearly a century of hard work by his predecessors came to mind when the letter revealed that the Ellensburg Rodeo had been voted into the Hall. “For me, a big part of it was this rodeo’s past,” said Doolin, alluding to the event’s 98-year history. “There were so many past directors and board members who contributed to the support of the Ellensburg Rodeo. This honor is just as much theirs as any of ours. You don’t think about being inducted, but the second I found out, I couldn’t believe it was me, out of all

and rodeos looking and sounding like pre-2020 levels, Doolin and the Ellensburg committee recently got the green light to hold the rodeo – scheduled for Labor Day weekend, just like it has since 1923. “It’s been a challenge to hear what options we have and what phases we’re in and to see where that puts us,” Doolin said. “But we all know we’re going to make it happen, no matter what.” Strangely enough, Doolin can almost thank the pandemic for most likely giving him a new lease on life. “Last year on Friday of Labor Day weekend, I had a heart condition at work. I actually died,” said Doolin, who works his days running a meat shop as a butcher. “I coded, but I wasn’t at the rodeo grounds working strenuously and had help much closer. I had open-heart surgery at the young age of 59. It turned out I had a birth defect, the aortic valve, and the housing around it was defective since birth and no one knew it. “Now, my doctor says I’m as good as I can be. I’m very much looking forward to the induction into the Hall of Fame and our rodeo event. It’s go time.”

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